Distribution trends shift away from traditional dealers
Out of the Box
- By Ted Turczyn
- Feb 14, 2008
Until recently, security professionals
had three primary system
infrastructures to implement—
video, access control
and alarm systems—and the sales channels
supporting these systems had different
paths. Those dealers with greater financial
resources, which often accompanied higher
sales volumes, dealt directly with manufacturers.
Small-business dealers, which
typically dealt with smaller systems, purchased
through distributors.
This go-to-market model worked well,
as manufacturers were often reluctant to
take on the expenses and ensuing credit
issues associated with managing many
small-business dealers, but the universe of
small-business security dealers was so large
that sales through distribution quickly grew
into a more than $1 billion industry.
This growth further segregated dealers
into two groups—those purchasing based
on sales volume and those purchasing from
regional and national distributors—with
the former built on volume sales and the
latter on personal relationships between the
local distributor and dealer. Additionally,
with the advent of digital technology and
the trend toward integrated systems, video,
access control and alarm systems have continued
to merge into one solution, resulting
in reduced costs and higher operating efficiency.
This also has greatly affected traditional
distribution models.
Changing Roles
Previous distribution models are changing
as a direct result of IP- or network-based
security systems and the integration capabilities
they represent. The most significant
factors are the roles security personnel
have in selecting and purchasing networked
systems and the infrastructure
required to support them. While security
directors still determine what security
measures need to be implemented based on
actual needs, they no longer control the
means to transmit the signals that carry and
control them. And although security directors
were the primary purchase influencers
for both system equipment and the transmission
system, transmission systems have
increasingly become the responsibility of
IT network administrators. The change
is dramatic.
Recent studies indicate that DVRs will
have decreasing life spans and eventually
be phased out altogether. System recording
is shifting more and more to video servers,
which are driven by network-based operating
systems like Windows® and SQL databases.
As this occurs, the role of IT network
administrators in security systems will continue
to expand. As a result, the traditional
channels that sell and service security
equipment already are changing.
New Challenges
Distribution is often defined as the sale of
boxes. The approach is simple: sell based
on pricing, and achieve profitability via
volume. Profits also are maximized by
maintaining low overhead. Traditionally,
distributors look to sell as many boxes as
possible and have the customer deal directly
with the manufacturer if a problem
exists. This arrangement works well when
dealing with individual components such
as cameras. If the product fails, it is easy
for the customer to call the manufacturer
for service or replacement.
However, this sales channel approach
just doesn’t work well when dealing with
IP-networked video surveillance systems
because the components are interactive. A
server is a piece of hardware. Its security
function is based on combining the hardware
with software. The process is done
either at the dealer/integrator level or by
the user working directly with the software
supplier—not a distributor. Here lies a real
threat to the future of traditional security
product distribution.
The value of computer/IT product distribution
already is firmly established far
above even the largest security distributors.
As the saying goes, the war was over
before it even began. Aside from the obvious
size advantage computer/IT distributors
have over security product distributors,
selling IP security solutions also requires
in-depth knowledge beyond just being able
to quote a price. Security distributor telephone
salespeople will need more education
to effectively compete with their computer/
IT counterparts. In addition to the
learning curve, better-educated employees
usually earn better pay. The time and costs
it may take some distributors to implement
these changes will have a detrimental effect
on sales.
In addition, some manufacturers specializing
in IP-based products have elected
to bypass security distributors altogether
and go directly to computer and network
distributors.
The movement toward server-based
recording is not the only reason behind
these changes. Existing network infrastructure
capable of hosting access control and
alarm systems does so with little impact on
overall network applications. However,
video systems are bandwidth-intensive and
generally require dedicated network backbones.
This, in turn, requires the ability to
design and provide more network-based
products. Servers require network switches,
which require data networks employing
structured cable to run on. So it is no surprise
that larger distributors of structured
cable also have entered the security distribution
market.
An Uncertain Future
Trends in distribution are shifting the
security systems business from traditional
security distributors to computer/IT distributors
and structured cable distributors
for obvious reasons. IT distributors are
larger than security distributors and
already provide the equipment required for
IP-based security systems. And structured
cable distributors offer the solutions that
determine how signals are transmitted over
network infrastructure.
It appears that security distributors are
being attacked from all sides. However, as
IP security moves down the food chain to
smaller dealers that service smaller markets,
local dealers will become more
dependent on smaller distributors—not just
for product, but for training and after-sales
service. And although price will continue
to be an issue for smaller system sales, the
opportunity exists for traditional security
distribution channels to become better
acquainted with networking and integration
to capitalize on established relationships
with security dealers. These operational
changes and resulting costs, along
with competition from computer/IT and
structured cable distributors, may result in
the restructuring of larger, traditional security
distributors and the potential closing of
smaller ones.
All this raises several questions: If technology
trends signal an end to traditional
security distribution, who will service local,
small-business dealers? Can larger security
dealers operate more like IT distributors?
If so, is there room for security distributors
to profit in an already overcrowded field of
IT distributors? And will security product
manufacturers be forced to move away
from more traditional sales channels to
computer/IT distribution channels? Only
time will tell, but the channels by which
security products are
sold and purchased are
certain to change.