ISC West Field Report

I think we get IT

The security industry has been talking for years now about the “takeover from IT,” the emergence of IP technologies, and of course, convergence; and you know I think it’s starting to sink in. I've based this conclusion on the quality of the questions we received at the Brivo booth during this year’s ISC West show.

In the past, I’ve noticed that many visitors are armed to the teeth with a list of feature specific questions.  Things like “Do you support ODBC?” or “Are you integrated with Acme VMS?” At this year’s ISC West, I noted a measurable increase in solution oriented rather than feature focused questions. Many visitors asked how we would solve a particular problem, rather than if we could match a pre-determined list of features. Many went on to ask about the implications of various types of solution approaches.

I believe this is due in part to the influence of IT on security and representative of the convergence of physical and logical security mindsets. It’s also evidence that the risk-management approach to security design is taking hold. In the IT world there are endless ways to solve any problem. In this environment it’s essential to evaluate the total approach rather than just a few marketing bullet points gleaned from datasheets. When prospects ask a lot of feature oriented questions, they risk skimming the surface for sound bites, getting a bunch of sales noise, and not truly understanding how a particular product or solution can benefit them. When they pose open-ended, solution oriented questions they invite the vendor to truly understand their objectives and to be creative in their problem solving. It’s in these open discussions where you have your true “ah-ha!” moments.

I find solution discussions to be more open, rewarding, and stimulating than simple feature Q&A. I also believe that integrators and end-users will be far more satisfied with the results they achieve by focusing on the total solution rather than getting sucked into the cold war of features. And after all, I think most integrators and end-users go to shows like ISC West to look a provider in the eye and know that they understand the problem and have the ability to solve it, not simply to surf the floor for new features. For me, this is evidence that we are adopting the type of solution finding that has been practiced in the IT world for quite a while and it’s nice to see.

- John Szczygiel