We’re now well into January, which is always a month for reflection on the year that has passed and a time to forge plans for the months ahead.
2010 was certainly an eventful 12 months, and heralded the start of many changes for the UK’s security environment.
What, though, will 2011 have in store for IP surveillance?
Despite the challenging market conditions continuing to prevail in the UK, IP surveillance is still growing. There will be many reasons behind this, not least because of the business intelligence advantages such installations offer organisations to help towards either making or saving money for them.
Predictions for 2011
My predictions for the year ahead? I think adoption of HDTV will continue to gather momentum in 2011. I also believe we’ll see an increase in organisations using IP surveillance for more than just protection and security.
We’ve already started to see this in a number of businesses in differing markets, all of which have a common objective – to streamline and improve their operations.
Business intelligence applications – among them people counting and recognition – will continue to offer real value, most notably in the retail environment, and become increasingly important to end users.
More and more, organisations are seeing for themselves the added benefits of network cameras. In many cases, those cameras are being used as tools to assist with tasks for which they weren’t necessarily installed.
For example, assisting with marketing and merchandising in a retail environment, and helping out with operations in freight yards.
Shift in the role of surveillance
This truism illustrates a real shift in the role that surveillance plays in the workplace, and brings us full circle back to the initial focus of my predictions: the business intelligence that IP surveillance delivers.
Certainly, it will be interesting to see how accurate these predictions turn out to be in the real world. Indeed, I would be very interested to hear your thoughts on this topic.
In closing this first instalment of The Networker for 2011, I’d also like to take this opportunity to wish you a very happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.
Phil Doyle is regional director for northern Europe at Axis Communications
Next time on The Networker: the Network Video Clinic considers the security of surveillance systems
If you have any network video questions you would like to put to Phil, send an e-mail to: [email protected]
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