An Education in Managing Security

The security industry is notoriously conservative. Even though it seems today as if IP cameras peer out from corners everywhere, it was just a few short years ago that the idea of connecting physical security devices via an Internet Protocol network raised more than a few eyebrows.

Despite that wary, prevailing view of IP video, Giadi Piran, cofounder of OnSSI, had a big vision for where that tiny network cable could take him.  He and his colleagues saw that end users would need some way to manage the tidal wave of data that would soon be streaming out of their cameras. So they set to work developing video management software.

But once they had developed this software, it was not immediately clear to security industry members that IP would be the next big thing. “We had to do a lot of missionary work the first few years, convincing the video surveillance industry that video over IP was the wave of the future and offered some key advantages over traditional models,” he said.

As a part of that, Piran and his colleagues crisscrossed the country demonstrating their video management products. As they gradually built up some recognition with resellers, integrators and end users, camera-manufacturing companies became interested, too, boosting the company to become profitable in its second year.

With this foundation built, OnSSI then turned its eye to the future. “Over time, we increased the product’s capabilities, filling end users’ present needs but always with an eye to the future, thinking several years out as far as business cycles, so we built in features they might not need for years to come, but would need eventually,” he said.

Piran said the experience of selling a product on the cutting-edge of security technology showed him the importance of educating industry members. “If you’re an industry thought-leader, your partners and end users depend on you to point to the trends, where things are going, and you have to be on top of that constantly, thinking not just of today but where things are likely to be several years from now,” he said. “So, as we’ve learned, the education needs to be ongoing.”


About the Author

Laura Williams is content development editor for Security Products magazine.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden CV-7600 High Security Card Readers

    Camden Door Controls has relaunched its CV-7600 card readers in response to growing market demand for a more secure alternative to standard proximity credentials that can be easily cloned. CV-7600 readers support MIFARE DESFire EV1 & EV2 encryption technology credentials, making them virtually clone-proof and highly secure.

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC)

    The latest Qualcomm® Vision Intelligence Platform offers next-generation smart camera IoT solutions to improve safety and security across enterprises, cities and spaces. The Vision Intelligence Platform was expanded in March 2022 with the introduction of the QCS7230 System-on-Chip (SoC), which delivers superior artificial intelligence (AI) inferencing at the edge.