I don’t write much, we’ve got two Editors at Security Media that can deliver a whole lot more than I, but I felt compelled to ask a question following my time at the first day of Midwich’s Technology Exposed event, currently underway at the Royal Ascot race course.
I recall in the mid-1990s asking my now Chairman, but back then a customer of a magazine I was involved with, what he thought about convergence. He produced an article that if you could read it today would ring true almost word for word. The article spoke on the convergence of IT and security systems and detailed how one day both would share one secure network – providing a lot more than just a back office system for employees and a security system for security managers.
Well nearly 20 years later I found myself sat in a learning zone listening to Mark Thomas (MD of Midwich Security) as he explained how and why convergence is no longer a debate, it’s a reality that many integrators and leading installers are delivering to their customers. Offering cost savings, increased efficiency and easier installation, I can see the attraction but what’s the take up? Does the industry really understand the benefits that convergence offers and are they really delivering that message to their customers?
After the event completes we’re going to talk to Mark in more detail but I can’t help thinking he has a point. If exceeding customer expectations is the way you run your business then doing more than talking about convergence has to be on the agenda.
Wandering around the 70 or so brands that were presenting products at the show its clear technology continues to develop – there’s no recession when it comes to innovation. Brands like Samsung, Bosch, Panasonic, Hitachi, Sharp, Canon, NEC, and Mitsubishi, among many others, all offering the elements to deliver an integrated system. Now it’s up to the integrators and installers to take that message forward.
If you have an opinion or an experience that’s practical rather than theoretical and helps demonstrate the arrival of convergence in your business or to one of your customers then let us know. Furthermore if you’d like to pose a question to Mark or any of the Midwich Security team then get in touch and I’ll raise the strongest points when we speak with them.
Watch the Livestream broadcast of The Benefits of Convergence with Mark Thomas below:
Watch the Livestream broadcast of Day Two of Technology Exposed below:
