Security proving a secure market

Darren O’Loughlin, general manager at Dimension Data, disagrees however, that clients themselves, are necessarily keen to see a streamlined approach in the number of vendors they must deal with. He says: “End users do not have a number of vendors in mind when they are thinking of their security needs; rather they are thinking of solving their technical issues with best-of-breed solutions which can be properly implemented and supported.

“There is no point in a multi-million dollar solution being embedded without a good reseller who can identify and deliver its full operating requirements. Aspects such as planning, design, architecture, training and staff resources to drive the business model all need to be thoroughly covered.

O’Loughlin agrees however, that there are limited resources in the market, with clients often looking for a ‘virtualised security team’ that has the capability of running complex solutions.

“For this reason, resellers within the security space need to be able to offer customers the whole range of skills to fulfil multiple needs,” he says.

Surveillance – a lucrative area

One area of security which is acknowledged to be providing good returns for IT resellers is the surveillance business. Globally, surveillance is a growing sector, as many countries increasingly look towards beefing up their internal security infrastructure, whether in times of peace or crisis.

Most resellers of SDVRs also offer CCTV cameras and accessories, so the two segments are somewhat related. The digital surveillance channel is made up of distributors, SIs and resellers. Resellers often operate on a smaller scale, focusing on small surveillance applications and usually purchase their products from distributors before selling them to customers as a solutions package. Unlike the large SIs in Australia, resellers often purchase their products from local distributors and seldom import them from overseas.

A spokesman from CCTV reseller, Seagate says: “This is certainly a lucrative area for resellers. However, as surveillance systems are very much solutions-based, knowledge on how to develop solutions applications to address customers’ needs is critical.

“Most end-users view surveillance systems and CCTVs as expenses, rather than as investments because they can’t see the return from the deployment of surveillance systems. Nowadays, many insurance companies offer lower insurance premiums to parties with installed surveillance systems, and claiming for such insurance can be expedited if there are surveillance systems to provide evidence of incidences.”

He continues: “Applications of surveillance systems continue to grow beyond just physical security; we will see increasing applications and deployment of surveillance systems for productivity monitoring, business analyses, risk assessments and remote site management.”

The spokesman says that when getting into this area, there are a few things to take note of.

“Firstly, know your customers’ needs, why they need it and how it can be extended beyond the primary usage. Then make sure you have the technical knowledge in IT, networking, cabling, engineering and lighting.

“Developing a security plan in case of security breaches is also crucial. As surveillance systems are being deployed at key areas to ensure safety, security and protection, customers will need to know about these plans.”

Finally, he comments: “Be aware of the customer request for very high commitment levels in terms of quick turnaround time, long working hours and high after-sales service.”

a market proving secure security