Envysion recently introduced support for ACTi IP cameras.  In particular our customers are demanding a mid to low priced camera that offers megapixel resolution.

Our customers needed a reliable, high resolution camera option at the lowest possible price.  ACTi’s megapixel cameras supply good quality images that exceed our customer’s requirements.  Our customers also like the several flavors of dome cameras which ACTi offers in megapixel resolutions.

We liked the easy integration with ACTi’s software and the near ubiquitous Power over Ethernet support.   For software integration, all we really need is the RTSP protocol for video transmission and a simple web interface that we can create scripts to auto-provision from our Hybrid NVR’s.  We also received excellent support from their development team.

Thanks ACTi!

I’ll caveat this by stating the Today Show is not my top source for hard hitting news. However, they featured a news story this morning that illustrated the power of video surveillance in a residential setting. Would it be possible for these guys to plead not guilty?

In 2008, nobody escaped the traumatic effect of the corn-bubble. The ill-conceived and panic-driven notion of putting food in our gas tanks caused not a ripple, but a disastrous avalanche of food inflation unseen in nearly thirty years. I’ll guide readers to my July 2008 post for the details around this. In the end, our country saw a 6.6% jump in food inflation during 2008 causing consumers to tighten their wallets and annihilating our restaurant industry.

There is a direct correlation to the 2008 panic and fuel prices. As oil futures and retail gas prices escalated, so did that of corn, thus resulting in a corn bubble. Farmers were planting plenty of ethanol-doomed corn and not much of anything else. I say “doomed” as much of the corn sat in silos against a refining bottleneck and ultimately became rancid.

Now that the oil bubble has burst, so has the corn bubble. We can expect to see the results of this in 2009 as farm fields are freed up to again plant some of the other commodity staples. We have already observed the following commodity price declines:

Corn: -33.6%

Soybeans: -39.3%

Wheat: -68%

While we’re still seeing major food manufactures hold the line on pricing, we should see some softening on the wholesale and retail front in the near future. This means lower costs and improved profits for our struggling restaurant industry AND lower prices at the grocery store and more discretionary money in every one’s pockets.

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

One of the early adopters of MVaaS technology has been the restaurant industry.  As such, the economic strength of the segment is of particular importance to vendors in the space. 

On Friday the National Restaurant Association released its forecast for 2009.  It is encouraging.  While concerns about the overall economy continue, the NRA forecasts only a slight decrease in sales versus 2008 (1%, when adjusted for inflation).

Not surprisingly, certain segments of the industry are expected to out-perform others.  For example, quick-service restaurants are expected to post gains well ahead of the full-service and eating-and drinking segments. 

The bottom line is that the industry is expected to display resiliency in the coming year.  This is good news to those of us who serve them.

I came across an interesting read while viewing a related article at the networkworld.com website. It cites marketing departments as one of the big drivers behind the growth. This has actually been a strong value proposition as we gain more traction in the retail market vertical. For example, analyzing linger times and traffic patterns around promotional displays provides remarkable insight into the validity of the marketing effort and ultimatley, the best ROI of each marketing dollar.

While you’re visiting the site, be sure to check out the Top 10 IT Security Companies to Watch. Specifically, the third company listed.

I applaud California Pizza Kitchen’s press release concerning 3rd quarter performance. In a very difficult environment, CPK provided indication that they’ve hit their per share earnings target. Despite providing earlier guidance that same store sales would drop by 2% in the 3rd quarter, CPK cited “operational efficiencies” as one of the main drives to hitting their per share earnings target.

Several companies publicly announced a turn towards operational efficiencies to help combat slowing sales and rising costs. Although CPK did not outline exactly what they did, I’d be very interested to see what technology was employed to help boost their profitability. Looking forward to the full readout next month.

Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ GS:JAVA) President and CEO Jonathan Schwartz posted to his blog an e-mail that he shared with Sun leaders.  The e-mail was written in response to frequent questions that Mr. Schwartz has received regarding the current banking crisis in the U.S., and how this might impact Sun.

Mr. Schwartz turns the question around.  It is not how the crisis impacts Sun, but rather how it impacts Sun’s customers, both current and prospective.  In this he sees tremendous opportunity.

The statement that was most impactful for me was this:

“You’re not going to hear from any of our customers: ‘Let’s stop buying technology and hire more people to do the work.’  They’re going to default to the opposite - automating work, and finding answers and opportunities with technology, not headcount.”

Will customers be impacted?  Certainly.  This has already started.  But this stressful environment will also create opportunities for companies with technology that adds value for its customers.

Across the country, municipalities ranging in size from Pompano Beach, FL. to Dallas, TX. are passing ordinances requiring the installation of surveillance cameras in certain retail environments. This growing movement lends credibility to our industry’s ability to not only deter crime, but assist law enforcement in the prosecution of criminals. This has a direct impact on the safety of employees and customers, ultimately leading to lower turnover and increased customer visits. Following are just a few examples of these proposals:

Dallas, TX - Ordinance requires all 950 C-Stores to install high-res cameras, silent alarms and drop-down safes by May 2010.

Milwaukee, WI - Proposal requires taverns with three or more reported crimes in one year to install video surveillance.

Pompano Beach, FL - Shopping centers and drug stores greater than 25K sq. ft. required to install cameras covering the entire parking lot. Cameras must be installed within 180 days and video archived for at least one month.

Too cool, check out David Spark’s Security Dreamer Unconference coverage of ASIS.  Great coverage for those of us who couldn’t make it!