Security Sales & Integration January 2022 - 57

EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
Monitoring Matters by Peter Giacalone
The Value of
Remote Video
The availability
of high quality,
yet lower cost
video products
integrated
along with
fundamental
intelligence
has really
proven to be
an accelerant
toward the
growth of
remote video.
▶ REMOTE VIDEO MONITORING and
management has been a favorite subject of
mine for many years. Although I haven't written
on this subject in a long while, the signifi -
cant growth and traction in this area, along with
the meaningful attention brought forth by new
entrants and sometimes the media has motivated
me to write this column.
We were very early adopters of remote video
monitoring and management when I led a team
from the largest third-party central station monitoring
center in the United States in the early
1990s. I am really encouraged to see how remote
video has grown and is included as part of just
about every channel and market segment. Th is
visibility and growth also continue to produce
new players, consolidation and proliferation
into market segments that in the past were not
inclined to adopt remote video.
Th e availability of high quality, yet lower
cost video products integrated along with fundamental
intelligence has really proven to be an
accelerant toward the growth of remote video.
Additionally, the growing and expanding channel
of certain DIY platforms have included remote
video options that have gained great attention
through their expansive marketing and adoption.
Over the years the fragmentation combined
with the lack of a full comprehension created
some misunderstanding of the variety of elements
that are embodied within the proposition of
remote managed services such as remote video.
Besides the
some
primary
obvious value in
additional
or
security
providing
to
a
subscriber's location, enterprise or campus, a huge
and sometimes overlooked value is the additional
Peter Giacalone
is President of
Giacalone Associates,
an independent security
consulting fi rm serving
central stations,
manufacturers and
dealers.
securitysales.com
business management tools it can provide.
Certain segments have higher adoption than
others. For example, fast-food restaurants as well
as full-service restaurants have proven and have
leveraged remote managed video for years. Many
aspects such as integration with point of sales
systems to periodic announced video tours and
check-ins have proven to have great returns for
owners and managers. Other well-known and
early adopters of remote managed video are car
peter@giacaloneassociates.com
dealerships, which have engaged with services
as these for years. Remote video also provides a
platform with a measurable return on investment
through features related to management tools, in
addition to meeting the requirements of security
and mitigating losses.
A very large barrier in the past that had
stunted the growth of remote video was the integration
with traditional central station monitoring
centers. Many elements such as cost,
disparaged
technologies,
lack of standardization,
training, bandwidth, etc., all added up
to challenges that many were not so quick to
approach. As central station automation systems
matured and remote connectivity accelerated
along with the maturity of the cellular wireless
networks, the barriers started to ease.
Although the industry is supported with some
sophisticated monitoring centers with systems
that are born and built for remote video, we also
have many that have effi ciently integrated into
mainstream traditional central station automation
systems.
A signifi cant element that has enhanced the
value and services that come along with remote
managed video is the increased functionality
and robust features that accompany the mobile
applications off ered with many platforms.
High speed connectivity, high resolution video,
high-defi nition mobile devices and worldclass
automation delivers results in real-time
to both the monitoring professionals and
users simultaneously.
As analytics continues to evolve on a daily basis,
the raw video that traditionally simply existed
as a bunch of disconnected data is now valuable
information that is reviewed in seconds to determine
an emergency situation or management
issue that requires attention. With the adoption
and engagement from the residential channel, remote
video is gaining some signifi cant traction
on every level.
Personally, I am very passionate when it comes
to remote video monitoring. As previously mentioned,
I along with my team were among the
very early adopters of this back in the early 1990s
when we accomplished all that we could over
dial-up video modems. Th e industry and the remote
managed and monitored video space have
come a long way and I am more bullish on this
value proposition for future growth in this segment
than ever before.
JANUARY 2022 Security Sales & Integration 57
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Security Sales & Integration January 2022

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