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Security managers - losing control of surveillance buying decisions?

Security managers risk losing control of surveillance buying decisions with the arrival of IP technology, claims a survey done by Axis Communications. Lack of education of the benefits of the new technology is still holding the market back.

Security managers are less involved today in buying decisions for surveillance systems than they were two years ago, finds new research conducted by IP surveillance vendor Axis Communications. Fifty percent of the CCTV installers, IT resellers, vendors and consultants attending the recent IIPSEC Exhibition & Conference, said that security managers were more involved in surveillance equipment buying decisions just two years ago.

Thirty-one percent of buying decisions are likely to be made by the security manager today. This compares with a quarter (24%) that felt that the buying decision is now in the hands of the IT director. A further 22% think the company finance director now makes the buying decision.

All respondents recognised that IP surveillance solutions offer a real opportunity for their company. The key benefit of IP surveillance for more than half of respondents (53%) was the ability to do cost-effective remote monitoring via the existing computer network.

But many are concerned about the lack of education of the benefits of IP solutions amongst the end-user community. Nearly half (42%) saw lack of education as the main barrier to progress of the market.

There was some bad news for security installers also: more than half of those surveyed (51%) think that IT resellers are best placed to take advantage of the predicted increase in demand for IP surveillance solutions.

Roy Alves, of SCS Distribution, local distributor for Axis Communications, commented on this threat. "It is the duty of all those in the surveillance market to look to the next generation of IP-based surveillance technology, educate themselves about the benefits of it and then seek to educate the market.

"If existing CCTV specialist installers do not expand the market for this technology faster, IT resellers may steal a march on them. Their aggressive approach to entering new markets and sound knowledge of networking and information security technologies, puts IT resellers in a strong position."

Of those players that are eyeing up the opportunity for IP surveillance, the majority (43%) are seeing the public sector as the largest adopters of the technology, with retailers coming in a distant second at 20%, and financial services (17%) and telecoms companies (15%) after them.

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