Security Sales & Integration

October 2012

SSI serves security installing contractors providing systems and services; surveillance, access control, biometrics, fire alarm and home control/automation. Coverage in commercial and residential product applications, designs, techniques, operations.

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TECH TALK CHANGES IN CENTRAL STATION COMMUNICATIONS by Bob Dolph MONITORING MAJOR Bob Dolph has served in various technical management and advisory positions in the security industry for 30+ years. To share tips and installation questions, E-mail Bob at bdolph.ssi@gmail.com. Check out his Tech Shack blog at www.securitysales.com/blog. bdolph.ssi@gmail.com Technology and customer desires are conspiring to create a wealth of sales prospects for those offering central station monitoring solutions. The question is: Are you up for the challenges that cashing in entails? Learn about the hot trends and the view from the top. T his month we see what some of the experts are saying about the latest in central station monitoring communications. Monitoring represents one of the leading ways to generate recurring monthly revenue in a post-recession climate hell-bent on RMR growth. Meanwhile, new technologies and market trends are enabling an array of emerging services and opportunities, mixed with challenges and potential threats as well. T e monitoring future indeed appears bright; however, take heed of what those in the know have to share. 3 LEADING TECH TRENDS FOR 2012 In June, discussions, sessions and research at the Electronic Security Expo (ESX) identifi ed the top technology trends for 2012. Many of them have a direct relationship to the rapidly changing world of central station communications. Here are some highlights of this important trade discussion: Alternative signal (alt-sig) transmission — T e demise of the plain old telephone service (POTS) is in full motion. Studies show that 25% of American homes have only a cellphone and no landline. Even with landline phones there is a high likelihood that it is fed by a VoIP connection. According to the 2012 Electronic Security Association (ESA) Annual Megatrends Research Reports, 88% of ESA members are working with alt-sig. T is includes cellular, IP/VoIP/broadband and radio. Video monitoring — Being able to visually verify what is happening at the scene of an alarm is valuable. T e development of protocols to make sure installations are checked and verifi ed for viewing is critical. T e popularity of video monitoring and verifi cation is now being emphasized in municipalities such as Detroit, San Jose, Calif., and Los Angeles. Hosted video — According to IMS Research, the world market for cloud-based video surveillance (or video surveillance as 24 / SECURITYSALES.COM / OCTOBER 2012 Diebold's monitoring center was named CSAA's 2011 Central Station of the Year. Its services include: alarm monitoring; remote video monitoring and storage; managed access control; disaster back-up; network monitoring; and more. Photo courtesy Diebold a service; VSaaS) could double by 2014 to a $1 billion market. "Growth in the VSaaS market is a result of increasing demand from consumer, small-to-medium businesses and government end users. Also, an increasing number of entrants to the market has accelerated growth of service development, marketing presence and is also creating a more competitive environment, Grinter, market analyst at IMS Research. " says Sam DIEBOLD EXEC IDENTIFIES KEY ISSUES I had the distinct advantage of being able to pose a few questions to Jacky Grimm, vice president of Security Solutions and Business Development for Diebold Security. She off ers a great vantage point from her important position within one of the industry's true security systems installation and monitoring providers. What are the three biggest technical issues facing central station communications today? Jacky Grimm: One is accommodating a customer's existing network infrastructure. More often than not, the network is built for a core functionality other than security. By themselves, alarm panel networks aren't bandwidth hogs. An issue can arise when security signals sent through shared external bandwidth "pipes" become datarich transmissions, such as the case with video. T ough video isn't streaming live 24/7, when something happens, you need video so everyone can look at it. A typical best practice is to set priorities within a customer's network. Quality-of-service [QoS] priorities determine the order of operations for network communications, so that in the case of an event, important security transmissions get through fi rst. >>

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