“IFSEC really is a tremendous showcase for UK security solutions providers. There are many new technologies and products on display, many of them for the first time, and big opportunities for us to interface with our key customers and potential new clients. On top of that, it’s a meeting place for the industry.”
Clearly, Adam Breeze is a big fan of IFSEC. He’s also a big fan of people who are “serious about security”, as he puts it. “Bosch is currently ploughing a lot of capital into Research and Development, and we want to make that point at this year’s show. IFSEC will be a different proposition this time around, with new halls and a new look, and we want to help carry on its successes.”
Generally speaking, Breeze feels the security market is “a really tough place to be” at the present time.
“Payment cycles are becoming longer and longer, which means all companies in the supply chain are having to manage their cash flow situation very carefully. At Bosch, we’re fortunate that our unique ownership structure protects us from some of the pressures felt by shareholder-owned companies. We can work closely with our channel partners to help them through these turbulent times.”
“We’re coming up to April and May, which is the end of many companies’ financial year,” said Breeze. “It will be interesting to see what results are posted, and also to find out what budgets are being allocated across the market for spend in the remainder of 2009 and the first quarter of next year.”
Concentrating on key verticals
In recent times, Bosch Security Systems’ strategy has been to go after the traditional vertical markets. The company is very strong in the transport sector, of course, and worked on the new Eurostar terminal at St Pancras International. “We’re also looking at other sectors like education,” suggested Breeze. “We’ve had some pretty big successes with IP installations at universities, on top of Public Address and voice evacuation systems.”
Just like Simon Wright at Panasonic, Breeze bemoans the budget squeeze that’s now being placed on projects. “Some of the installations we’ve been working on can go from a virtual standstill to a pace of 100 miles an hour in the space of a few days. It’s erratic, and not too helpful from our point of view. It makes pre-planning difficult in the extreme, but we’re managing to fight it.”
Bosch prepares for the next IFSEC before the NEC’s doors are shut on the previous one, and Breeze has been in constant dialogue with IFSEC’s event manager Charlie Cracknell since last July. “We had grand plans when we first started our dialogue, but because of the downturn we’ve had to scale back a bit. Nonetheless, we’re going to be there in numbers. I suspect that, yet again, this coming July will be just about the only month of the year when we’re not thinking about what to do at IFSEC.”
Like the rest of us, Breeze is alarmed and concerned at what the Government and its profligate friends in the banking sector have done to the country’s finances. “The Government is putting in place its safeguards and the like, but they may take a while to come to fruition. The downside of what has happened is the negative effects being felt by the pound. It’s not doing us any favours when it comes to costs, that’s for sure.”
Suffice to say that Breeze and his managing director, Paul Wong, don’t want to see any more ‘pound bashing’ going on. For a company that’s heavily involved in projects worldwide, the current state of affairs is far from ideal.
In which direction is IP heading?
On the back of projects like St Pancras International, where does Breeze feel IP solutions are heading?
“If I’m honest about it, I would have to say that IP is changing things, and much for the better. We’re starting to talk to different people about IP security solutions. The IT director or the chief procurement officer. These guys are much more to the fore now.”
Importantly, Breeze also adds that consultants and end users are finally beginning to grasp the nettle. “It has been and will continue to be a steep learning curve,” commented Breeze, “but IP is happening. It’s no longer a Black Art, and is moving forward very rapidly indeed.”
Prime mover in the ONVIF movement
Bosch was one of the ‘Axis of Three’ (including Axis and Sony) who set up the ONVIF Forum at last year’s IFSEC, and Breeze is “delighted” that over 50 solutions providers have now signed up to the cause.
“We really do need a common operating platform. I can understand why manufacturers have guarded their own corner. It’s commercially advantageous for them to do so, but the time has come when we must now think about the common good.”
Breeze added: “End users want Best of Breed solutions and, if they feel they can realise that by purchasing ‘separates’ from different companies, we shouldn’t be the ones to stand in their way. We should facilitate that.”
Interoperability between vendors’ products will simplify installation processes, which means less cost and disruption for the client. There’ll be greater freedom when selecting equipment, more cost-effective solutions and enhanced flexibility in system design.
Scaleable and retrofit systems are key
“The drive has to be about creating systems that are scaleable and retrofit-friendly,” concluded Breeze, who’ll be at IFSEC from 11-14 May. “It’s also about building successful partnering relationships based on the delivery of continuous improvement. We need to make sure the wider business benefits of IP are realised by the client, and demonstrate to them their Return on Investment.”
As Breeze quite rightly told me, end users must know what they want from their system. “IP might not be for them, and all solutions providers dealing with end users either directly or through installers or consultants must be honest enough to say so.”
Bosch Security Systems can be found on Stand E10 in Hall 4 at IFSEC 2009
For further information, log on at www.ifsec.co.uk and www.bosch.com (dedicated links are provided on the right hand panel of this page)
