I’ve had several conversations with cutsomers and industry folks about specific feature capabilities of our MVaaS solution versus traditional video solutions.  The comparisons run in two directions – comparing us to legacy video solutions (traditional DVRs) and comparing us more leading edge video solutions (advanced DVRs, with analytics, IP camera support, etc.)

The conversations typically center around some feature that the customer or channel partner is used to having (like having a CD burner), believes that they want (like video analytics), or didn’t realize was possible but now really wants (like an enterprise integration to their POS).  In every case the conversation typically culminates with the conclusion that there are 1-2 features that the customer views as absolutely critical to their business.  From the customer’s pespective, these are the must have features to be able to generate a return.  From the vendor’s perspective, these are the must have features to be able to win the business.  Killer features you might say.

Having the right set of killer features for your targeted market is then obviously pretty important.  Having them gets you a shot at new busines, it gets you included in the RFP, it gets customers excited about the near-term value you can add.  Clearly its better to have the killer features than not.

Is it the most important thing?  I don’t think so.  The problem is that killer features are an ever-changing thing.  As customer’s use of video changes and evolves, the features that are most valuable to them change as well.  As you expand the base of users of video from 10s to 100s you get new killer features from your new users.  Killer features are a moving target and always should be.

One could argue that what is most important then is a company’s ability to identify and implement new killer features over time and to roll them out to their users as quickly and efficiently as possible.  I’ve heard the argument that video is a pretty simple and well understood business and that there aren’t really that many changes that need to be made and certainly none that need to be quickly rolled out.  I think this comes from the view that video is simply a security tool for the security and LP groups.  I’m not seeing that on our side.  We have customers with over 1000 users, only a handful of which are security and LP users.  Almost all of the usage is from operators and managers on the business side and I can tell you their requirements are constantly evolving as they have never used video before and are still learning how best to make use of it.

It’s in this environment of broad-based utilization by a diverse set of users where having all the right killer features on day one isn’t the most important, being able to quickly react and deploy the right killer features is the key.

One of our big prospects offered up the following quote from Charles Darwin that I think sums up my view the best:

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change.”

Remember those images where if you “defocus” your eyes just right you can see a 3D image jumping out at you on the page?  These “stereograms”

A new imaging chip from Stanford University uses a similar principle to capture an image which includes depth information.  It sounds like they are looking at digital photography, but one can also imagine this technology trickling it’s way into surveillance video.

As I was about to deliver a SaaS overview to a large partner sales force, the SVP used this quote during his introduction of Envysion’s MVaaS technology to the team. It has stuck with me ever since and as Enysion continues to evolve, the impact of this statement gets stronger and stronger.

I’ve had the opportunity to mindshare with many of our competitive representatives who have been in the business for, in some cases, decades. I love getting the backhanded question, “Envysion, hmpfff – isn’t that some kind of web thing?” I explain our approach to the market, technology, benefits, etc… and I usually get looked at like my nose is on backwards. Following one lively debate that started with “MVaaS, that won’t work”, I was actually asked if we were hiring.

Calling MVaaS disruptive is sometimes an understatement as we are clearly seeing the fear in the traditional competition’s eyes and actions. We are disruptive because we’re not just selling boxes. We’re not just selling a service. We’re not simply trying to become a part of an LP budget. Our consultative approach becomes part of a larger organizational solution that leverages managed video to mitigate risk, improve operational efficiencies and increase profitability. We aim to become a partner, not simply a vendor.

Like so many other industries before it, security and surveillance is experiencing an IP transformation. We’ve seen what happens to companies that don’t get ahead of the curve or just hunker down and hope the fad will pass. Just open up the business section – they’re dead.

For almost a year, the team at Envysion has been striving to evangelize the unique benefits of applying SaaS technology to the video surveillance market.  An initial step in the process was coining a term for the market segment.  This is where MVaaS was born.

Initially there was little proof that the term was catching on.  But we persisted, established this blog, highlighted it in our press relations, described it to customers…

Then, slowly, we started seeing it here (a competitors website) and there (a hallmark industry on-line publication).  It was taking hold!  Now it is commonplace to find it mentioned prominently by those who are well-versed in the industry, and who may have an influence on decision-makers.  Jeff Gannon compiled examples of this in his recent post.

