From The Editor: Can Video Surveillance & Access Control Become Your Easiest Sales?

By Mike Monocello, Editor In Chief, Business Solutions magazine.

The answer to the question posed in the title of this article depends on what kind of company you're a part. If you're the typical reader of Business Solutions magazine, there's a good chance that these physical security solutions can become your easiest sale. Before I get into how, let me explain why. Simply, in recent years physical security solutions have become IP (Internet Protocol)-based. To understand the significance of this seemingly benign statement, you have to understand the long-standing video surveillance and access control sales channel. For years, installing dealers have made a killing installing analog video camera systems, security alarms, and access control solutions. Some of these guys have been in business since surveillance cameras were invented. However, technology changes. And, as these solutions became more reliant on IP networking, a related and more specialized skill set became more important. Unfortunately, most of the existing physical security sales channel wasn't equipped to handle the migration to IP-based technologies, and, in many ways, this has slowed the adoption of IP-based solutions. In the years since IPbased solutions (which offer exponentially better functionality and ROI over their analog-based counterparts) have hit the security scene, installing dealers have been playing catch-up, trying to learn the nuances of network integration.