IPfocus - IP UserGroup

IPfocusOn-the-RecordOn-the-Record; Craig Evans,Managing Director, SureViewSystems International LtdThe latest in the series of interviews with those influencing thefuture of security and surveillance technology. IPfocus quizzes thosein the know and gains an insight into opinions that will be shapingthe industry in the future.Q. What is the history of SureView Systems over the past years and what has beenthe main drivers that have influenced the direction and ethos of the company?A. Established in 2003, Sureview was amongst the first to recognise the need for aconsolidated video based platform at monitoring stations. Although our Immixsoftware has been through several iterations over the years, we have alwaysspecifically targeted stations that require an audited, scalable and efficientmeans of handling IP video or text based alerts on sites with the freedom ofchoice of the hardware deployed.Sureview have focussed on having the widest integration library in theindustry, with support for over 250 different devices and systems across arange of security equipment such as Video, Analytics, Audio, Access Control,Fire and Intruder Alarms and GPS tracking.We have a diverse customer base across the UK, Europe, North America andAfrica and listen to our customers to add features or device support that willenhance our overall system. We also work in very close partnership with thehardware manufacturers to ensure that the latest devices and systems areincorporated into the Immix software platformQ. In what way has the acceptance of IP networked security technology enabledSureView to develop as a business?A. The availability and low cost of broadband IP networks has been critical in thedevelopment and expansion of our business. In 2003 when we started, we werea little ahead of our time and often found it difficult to persuade stations of thebenefits of moving away from ISDN and closed systems. However, with the highquality of the IP circuits available now, we find ourselves in a very strongposition of having a mature and proven product in an emerging market. Wealso have many years of experience that we use to help our customers developand grow their business as new IP products and services become available.Q. Do you find that there is still a reluctance to embracing IP within the Securitysector and is this mirrored by our IT colleagues?A. In recent years, we have found this reluctance fading away, replaced byenthusiasm of the potential that an IP system can provide both in terms of costsavings and added value to the customer. The main concern from the ITdepartment is often around bandwidth requirements. However, since Immix isan event driven system and does not stream video 24/7, we see many stationswork on a low cost 2Mbps link. This certainly addresses many of theinfrastructure and cost concerns of our IT colleagues.Q. What have been the major milestones in the development of the IMMIXproduct?A. One of our major milestones was opening our US office in 2005. This hasalso brought us exposure to a wider range of systems and customers thatwould not have been possible from the UK alone. We now have 50customers across the whole of North America, including many of thelargest stations, and have developed real traction there with morecustomers being installed every month. In 2008, we were the first (and sofar only) video based system to be awarded the coveted UL classificationfor our Immix central station platform. This classification certifies thesystem as being resilient and reliable enough to handle life critical eventsand is an important accreditation to have for the US and Internationalmarket.Q. How do you see the Monitoring and Command and Control arenadeveloping over the coming months and years?A. There is now a greater demand from the site owner to view, review andcontrol their site from home or via a mobile device. This becomes all themore important as the rapid growth in the range and variety of servicesbeing offered by the monitoring service accelerates.We also see the move from a server architecture to a cloud based systemas a very important factor in the near future. IT departments areshrinking and data centres are moving from the control room as theentire business model moves to a virtualised environment.Q. With things moving to a cloud or virtualised platform over time, whatimpact do you believe this will have on the traditional Alarm receivingcentres?A. Most large alarm monitoring centres are moving now to cloud andvirtualised models as a means of lowing costs, increasing availability andto enable them to provide more flexible services. As such, we aredelighted to announce our ‘Immix Cloud’ product. The ‘Immix Cloud’system enables monitoring stations and command centres to deliver thenext generation of monitoring services with a fully browser basedoperator front end and dedicated mobile apps for customers.Q. How do you see Monitoring centres developing a customer base, is thissomething that integrators and installers should look to as a value addedservice?A. I believe that the progressive integrators and installers are already doingthis. The potential to up-sell services over and above regular out of hours32_issue 30