See How Easily You Can Sell IP Video (June Issue Preview)

By The Business Solutions Network

Working in the publishing world is like living in fast forward. While most people are experiencing the month of May right now, we're finishing up the articles for our July (!)  issue, making calls for our August issue interviews, and planning editorial for our September issue. Ugh. Oftentimes, I have trouble recollecting which article is in which issue.

When you live this way, by the time an issue hits the reader's mailbox, it's usually far behind in our rear-view mirror.  However, there are always certain memorable characteristics of each issue. Whether it's a VAR I interviewed who turned into a friend, or an issue with a good/interesting photo shoot, or an issue with a great article or one where I missed the boat. This upcoming June issue -- which should be in the mail as you read this -- will stand out to me as our strongest IP camera issue to date where we take multiple angles to encourage you to look at this technology as a new revenue stream.

For instance, if you're a POS (point of sale) VAR, you'll want to take a look at one of the June feature articles, Integrate POS & Video Surveillance, where Datatek's President Jim Brown integrated video surveillance solutions with the POS solutions his company sells. The result was a new product offering for existing customers and 30% growth during a recession.

Also in the issue is a feature article on $25 million integrator Northland Controls, who grew from a small regional integrator into a national powerhouse. How'd they do it? You'll have to read the article and learn for yourself.

Additionally, the June issue includes what could be a controversial article to some: "How Megapixel Cameras Can Effectively Eliminate PTZ Cameras." Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras have long been a go-to piece of hardware for many a security install. The information presented in this article suggests that today's latest camera technologies will change that.

Finally, we've got a couple great articles on DVRs/NVRs and video storage. If you're an integrator trained on understanding the storage requirements of your customers, you'll definitely want to give these articles a read. The fact is, being a storage integrator means you've got 50% of an IP video solution covered. Even more if you add in your networking skills.

You might be wondering, why so much attention to this topic? Regardless of how you feel about the sales potential in this technology, we've spoken with enough readers to know that this *is* a huge opportunity. In fact, a recent survey we conducted showed that 46% of our audience (more than 18,000 readers) expects to add IP cameras/video surveillance solutions to their line cards within the next 18 months. Our plan is to walk hand in hand with you as we turn this opportunity into something you can take to the bank sooner rather than later.