The Business Solutions Network

If you've got customers with junky old analog CCTV surveillance systems looking to upgrade to IP, but cost is a factor, you should take a look at 360-degree panoramic cameras. Why? Imagine one megapixel camera mounted in the center of a room that captures video in all directions. Unaltered, these cameras produce recorded video that looks like a mirror ball (i.e. a sphere of warped video). However, after image correction (de-warping the...  Continue Reading..

While at the Mobotix partner conference earlier this week, attendees got a crash course in video quality. If you aren't hip to the latest in video surveillance, you might be in for a shock. According to Dr. Magnus Ekerot, CEO USA for Mobotix, 90% of today's surveillance recordings are in CIF format. That is, 288 lines of resolution. If you're wondering what valuable evidence you can capture at that resolution, it isn't...  Continue Reading..

Today, I spent the day surrounded by current and future Mobotix integrator partners. If you don't already know, Mobotix is a manufacturer of IP video cameras and related solutions. One thing that really struck me in speaking with various partners is that there's a definite level of excitement that comes across when they speak. I often don't find such enthusiasm when I talk with resellers of other technologies. So,...  Continue Reading..

Here's what you're looking at. Both charts depict a $10,000 sale. The cost of goods is $6,000. In the top example, after you pay out the commission and take out some other costs, the sale nets you $2,560 immediately. In the next two years, you'll get some additional revenue from maintenance. After it's all said and done, after three years, that $10,000 sale yielded $3,480.  Continue Reading..

Hello from Curacao (pronounced cur-a-sow) in the Caribbean! I'm here at RSPA INSPIRE 2013 where day one of the event's education just kicked off.  I've really been looking forward to the education here at INSPIRE since I first spoke with Tom Bouwer, the event's three-day keynote speaker. In a pre-event article, Bouwer piqued my curiosity with his topic: ownership thinking. This morning, attendees at the...  Continue Reading..

I just returned to the office after a few days in NYC for the NRF Big Show, the retail industry's largest show of the year. There were two aspects of this show that I was particularly interested in. First, it's the place where the latest technology is revealed, and I was very interested to see how manufacturers were going to respond to consumer shopping habits with new products. Second, this show provides exhibitors a...  Continue Reading..

Today I spoke with a managed services provider who was looking a few years ago to expand his line card. After examining all the opportunities out there, he settled on adding IP video surveillance solutions. Today, some three years later, IP video makes up 25% of the MSP's revenue and he's experiencing a 50% increase in profits (35% coming from IP video).  Continue Reading..

I remember sitting on a shuttle about four years ago during a distributor partner conference, talking about the industry with the person sitting next to me. “Intermec will be sold within a year,” he told me, hinting at trouble at the Everett, WA-based company. Regardless of whether or not Intermec was truly in any trouble back then, a sale within the year didn’t happen. But, the conversation did mark the first of many times...  Continue Reading..

In PCI: Who Really Cares?, I shared some survey data that pointed to a lack of awareness/caring/interest in the topic of PCI from certain solutions providers. Quotes from ISVs (software developers) led me to believe that they felt alone in the struggle of PCI standards compliance. Well, that article prompted an email from an ISV. Wishing to remain anonymous, the ISV told me about software competitors who were not on the list of...  Continue Reading..

NRF's Big Show, the retail industries aptly named expo, is just around the corner. In anticipation of the event, I've been receiving briefings from various manufacturers and have been given hints at new products that will be announced at the show next month.  Continue Reading..