Tap into integration

True systems integration used to be the exclusive preserve of a small number of end users willing to pay large amounts of money for high level functionality.

It was delivered by specialist systems integrators with strong engineering teams, who had the breadth and depth of technical expertise required to bring together a range of disparate products from independent CCTV, access control and intruder manufacturers and create a fully integrated security system.

However, over the last few years, the market situation has begun to change, driven by the increasing consolidation of the industry. This has resulted in enhancements to manufacturer offerings to enable them to operate on common systems platforms.

This is an ideal scenario for the installer.

What was once a technical nightmare of different protocols and technological incompatibility is increasingly becoming a plug and play solution, where the inbuilt technology manages all the integration work.

And it is this change that is creating the new range of opportunities for all levels of installers.

Clients expressing interest

The signs are already there. A UK market research report earlier this year, suggested that 61 per cent of installers said that their end user clients were now expressing interest in the integration of different security systems.

The integration between CCTV and access control was identified in the report as one of the two main areas of interest – well ahead of everything except remote monitoring. (Frost & Sullivan UK Security Market March 2005).

Recent research by Honeywell Security shows the same trend among installers – with over 45 per cent of installers who responded to the survey highlighting integration between access systems and CCTV/DVRs as very important.

So what does this mean for the small to medium sized installer?

For you as an installer, a small investment in additional training suddenly opens up a whole new area of business ...

One of the key strengths of the UK installer base is its service orientation and the strength of the customer relationships, which this generates. Now, installers can take the new integration technologies which are being introduced into the market and offer them as added security solutions to their loyal customers.

The major implication for you, as an installer, is that for a small investment in additional training, a whole new area of business suddenly opens up.

For most UK installers, CCTV and access integration is the easiest area to focus on, since most of you already have strong skills in CCTV and have carried out access control installations – if not necessarily fitting PC based access systems regularly.

So not only does CCTV and access integration align directly with your end users' priorities, offering them immediate and visibly obvious benefits, it also plays to your installation strengths. And perhaps just as importantly, the level of plug and play integration has developed fastest in this area – including technology at the entry level.

Benefits for the end user

A number of manufacturers are now offering strong integration capabilities linking their low end access control software with entry level DVRs to give end users 'one seat' control over their access and CCTV systems.

Typically, a system will provide integrated functionality with the potential for automatic triggering of the DVR and full CCTV recording of access events. This allows the operator to quickly sift, verify and close out false alarms from serious incidents. It massively improves the efficiency and responsiveness of staff, security managers or guards compared to running and monitoring separate access and CCTV systems.

With the trade price of entry level access kits running below £500 and with integration enabled DVRs on sale for under £2000, this level of equipment (see panel on previous page) is open for all installers. You can now offer your customers an affordable entry level package, which gives the user a level of control and traceability previously only available at the highest level of CCTV and access control systems.

Another advantage these new systems is scalability. The important message here is that if you fit the right product at the start of a relationship with an end user, you will have the ability to keep revisiting and seamlessly upgrading the customers' solution as their security requirements grow and as budgets become available.

Everyone is aware that selling more to an existing customer is far more profitable than finding and converting new customers with all the extra work that requires. Fitting the right products at the start now becomes even more critical.

Check the level of support available from suppliers before committing to a manufacturer's product lines ...

Not only are you trying to ensure your client has a robust and reliable system that meets their requirements from day one, you are now also laying the foundations for a security system which, over time, needs to be able to expand in many directions to meet your clients' future requirements.

Get your starting point

If the client wants to start with CCTV, ensure your DVR can integrate easily with access control systems. If access control is the starting point, consider if the equipment allows you to easily plug-on CCTV integration?

Will it then allow you to grow from single to multi-site use and even integrate with intruder systems? With these capabilities at your fingertips you can continually recommend new solutions to your clients, and support their implementation, without having to either replace equipment before its time or lose the business to specialist system integrators.

This also portrays your business to its best advantage – as forward thinking, technologically advanced, economical in implementation, and able to support the client through years of growth.

Becoming a core part of your clients' long term security plans by offering integration platforms not only brings continuous new sales opportunities, it should also help improve your margins on the back of these new, higher value technologies and can lock-out competitors who sell primarily on price.

Training opportunities

Honeywell and ADI International are currently offering a special programme of integration training, including entry level systems such as NStar and Rapideye. Training starts in December and will take place at the Honeywell office in Burgess Hill on Tuesday December 6 and Tuesday December 13.