Unless you’ve been living under a rock, it’s no surprise that the use of mobile devices has taken over the consumer market — and it’s here to stay, even on a B2B level.

From the data we collect in Google Analytics it is apparent that more than 60 to 70 percent of websites we have built, marketed and/or track are being visited by mobile users — cellphones to be specific.

To tweak a line from a famous Frank Sinatra song: 2017, it was a very good year. It was a very good year for connected homes, that is. Massive amounts of advertising from big players inside and outside the security space, a rapidly advancing technology landscape, and an avid interest from homeowners at all economic levels led to a connected home space that is growing by leaps and bounds.

Security dealers increasingly are offering smart home devices such as smart lighting control, smart thermostats and smart door locks to their customers. By taking the right precautions, dealers can help ensure that those devices enhance the customer’s lifestyle without posing cyber security vulnerabilities.

Customers of Perennial Software’s AlarmBiller and SedonaOne cloud-based management applications were without access to the systems for several days beginning the weekend of July 14 due to a cyber attack.

In today’s security market it can be extremely difficult as a security dealer or integrator to truly differentiate yourself from your competitors, build and establish your unique brand, and remain sticky to your customer base. There is simply so much competition within the industry that everyone is basically saying “me too” and offering it for a few dollars less.

Without question, the availability of high definition over coax (HDoC) technologies has had a significant impact on security integrators’ ongoing efforts to upgrade end users from traditional analog solutions.

In China, which has an estimated 200 million surveillance cameras already in use, some cities are using facial recognition and AI technology to track and identify criminals and in some cases to shame people for law infractions, according to an article in The New York Times.
 

Just as there are a number of things that qualify as “video monitoring” — from verified video to guard tours and more — there are equally varied ways that dealers have found success in providing video monitoring services to their customers.

Technology migration can be tricky to predict, but it seems safe to say most video analytics will be deployed in the cloud within the next couple years or so. Already, a good number of companies are seeing the benefits of analytics, whether in the cloud or at the edge.