VoIP & Video Surveillance: Sell Both

By Mike Monocello, editor in chief, Business Solutions magazine.

In the September issue of Business Solutions, I interviewed VoIP (voice over Internet Protocol) integrator NuWave Technology Partners about the addition of IP-based video surveillance solutions to the company's line card. According to Kyle Paalman, managing partner, video cameras are not very different from VoIP phones — both are simply devices sitting at the edge of an Ethernet network. While there are obvious differences in the hardware and software being used, Paalman explains that since many of his engineers have Cisco certifications, it was an easy step to apply their networking knowledge to be able to install and configure cameras. On top of that, many video surveillance cameras and software packages have evolved to the point that much of the basic initial configuration is automated. In short, VoIP integrator NuWave found the issue of installing IP cameras a nonissue. So, is NuWave's success simply a fluke, or are VoIP integrators poised to have equal success in the IP security market? I found the answer to this question at the recent ASIS.