Finding RMR at ISC West

March 31, 2014
Tradeshow presents the perfect opportunity to find alternate sources of revenue generation

Look past the bells, whistles, flashing lights and other hoopla at ISC West this week and you’ll see more than hardware and boxes.  You’ll discover new ways to bring recurring monthly revenue (RMR) and cash flow to the solutions you sell.

Shifting your focus from hardware and a "break-fix" mentality to "everything as a service" can be a difficult transition, but ISC West is the perfect place to explore finding more RMR through the cloud, mobile apps and software-as-a-service (SaaS).

Hosted video is a phenomenal way to bring RMR into the fold. On the camera side of the equation, anytime hosting is possible you relieve some of the pressure associated with on-site storage of high-resolution video. And did you know that analog cameras also yield strong RMR? With solutions such as the Cloud Streamer Video Program (SPCVS) from Security Partners/Mace, integration companies like Omni-Watch Systems are doing just that.

Security Partners, based in Lancaster, Pa., offers two different hosted video programs to its dealers through its Advanced Services Division: The Security Partners Cloud Video Streamer (SPCVS) program and the Axis AVHS IP Cloud Hosting program hosted by Secure-i servers.

The large installed base of analog cameras means more opportunity for RMR – and that’s what Butch Davis, president of Omni-Watch Systems, a division of Rapid Response Systems Inc. in Garland, Texas, is currently experiencing. Davis has steadily increased his recurring revenue, targeting SMBs with analog infrastructures. When Davis started the program he was making under $8,000 per month in RMR. Now, he’s making about $18,000 a month in RMR from the hosted video service.

Think IT

Third party central stations are growing and evolving into virtual data centers and they can help find more RMR. One of the new RMR generating strategies by Secure Global Solutions (SGS) LLC is a remote monitoring and management (RMM) gateway product, the Network Navigator, which will be featured at an event during the show on Thursday, April 3 from 8 to 11 a.m. at the Wynn Hotel.  

“The transition to IP communications is creating a revolution for central stations,” says Hank Goldberg, vice president at SGS. “Network Navigator is creating new revenue opportunity in the wholesale marketplace and gives dealers the ability to translate everything to RMR,” he says. “We are in data delivery and this product acts as the lynchpin to collect, analyze and deliver data.”

Software providers offer a variety of packages to automate RMR services, most with a common interface tying together functional modules that perform specific network management tasks. Automation software can typically resolve and remediate 80 percent or greater of customer problems remotely, and most often before the customer even knows there was a problem, avoiding expensive help calls and client visits. ConnectWise, an ISC West exhibitor, is the developer of a business management platform designed for technology solution providers to increase profitability, efficiency and control. Some of the managed services available through the software include: hardware-as-a-service; mobile point-of-sale; digital signage; inventory and control; anti-virus, data storage, backup and disaster recovery; VoIP; surveillance and access control; email management and administration; and SaaS.

In hosted access control, RMR comes in many flavors. Companies can provide total assistance to the customer – accountability of employees, management of cards and privileges – or leave it to the end user to decide what they want to administer.

Mike Taylor, senior director of sales for Brivo Systems, says hosted access control offers integrators the ability to increase the overall value of their company.  “Our solution delivers recurring revenue for company owners, and it has little or no costs associated with it.” 

Taylor says by using a SaaS solution and leveraging the cloud, customers and dealers win.  “The end user wins by saving thousands of dollars in capital expenditure dollars up front, in maintenance costs over the life of the system and time managing the system.  Dealers win by selling systems that save them money on installation, deployment time and service calls.”

He advises integrators traversing the show floor at ISC West to look for companies that have the ability to sell both access control and video.  “Only the best cloud providers can handle an unlimited number of doors for access and an unlimited amount of video recording.  In addition to access control, you can now create RMR for the life of the video solution as well,” he says.

Moving solutions to the cloud is an undeniable theme at ISC West and Feenics, based in Canada, is unveiling its new KEEP solution, a 100 percent cloud-based access control solution at the show in the HID booth partner pavilion.

“It’s the rebirth of access control,” says Paul DiPeso, vice president and general manager. “KEEP can be used as an on premises installation, hosted by the VAR, or hosted by Feenics, giving the integrator and his customer flexibility in a range of options and menu of services,” he says. DiPeso says the solution requires no proprietary equipment at the edge and is based on Mercury or HID Vertex operating platforms.

Because of the flexibility in which the platform can be deployed and changed at any time, integrators can control and manage their ramp-up time.

“The integrator has a fear of the unknown and we have created a menu of services, pricing options and deliverables to help them adapt at a much faster rate. The ultimate goal is to allow integrators to tap into their ability to gain monthly recurring revenue and turn it into long-term revenue,” he says.

Connected Home/Interactive Services

There’s even a themed “RMR revolution” at ISC West. Napco Security Technologies will focus on interactive services delivered through its Connected Home Dealer Program by iBridge at an industry panel presentation and reception scheduled for Thursday, April 3 from 2:30 to 4:30 in Venetian Ballroom J. Focusing on smartphones, tablets and apps, iBridge gives dealers the ability to easily add Z-Wave devices and change settings, scenes and schedules remotely without a truck roll.  A cloud-based utility program allows dealers to maintain a complete backup for the account's Z-Wave device names, scenes, triggered events and schedules. 

Here are four tips as you traverse the show floor in search of RMR:

  1. Look for scalable, cloud-based solutions that let you add capabilities to your customer’s systems as needs arise or change.
  2. Consider video cameras with embedded analytics that can used for business intelligence.
  3. Find solutions that allow you to proactively address customer needs. For example, devices that can be used to remotely assess system health.
  4. Select manufacturer partners who continue to evolve and have a strong reseller program that works to identify new needs in the marketplace.

About the Author: Deborah O’Mara is the owner of DLO Communications and a security industry veteran. She can be reached at [email protected] or 847.384.1916.