For years now, remote video monitoring has allowed for live viewing of surveillance camera feeds in real time. This enables security dealers and monitoring centers to promptly detect and respond to security incidents or potential threats at end-customer sites. Yet, uptake for these services have been limited at best. That’s about to change in a very big way. 

New advances in remote video monitoring are enhancing surveillance capabilities, such as automatically detecting and analyzing objects, behaviors or anomalies, enabling security personnel to gain insights, improve situational awareness and optimize response strategies. End users across a range of vertical markets now have a solution to proactively stop thieves in their tracks, oftentimes before they act. In my cover story for this issue of Video Monitoring Today, I speak with several installing security contractors who have seen the future and are seizing it wholeheartedly, reaping impressive revenues. These independent providers, both large and small, share what they’ve learned along the way.

New advances in remote video monitoring are enhancing surveillance capabilities, such as automatically detecting and analyzing objects, behaviors or anomalies, enabling security personnel to gain insights, improve situational awareness and optimize response strategies.

We also wanted to provide perspective from central station and automation software specialists who are intimately involved in advancing remote video as well as evangelizing about its promise to the dealer channel. In all, four of these subject matter experts provide quick-hit commentary on why dealers and integrators must not remain on the sidelines, as well as why remote video can be expected to become among the industry’s biggest differentiators ever. 

Also in this supplement, I urge you to soak in the sage, insightful content our featured columnists deliver on a range of important developments from the remote video realm. TMA Surveillance & Video Verification Committee Chairs Steven Walker and Wes Usie explain far too many dealers are moving too slowly to get into the game. Fear and procrastination is a lethal combination. To seize the moment, they offer a five-point plan to execute, expeditiously.

PPVAR President Mark McCall delves into how AI, analytics and other sensing technologies will be to key in the response to intrusion and other life safety alarm events. And Peter Giacalone describes how technology advances, labor shortages and other influences are giving rise to remote video guarding — and a permanently altered industry landscape. 

We hope you find the Video Monitoring Today supplement informative and useful to your organization. I welcome your feedback, plus any insights about your own experience adding remote video to your portfolio. You can reach me at Boschr@bnpmedia.com.