After the official approval of the antitrust authorities, the business partnership of Bosch Security Systems and Sony Corporation in the field of video security solutions became effective by February 1, 2017 — except in China where the partnership will start on April 1, 2017.

Both companies will now focus on strengthening their collaboration that was first announced in November 2016, Bosch announced in a press release. 
 
The partnership entails both a sales and marketing cooperation as well as a technical collaboration. As part of the sales and marketing partnership, Sony’s video security sales and marketing associates joined a newly formed dedicated team within the Bosch Security System organization. Sony’s video security customers, in all markets except Japan, will be served and supported by this sales and marketing team. 

“We are happy to welcome these experienced colleagues in our organization and are convinced we will further grow the business with Sony’s products by providing excellent support and service to our customers,” said Michael Hirsch, vice president for sales and marketing of the Sony Security Business within Bosch. 

Toru Katsumoto, deputy president of imaging products and solutions sector, president of professional products group, Sony Corporation, said, “We are delighted that Sony’s video security customers are now being supported by Bosch Security Systems. We are moving forward with this partnership, which will feature jointly developed products that fully leverage our industry-leading expertise in video image quality and performance.”
 
Both companies are aiming to set new standards with regard to high resolution video imaging, combined with excellent light sensitivity, complemented by Bosch’s expertise in built-in video analytics and latest bitrate management techniques, Bosch described. In March 2017, Sony will launch eight new Full-HD (1080p) video security cameras within its sixth generation (G6) range of network cameras. New G6 cameras’ high sensitivity capabilities ensure that the color integrity of images is maintained even in extreme lowlight situations. At the same time, Bosch is updating its portfolio concerning video analytics and bitrate management. As of May 2017, all network cameras from the IP 4000 series will be equipped with built-in video analytics as a standard as well as latest bitrate management techniques combined with H.265 video encoding, reducing bitrate by up to 80 percent. 
 
The first jointly developed products are expected to be launched in 2018. “We are looking forward to delivering best-in-class video security solutions to our customers for both existing and new market segments,” said Gert van Iperen, president of Bosch Security Systems.