Q&A From the Top: Bill Taylor
- By Security Products Staff
- Feb 03, 2010
Security and video surveillance technologies are changing
at a rapid pace, which presents challenges for integrators,
users and even suppliers like Panasonic, which
has a strong presence in the security marketplace. We
spoke with Bill Taylor, the president of Panasonic System
Networks Co., about how a large company like Panasonic
stays ahead of the curve.
Q. How do you see the industry changing, and what
is the effect on users and integrators? What is on
the horizon for end-user companies looking to install
security and surveillance systems?
A. Security professionals are continuing to migrate
system infrastructure to a networked
platform, as it provides advanced integration and
functionality capabilities that are simply not attainable
with analog-based systems. From corporate
management's perspective, networked video surveillance
systems not only improve overall security operations
while lowering total cost of ownership, they are
also a valuable management tool that can be applied
to many different aspects of daily operations, such as
warehouse management, manufacturing process control
and retail traffic management.
The new business environment for these systems is
reshaping the mindset of system designers and integrators,
as well as equipment and software suppliers.
Justifying budgets for these systems is based on several
new parameters with integration and scalability
being big influencers as they hold the key to adapting
systems for future business applications.
Q. How do Panasonic's product offerings reflect
the changing needs of users and integrators?
A. With tens of thousands of products in Panasonic's
comprehensive suite of products, our
research and design teams have immediate access to
technologies developed for previously unrelated products
and systems.
For example, megapixel imaging is one of the current
technology trends in the professional security
industry—and a core technology in Panasonic's leading
lines of broadcast and consumer cameras. We're
leveraging this experience with our networking expertise
from various communications, computer and
business product groups to deliver the most advanced
IP megapixel camera systems available for video surveillance
applications. Another example is the integration
of Panasonic's video surveillance technology
and point-of-sale systems to create an integrated solution
that enables retail businesses to manage multiplelocation
sales and back-end operations with advanced
reporting features. The system can help combat and
discourage falsified charges at the cash register, fraudulent
worker's compensation claims, liability lawsuits
and more. These previously unrelated systems now
provide a very powerful business solution on a common
platform.
We are pursuing the integration of core technologies
across all product categories to provide
individual products with best-in-breed performance
that can integrate with our vast portfolio of products.
By continuing to increase the performance and
integration capabilities of these individual products,
we are moving closer to our goal of integrating the
entire suite of Panasonic products on a common
system platform.
Q. What is Panasonic's current position on open
systems?
A. Panasonic is a big supporter of open-systems
interoperability as evidenced through our Panasonic
Solution Developer Network, which now
has well over 120 global members. We provide PSDN
members with our application programming interface
to enable development partners to support a range of
Panasonic products. We also support efforts such as
the Open Network Video Interface Forum and the
Physical Security Interoperability Alliance to encourage
the adaptation of industry standards that will
yield higher levels of integration on an industry level.
It is vitally important that our industry works toward
interoperability standards and protocols, especially as
they relate to networked and IP-enabled security and
video surveillance devices, so that manufacturers adhere
to common practices while providing end users
with greater options.
Q. Is the transition to IT-based systems a challenge
for a company like Panasonic that has been so
strong in the analog world?
A. We anticipated that the security industry's initial
migration to an IP platform would be slow
given the lack of infrastructure and related control
software to fully capitalize on the inherent benefits
networked systems offer. We will continue to leverage
this extensive experience with networked products
and systems that we are now incorporating into our
IP video solutions.
Additionally, we are actively working with other
thought leaders to establish truly open platforms
for enterprise level applications. It is undoubtedly
a challenge—one Panasonic is most aptly suited to
resolve given our extensive expertise and experience
in system solutions.
Q. How do industry changes affect Panasonic's
role as a major player in the industry?
A. Panasonic is in the unique position to provide
application-specific and/or enterprise-level
systems solutions for virtually any size venue as a result
of our extensive portfolio of video surveillance
products and systems, as well as related lines of solutions,
such as like point-of-sale, communications and
business products. As networking continues to gain
traction, we anticipate that specific product areas like
megapixel cameras also will continue to grow as market
demand increased for higher levels of system performance
and integration.
In addition to offering new products and system
technologies, it also is imperative that we work closely
with both users and resellers to provide education on
how to best implement these solutions. Unlike other
milestones in the professional security industry, the
move to a networked environment involves previously
unrelated but established products and system
technologies. This requires resellers in particular
to seek education and has created another layer of
competition as resellers in the IT, POS and business
product categories now are looking at the traditional
video surveillance market as a viable business solution
and opportunity for new business development.
Fortunately, Panasonic has a strong presence and established
relationships in a wide spectrum of product
categories and markets, which allows us to best align
our reseller partners so they can collectively capitalize
on their respective strengths.