GEC NEWS WIRE2017 was a special year for Genetec, according to Firas Jadalla, Regional Director, META at Genetec, as the company could see a steady movement in the market for unified solutions. As a company that offers a broad portfolio of security, intelligence and operations solutions, this movement from integrated solutions to unified solutions strikes a meaningful chord. “Unified solutions are a step ahead of integrated solutions where a single platform can handle different task with the same interface,” says Firas. The market has been looking for more and more simplified solutions. When we talk about unification, it is about simplification.
If you integrate multiple solutions you have different technologies talking to each other. Today we can see a majority of the solutions moving to the cloud. To provide cloud services, you have to give an easy to use interface. For eg; we have our solution for enterprise which is an advanced video management platform. The interface is easy and the operator can use it with zero training. Similarly, we have a lot of solutions in our portfolio that can be deployed with zero training.”
Talking about Genetec’s go-to- market strategy, Firas says “We expanded to new territories and we have been going very aggressively to the market. We have always relied heavily relying on our channel to go to market and this trend will continue. We are hiring new business development managers who would be approaching the end users and educating them more about the market and our solutions portfolio.” The company has also simplified their software selling process, known as the perpetual license. “That is the way we have been selling for the past 20 years. But now customers are looking for subscription models as they are not willing to pay upfront. We were one of the few companies worldwide to offer the video management platform through subscription while keeping our old way of selling software through perpetual license.”
Genetec recently unveiled Citigraf, a decision support system that unifies public safety operations across city departments for interagency collaboration. Apart from that, the company also released the latest version of its Security Center 5.7. This latest version allows users to make insight-driven decisions based on security and analytics data. Security Center 5.7 now automatically identifies edge devices and cameras that need firmware updates, helping assure network protection, integrity, and ‘Security of Security’. Genetec Airport Sense is a new analytics solution that offers a deeper understanding of airport operations and passenger flow by tapping into existing security cameras and sensors for operational insights.
Talking about the differences and similarities in Middle East and other countries, Firas says that, “Worldwide the demand or aware-ness for security solutions has been growing over the last few years . What characterizes this market is that the growth of security market in the Middle East has been growing way higher than the rest of the world. The ME market has its own specifications and regulations when it comes to solutions like the Cloud.”
In 2018, Genetec will be investing more in its channel. The company will be seen hiring more Business Development managers who will be responsible for creating awareness and demand for their solutions in the market and acting as a consultation arm for the customers and partners. We are approaching the market with applications, apart from solutions and services, that are tailored for certain verticals and sectors. We have released an application for retail, law enforcement, airports, banks etc. In 2018 we would be introducing more applications tailored for different markets.”