Here’s the presentation from which Jeff Gannon found the quote from Severin Sorensen, CEO of Sikyur, a security advisory firm.  The presentation was delivered at the ASIS International Workshop on Advanced CCTV in August 2008.  It is truly exciting to see the momentum building behind this technology!

There are many components to success in business, one of them being in the right place at the right time. Over the years I’ve seen this occur both through careful planning and execution as well as sheer luck. Regardless, if you happen to get caught up in the buzz around the must-have service, product or technology, the media can be you best friend.

Over the past few months, Envysion has seen an abundance of validation from leading industry and mainstream publications who are trumpeting SaaS and other disruptive managed service technologies as one of the best ways to cut costs and do more with less in today’s economic climate. To no surprise, there appears to be a correlation to funnel growth in both direct and indirect sales efforts. Following are samples from these leading publications:

“The movement to web-accessed, centrally hosted back-office software and services has gained momentum…”
 – Nation’s Restaurant News

“…the hot technology for 2009 will be anything that can save money… businesses are saving by using web-based software instead of programs installed on their computer systems.”
 – Wall Street Journal

“Disruptive technologies are expected to emerge within the video surveillance market… e.g., Managed Video as a Service”
 – Severin Sorensen, Past Chairman Physical Security Council, ASIS

“Managed services the talk of TechSec”
 – Security Systems News

MVaaS named Top 3 Emerging Technologies in Video Surveillance
 – ipVideomarket.info

When I hear talk about the virtues of “Software Only” video systems, I kinda think, huh?  Since when is a camera made of software?  I think what is really being talked about are the virtues of a multi-vendor solution as opposed to a single vendor solution.

Multivendor network video systems are a great direction and the wave of the future because they deliver more value to the customer.  They give customers more options to put together solutions which better fit their needs and better prices

Today’s IP video solutions which promote “software only” are really saying, buy your choice of cameras (mix and match for your needs) and your choice of recording hardware (PC’s made by Dell, HP, etc..), and buy your software from us.  That’s a huge leap forward from the analog video surveillance market which has really only had competition on the camera front and locked in customers to buying recording hardware from the same suppliers as the software.

What seems to be taking some time however is the increased cost of the IP cameras is worth the benefits of a multivendor recording solution. It would be great if there were some open standards DVR’s out there, but alas, they don’t seem to exist.  If and when this happens, I can see a lot of value being created for customers as very cost effective DVR’s can be sold as part of a multivendor solution.  Imagine being able to buy whatever DVR suits your needs and cost requirements and being able to link that DVR with the advanced software platforms out there today, such as Milestone, OnSSI and of course, Envysion Video.

Having worked in telecom and enterprise networks for 15 years I strongly believe multivendor networks are often the right thing for the customer.  There are so many things a network needs to deliver that to deliver the “best of breed”, multiple vendors often have to be used.  Of course, there’s the healthy pricing competition that comes along with having more than one vendor bid a solution, and continue to bid upgrades and growth of that system going forward.  As a customer and builder of network solutions, it’s no fun to be locked into a single vendor’s solution.  Price is a huge concern here when the vendor knows how much it will cost the customer to switch vendors.

In the telecom engineering world a huge focus area is on having inexpensive, robust devices out at the edge of the network which could be 100% remotely managed using automated processes.  All the edge devices (say a router that is at a customer’s location) must have a very consistent and methodical way of being configured and managed in order to scale up to serve millions of customers.

In the managed video world, probably the best inexpensive and robust  edge devices are “DVR appliances”.  But unlike a managed Ethernet Switch, an IP router or DSL modem, you can’t pick and choose your DVR box from a list of vendors and hook up to one’s centralized viewing, command and control system.

In the managed network equipment world, we have well documented SNMP interfaces, configuration files and scriptable command lines that can be integrated into centralized management systems.  But in the DVR world there are proprietary protocols, no remote access to important administrative features and a lack of scriptable or programmable interfaces to get at all the functionality of the DVR.

