After listening in on a recent webinar, I noticed a few people had asked for a list of qualified IP video surveillance integrators and Installers. You can find a few lists for surveillance installers and IP video integrators. However, when it comes to finding a matrix of qualified professional installers, camera hangers, and technology systems integrators all under one roof, the search results happen to be extremely difficult to compile.
To some organizations, this may be like pairing apples, berries, and oranges depending partly on technologies, but in the end you still want a good fruit salad (a bunch of systems working well together as prescribed and professionally integrated and installed.
There are often a bunch of choices, but not clearly nor easily found. Some organizations limit those choices based on location (close proximity) or culture (part of that fit) rather than budget alone.
Creating such as a list would require a fair amount of collaboration and transparency across vendors, both large and small. While some in the security space are interested in their users ability to manage the components within systems, it would great to see individual elements work together in a more transparent manner.
Just as it has taken time to compile a comprehensive list IP video surveillance and physical security across the market. It will likely start as another list of players (vendors, installers, and integrators) who are paid to be listed as they are sometimes are (this is called “pay to play”).
Maybe someone will make this list/matrix freely available to everyone to help the security community connect more easily and help our market grow faster. We have started one here.
Until such a comprehensive list or matrix exists, you will still need to prioritize what will happen in each phase of your security solution without restricting next functions/requests/uses in future phases:
Many times, your best move is:
1. Pick the security vendor from a short list of security vendors which have systems that fit your organization’s business and technical needs. Ask to speak to each of their current installed customers.Keep in mind your:
+ People: buy-in from potential users, if you actually want user adoption. It is not just about the business or technical perspective.
+ Processes: elaborate on operational environments of today and any future theoretical environments in writing (part of an organization’s internal research that should happen first)
+ Technology: basic to overcomplicated technology (which are rarely adaptable, functional, interoperable, scalable, and user friendly, all at the same time. These could involve sets of not-so-stable, merged legacy systems, and/or complete silos).
+ Information: (aka Metadata) most forgotten part of the overarching solution which enables video search. Your solution is only as good as its metadata! Does your metadata enable the needed search results?
2. Implementation: Ask those short listed technology vendors for a list of previous installed clients. Be sure they can meet your needs, time line, and budget. Vet them as well.
3. Integration: Figure what other systems are going to be integrated within the overarching solution. Be sure the API or Web services for integration is both available and clearly documented by the vendors in question. If documentation is not readily available (or outdated), expect delays on figuring out what is specifically needed, measurable, acceptable, actionable, realistic, time-based, and thoroughly tested.
If you do not vet your integrator, you could be the guinea pig client. Always ask to speak with a few of their existing or previous clients.
Where is your list of qualified IP video surveillance integrators and installers?