The next killer app for NFC will not be mobile payments

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With half a billion NFC-enabled handsets expected to hit the market in the next year, according to an ABI Research report released in March 2013, industry experts agreed that the major first step to broad NFC adoption has been accomplished. But discussion and debate continued as to what the killer app will be to get the technology to take off. Experts concurred in a recent meeting that the next NF

Analog cameras remain resilient

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According to a Memoori Business Intelligence article, just about every angle on the battle between analog and network cameras must now have been covered. Strange then that every time someone proclaims the death of analog, up pops another reason to protect and extend its life. It just doesn't want to lie down and die.

What's trending in 2013?

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Secutech International 2013, one of the largest trade shows in the security world, successfully concluded on April 26. Here are some of the key findings from the show floor interviews.

Affordable and easy, the way to go

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Walk around any security show in the world today — brand new, innovative products can be scarce to find. Due to mediocre global economic recovery and longer life/selling cycles, solution developers have earmarked more resources for sales and marketing promotions of existing offerings, as well as fine-tuning and repurposing/verticalizing them. Making products cheaper and easier to deploy, in a disr

Tomorrow's distribution model

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The traditional distribution model for physical security products right across the globe was often referred to as “box shifting;” it offered products off the shelf but with few value-added services, according to a recent Memoori Business Intelligence report. This is now rapidly morphing into a sophisticated system delivering value-added services that its clients are now demanding.

Mind the gap in a diverging market

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One trend that today's economic climate is significantly influencing is the nature of analog to IP migration. An age-old debate in the industry, much has been written over the years about how quickly and completely a transition from analog-based to IP-based security solutions would take place. It seems the European economy is writing us all a new chapter.

Are things changing in China?

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The structure of the business has morphed not just to compensate or accommodate but also to meet and beat the challenge and deliver growth. The latest report forecasts growth of 4% across the globe in product sales in 2013 but that will depend on much higher levels of growth in Asia and particularly China.

IMS Research: Service and Maintenance, Key to BA Integrators Success

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As dark economic clouds continue to linger across the world, how can building automation integrators guarantee future success? A recent report from IMS Research (an IHS company) states if integrators focus on increasing service and maintenance revenue, they can remain profitable despite the economic conditions.

The report estimated the 2011 market for building automation service and ma

Security Services Providers Set to Embrace IP

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Security services providers (SSPs) are adjusting their business models and marketing strategies to seek more profitable operations as competition heats up. The current trend is the integration of video and alarm systems, for the sake of keeping false alarms down. As responding to every “triggered” alarm can be costly, smarter detection is a boon for integrated video and alarm solutions.

Security Services Providers Set to Embrace IP (Part 2)

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Over these past few years, the alarm-monitoring industry has undergone such a surge in acquisition activity, according to Allan McHale, Director of Memoori Business Intelligence. Tyco International purchased Broadview Security, followed by GTCR's purchase of Protection One. Monitronics was acquired by Ascent Media as well. Cash flow in the difficult trading conditions of the last two years' eco