IP Video Surveillance Sales Advice

By Bill Taylor, president, Panasonic System Networks Company Of America

Which markets present the best opportunity for selling video surveillance technologies?

Retail and education verticals present excellent opportunities. Video systems are well-equipped to serve ongoing requirements of the retail environment to do more with less by providing greater value. Video solutions can be tailored to adapt to changing retail environments and to perform dependably at multiple locations. In the education vertical, ongoing concerns about campus violence continue to drive administrators toward technology solutions that help keep students and staff members safe. IP-based video systems are tailor-made for the campus environment. Network connectivity ensures surveillance video can be made available from anywhere on campus without the added expense of running coaxial cable to each camera. The campus-wide network goes everywhere anyway, which means the ability to provide critical video for any surveillance need is as near as the closest network node. There are also opportunities to integrate security cameras with networked audio/visual systems in the classroom, which also tie into the campus IT backbone. For example, a wireless classroom audio system could double as an element of an emergency response system. A panic button on a teacher's audio microphone (worn around the neck) could be used to trigger an emergency response and/or enable video surveillance of the classroom.