Standing out in a crowded video market

Sept. 12, 2016
Why OnSSI is taking a unique approach to improving its standing among VMS providers

Video surveillance has long been one of the most competitive product segments within the security industry. Hardware and software vendors are constantly seeking to outdo one another to differentiate themselves from their competitors both in terms of functionality and price. 

And while many of the familiar brands continue to do battle in the market, recent research shows that the gap may be widening among some of them. According to a recent report from IHS Markit, 11 of the same companies have remained in the top 15 ranking of video surveillance equipment suppliers from 2010 to 2015, which the research firm said shows that the companies gaining market share are not newcomers but established leaders in the industry.        

One company that is acutely aware of the difficult decisions that have to be made to remain competitive in the crowded video field is video management software provider OnSSI. According to Ken LaMarca, OnSSI’s vice president of sales and marketing, with the introduction of Ocularis 5, the company reduced the number of systems integrators authorized to sell their Ocularis VMS platform by a substantial margin as they seek to work with partners who want to fully support and see the value in their product.  

“As the IP video surveillance market continues to grow and mature, we at OnSSI see increased value in supporting channel partners that truly see the benefits in our VMS solution,” LaMarca says. “The days of setting up dealers/ integrators just because, for us, are in the past. We want to partner with dealers and integrators that really understand the value proposition of our product.”  

Along with that, LaMarca says they have improved the pricing models and benefits to the dealers and integrators who promote Ocularis to recognize both their performance and loyalty.

“In a day and age where manufacturers are trying to work with more dealers, we’re providing higher value in the product line for the dealers that support OnSSI,” LaMarca adds. “It’s important that we work with channel partners that lead with OnSSI and they understand higher technology, faster installation, reduced cost, better profitability and that we’re here to support them 110 percent.”

While they don’t expect their dealers and integrators to only support OnSSI, LaMarca says that when it comes to enterprise applications they would like to think they would “lead” with Ocularis.  

Following their acquisition of SeeTec last year, OnSSI now has 100 percent ownership of the company’s latest VMS offering, Ocularis 5, which LaMarca says is significant because no longer are any components of the product from an OEM supplier.

“It allows us to really differentiate ourselves from the rest of the industry. We can move at a much faster pace and provide higher technology and value that was really more difficult for us to achieve in the past,” he says. “Most importantly, it provides a very strong comfort level for our channel partners and end-users to know that we’re now in complete control of the product.”  

As the role of software in facilitating video integration and delivering the best user experience possible has grown in importance through the years, LaMarca says there has also been increased pressure to remain innovative, while at the same time continuing to deliver optimum performance and be competitive with pricing. One of the areas that OnSSI is looking to differentiate itself is by employing robust cybersecurity safeguards in its offerings.

“If we look at each of those areas separately pertaining to Ocularis 5; we can talk about the very unique benefits of Ocularis 5 like full encryption between clients and servers. Is there anything more important today than network security? The VMS hangs on the network, how important is it that the VMS is encrypted? It’s extremely important,” LaMarca explains. “This is something we have built into Ocularis 5. Our previous version wasn’t encrypted. The fact that we support HTTPS between cameras and recorders means that, end-to-end, Ocularis 5 is secure.”

Additionally, the company also recently rolled out smart camera drivers supporting many top camera manufacturers which enable newly introduced cameras to the market to immediately be integrated into Ocularis rather than having to wait weeks or months for individual camera drivers to be developed.

“What’s the value in that? A dealer or integrator that wants to provide a feature in a camera product can now provide it immediately to their end user,” LaMarca says. “They don’t have to wait eight weeks or three months or whatever the time frame is for a VMS manufacturer to write a dedicated camera driver. The value is competitive advantage.”

Increased competition in the marketplace has also forced many VMS firms, including OnSSI, to rethink their approach to camera license structures and subsequently lower their fees. However, LaMarca says their focus remains on enhancing the value proposition of their product and not in engaging in price wars with their rivals.

“We provide technology and performance enhancements to lower costs in the form of reduced hardware costs, because now with Ocularis you can utilize more cameras per server. And the installation time is shorter so there is money saved in the installation,” LaMarca adds. “There is technology that allows for the use of lower cost hard drives. With Ocularis 5 you no longer have to use SAS drives, you can use less expensive SATA drives. Lastly because all three models share the same code base, you can mix and match all of the camera licenses in one system to maximize savings, without any additional fees”  

And while many VMS companies have also rolled out various hardware products in recent years, LaMarca says OnSSI remains a software-only business.

“I would be lying to you if I said we haven’t looked at the potential benefits of hardware-based products but we have concluded that working with our hardware partners is more beneficial,” he says.

At this year’s ASIS conference in Orlando, OnSSI will be featuring the latest version of their VMS software, Ocularis 5, which boasts a wide range of new features and benefits. To learn more, stop by booth #2151.