For central viewing, command and control we made our own Envysion Video service which is built from the ground up to scale to manage information events (mostly point of sale information) and video.  We also had to make our own DVR appliance (The Envysion EnVR) to meet our needs, but it’d be great if we could buy them from 3-5 vendors instead.  Maybe someday.

In the late 80’s and even early 90’s, IP networks and the products used to build them were very immature.  Companies were building network routers out of PC’s running off the shelf unix systems and the software being used to run the Internet backbone was literally, fresh out of the lab from last week.  Each box had hand-configured specialized configurations by engineers with a lot of tacit knowledge of how the system worked. Some vendors had proprietary systems that were easier to manage, but only worked with their own software, between their boxes and nobody elses.  This just didn’t fly very far in the network world where everything has to talk to each other.

Being a “network guy”, I see a lot significant parallels to this in the world of network video.

Social networking sites are everywhere these days, from myspace and facebook to twitter and linkedin. What I find interesting is the unique culture beheld by each, even with a largely identical user community.

Even more interesting is how the social networking concept has permeated into mainstream media and business applications. Major news outlets have revamped their websites to allow self-registered users the ability to comment and share thoughts about specific news topics. Businesses have created blogs and facebook pages encouraging clients and prospects to provide feedback on products and services.

It’s the latter of these two that, if executed properly, can create a living and breathing business model that’s highly adaptable to the customer’s needs. Imagine a business application user community that is encouraged to provide feedback on how the application can better be shaped AND the business responds with seamless upgrades to the application across its entire base. Enter agile development.

That’s what we’re up to here at Envysion. Our convergence of SaaS and video surveillance has broken the mold of the point-in-time purchase model and end-of-life asset concern. We’ve taken enterprise-class software off the clients network and put it in the cloud so they can focus on their business and not worry about straining IT resources. Our application is ever-developing as we react and shape our unique video solution to our valued customers.

Feedback encouraged.

As the New Year approaches, I take time to reflect, learn from the past and set goals for the upcoming year. Unfortunately, I am not alone in this practice as everyone with a journalistic outlet tends to publicly do the same across every topic from pop culture to Wall Street.

However, I did come across two very well-written “lists” from well-respected outlets that bode well for Envysion and MVaaS in 2009.

First, Nation’s Restaurant News recently posted their “2008 Year in Review – Significant Technology Developments”. At the top of the list is “the movement to WEB-ACCESSED, CENTRALLY HOSTED BACK-OFFICE SOFTWARE AND SERVICES”. The article further states “operators cited as the reasons for their choice of such platforms ease of use; simplified deployment, maintenance and data collection; and, in some instances, lower up-front capital costs.” It’s great to see the restaurant industry embrace the SaaS model and for that matter, the MVaaS model. It appears the writers have a grasp on the value of the technology though I would also add the elimination of technology obsolescence as a major benefit.

The second list comes from Envysion’s Chairman, Dan Caruso and his blog Bear on Business. Leading up to Christmas, Mr. Caruso enticed readers with the #1 Item on Service Providers’ Holiday Wishlist. After a few suspense-filled days, Mr Caruso announced the gift of MVaaS as The Killer Application for 2009.

Well, there you have it. Two endorsements for MVaaS from the leading authorities in their respective fields of trade. I wish you all a happy and safe New Year and look forward to great opportunity in 2009.

The best technical standards are ones that are actually used.    And which standards are more likely to be used?  How about standards that do the following:

- Proven to work because code exists that actually implements the stands and actually works

- Consists of a collection of tools of which only a few are “must have”

- Free software available to help you implement it

- Utilizes existing, widely available and understood tools

- The specification is freely available

These all lead to practical, working systems that can be quickly implemented. Free code which actually works and does something valuable is an amazingly powerful force.  Such things often become standard without any special governing body approving them.  ie: A defacto standard.   This approach is partly why the Internet is the way it is.

The last point is pretty important.  How many websites would there be if you had to pay thousands of dollars a year for the privilege to know how to create one?

These points are so important to the Internet that all Internet standards are freely available to anyone for download and the vast majority of them have freely available open source implementations.  One of the “founding beliefs” of the Internet Engineering Task Force from David Clark is: “We believe in rough consensus and running code“.