Today, in the United States in particular, customers are adopting IP-based video cameras rather than the older analog technology. This shift from analog to IP is changing the buying process along with the technology.
“What I find interesting is the changing dynamic in the marketplace,” said Dave Poulin, director of vertical markets for Physical Security & Mobile Video at Panasonic, in an interview with IFSEC Global. “There has been a similar change in the way products are purchased and handled that corresponds with the shift from analog to IP products.”
The real shift began about three years ago, when IP cameras captured half the market share, said Poulin. The prevalence of greenfield video surveillance projects make IP more attractive to US customers, compared to those in the UK who are often faced with rip-and-replace upgrades.
Now, IP-based technology has a strong lead in North America. In fact, four out of five of North American systems integrators and installers currently purchase some IP-based surveillance equipment from IT distributors, according to a June 2012 report from IMS research titled “IP Trends in Security – A Survey of Systems Integrators and Installers.” That figure will reach 90 percent by 2015, the research firm predicts.
Increasingly, IT managers are making decisions about what products are chosen, and are asking hard questions about network bandwidth, resolutions, and more. “IT managers were ranked ahead of other key influencers such as physical security managers, chief security officers, and consultants in their ability to influence which IP-based video surveillance products are chosen,” said the IMS report.
Poulin confirmed:
IT budgets are typically larger than the associated security budgets. Instead of security managers buying an IP-camera and speaking with the IT department about how to incorporate it into the network, increasingly the IT department will buy the security equipment from their budget and incorporate the device into their network.
It’s important to understand who is at the table and manage the sales cycle accordingly. “As this becomes more of an IT play, the conversation changes,” said Poulin. “We have high resolution cameras, for example, but IT wants to understand the impact when those cameras are put on the network.”
This understanding is critical, particularly in large installations. Hundreds, or even thousands, of cameras running in high definition can quickly choke bandwidth. “We need to speak about analytics, facial recognition, resolution, and the rest, but we also have to be cognizant of dealing with bandwidth issues,” said Poulin.
As the move to IP continues, these technology conversations are only going to become more important. Organizations need to figure out how to leverage video management software. The debates of video processing at the server or on the edge of the network will continue.
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