Security Sales & Integration April 2023 - 12

HOME AUTOMATION
▶ For years, home networks were the unsung,
unseen heroes of a smart, connected
lifestyle. Then along came the pandemic,
and network design and reliability
came to the fore. Families sequestered at
home battled for bandwidth while working
and learning remotely. WiFi coverage,
speed and reliability, for many, suddenly
became an issue. There simply wasn't
enough bandwidth to go around and the
demand for better, enterprise-grade networking
systems skyrocketed.
Systems integrators were busier than
ever with networking projects. Now, we're
entering yet another era in home networking.
Families may be less focused on
improving their home networks now that
they're out and about, yet systems integrators
remain busy servicing the networks
installed during the pandemic while continuing
to drive new business. And they're
experiencing a new set of challenges.
Supply chain issues persist, and staffing
shortages have compounded the complexities
of architecting, configuring and
installing high-performance networks.
Hiring or training people to handle the
additional workload simply isn't feasible
financially for many integration firms. It's
up to manufacturers to help smart home
installers overcome these challenges.
Equipping bandwidth-heavy households
with capable networks requires an
advanced level of IT expertise that's usually
well out of the wheelhouse of most
systems integration firms. Plus, there is
less room for error as consumers have
come to expect more speed and reliability
from their home networks.
Any downtime or difficulties reflects
poorly on an integrator's reputation and
squelches opportunities to upsell clients on
lucrative service contracts like remote network
management and monitoring. Continued
growth and prosperity of the home
networking market can only happen when
manufacturers elevate the levels of service
12
CONTROLS INTERFACES AUDIO/VIDEO
Offering Network Design
& Configuration Services by Bryce Nordstrand
and support they provide to their dealers.
Remote management and monitoring
are important components of a service
and support program. Most integration
firms have the people power and networking
know-how to adequately handle
that part of the business. What some lack,
however, are the fundamental resources
to properly architect and design an enterprise-grade
network - not just in large
estates but also modest-size network-reliant
homes. The mid-market is driving the
home networking category, and technology
advances so rapidly that having a team
of people to keep tabs on market trends
and the connective landscape is crucial.
To effectively address these customers,
manufacturer service and support programs
must provide comprehensive design
and configuration assistance to dealers, in
addition to remote network management
and monitoring. It's a missing link in
the networking industry being addressed
through initiatives like Access Networks'
newly launched Basic Configuration Services,
which is anything but basic.
Basic Configuration Services offer
dealers something most are unable to
achieve on their own: consistent, repeatable
home networks configured by experienced
IT experts complying with best
practices. The system comes to dealers
ready to install, enabling even novice integrators
to handle any networking project
confidently and efficiently.
These are standardized networking
configurations that are created from data
Security Sales & Integration APRIL 2023
Access Networks is helping map out
designs for its enterprise-grade products
with Basic Configuration Services.
collected specific to the project and comply
with the latest standards and protocols
to ensure every solution performs
at the highest level. Integrators can get
in and out of jobs quickly and without
surprises popping up during deployment.
This preconfigured approach reduces
operating expenses by increasing efficiency,
decreasing truck rolls, and growing
revenue by easily enabling value-added
post-installation services. Plus, over time,
as integrators become more familiar with
enterprise-grade network design process,
they can do some of the work themselves.
Manufacturer-led design and configuration
is a service and support model that
will have a profound impact on the home
networking market. In the current economic
climate, it is even more important
for integration company owners to find
ways to optimize, streamline and be profitable
while not always adding personnel.
Parks Associates research indicates a
strong consumer appetite for add-on network
services. This can only happen by
first designing and configuring the network
properly. Programs like Basic Configuration
Services are helping lay the
groundwork to extend
enterprise-level
networking to the mass market.
BRYCE NORDSTRAND is V.P.,
Managed Services at Access Networks.
securitysales.com
http://www.securitysales.com
Security Sales & Integration April 2023

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