From the trenches: Video play

OPINION: World events and the increasing number of potential threats to computer networks have placed a big emphasis on resellers considering selling so many different types of IT security products.

However, following a recent trip to the office of Axis Communications in Sweden, I quickly realised that there are opportunities for resellers to add another string to their bows.

I’m talking about IP video surveillance, a technology the market is only just starting to fully understand.

After terrorists attacked the London transport system on 7 July, traditional, analogue closed circuit television (CCTV) systems were used to provide images and identify the culprits.

CCTV has been widely used for so many years and is a US$5 billion market, but if you speak to Axis, it’s a market that is slowing -- and with good reason.

After all, who wants to run through videotape?

IP video on the other hand is a US$221 million that is growing at 40 percent per year. Companies like Sony and D-Link, and even storage companies such as EMC, are getting behind it and see a big future in this technology.

The problem is that most IT managers do not necessarily see video surveillance systems as their responsibility or are too inundated with issues surrounding their critical networks.

Axis released its first IP video camera in 1996 and since then, the technology has come a long way. Over the next 12 months or so, “intelligent” video surveillance products will come to the fore and after seeing a demonstration of some of Axis’ high-end equipment, these products are bloody good. IP video allows users to see events live in real time over the internet and hone in different aspects of a situation.

Security is not just about protecting computer networks -- it is also about protecting physical assets such as equipment inside buildings, and monitoring potentially disruptive employee behaviour is also part of the equation.

Many organisations are now realising the benefits of using IP networks as a means of protecting their assets. Sydney Airport is one of them. IP video is fast becoming far superior to traditional analogue CCTV.

With this in mind, it is definitely worth investigating as a good addition to your security product and services arsenal. There’s a market here to design and install IP surveillance infrastructure for many vertical markets including transport, manufacturing, education and particularly retail.

I’m convinced that if you are managing a customer’s network and desktop security, you might want to get in their ear about IP video as well.

Of course, having the required bandwidth to support these types of applications is going to be a challenge. Email me your thoughts on the potential in this market.