Who is Paying the Price for Wireless Video Surveillance Training?
According to a new report from IMS Research, one of the main factors limiting growth in the wireless video surveillance market is the knowledge and skill-base of security systems integrators. Most integrators and installers of video surveillance equipment use wireless technology as a last resort and are much more comfortable with wired networking. Despite this, the market is forecast to grow at 20 percent in the Americas, but has the potential to grow even faster.
Furthermore, the cost of training remains a bone of contention between systems integrators and the manufacturers of wireless infrastructure equipment. The majority of systems integrators interviewed for the research stated that vendors should not charge for a basic level of product training, sales support or technical support. That being said, they felt that on-site system design could legitimately be billed for separately. On the other hand, the wireless equipment manufacturers remain reluctant to provide free training when there is no guarantee this will translate into sales.
“The market is in a Catch 22 situation”, comments Niall Jenkins, Senior Research Analyst at IMS Research. “Integrators need training in the equipment before they can win wireless video surveillance projects but are unwilling to pay for the training because there is no guarantee they will win these project. Wireless equipment manufacturers need integrators to be trained to win wireless projects but are unwilling to provide the training for free because there is no guarantee this will translate into sales revenue.”
“Going forward, both parties will need to make compromises”, continues Jenkins. “It is likely that less expensive on-line training will be provided free of charge and supplemented by advanced training that is charged for. This should meet both parties’ needs to protect their initial expense before winning new business.”
It will also be interesting to see whether technology partnerships, such as the Secure City Technology Alliance, have an impact on the wireless video surveillance market. In theory, this sort of partnership can solve many of the integration problems that installers have. However, while the membership remains limited, it is early to say whether this partnership will have a significant impact on the wireless video surveillance industry.