Every major distributor with serious involvement in major projects has an alliance with a video management software solution developer. Now reinvigorated electronic security supplier QSS has been appointed a distributor for DVTel. John Adams spoke with Rob Rosa to find out more.
Q: How big a deal is winning the DVTel distribution from the point of view of Q Security Systems?
A: From QSS’s perspective we are excited about this new relationship. DVTEL has one of the leading VMS platforms in the world and also a great range of cameras and NVR systems. We also recognised that DVTEL is a progressive and dynamic company continually investing in product development and 3rd party integrations and in a market with ever changing needs, our partners need to ensure that cutting edge products are continually made available.
Q: DVTEL was founded way back in 2000 so the company is a real pioneer in video management solutions and has had a lot of time to polish its technology – you know product like the mid-enterprise level Latitude solution pretty well – how good is it? What are its greatest strengths for end user? For integrator?
A: Latitude has evolved into a very powerful, feature rich and reliable system which is now on version 6.3 and installed as a true Enterprise distributed topology in many global organisations around the world.
Features such as camera stitching allowing up to 8 fixed cameras to be ‘seamed’ into a panoramic style view which is great for wide areas that have no PTZs, etc. Other features such as mentor (great for training new operators or monitoring operator behaviour), case builder ensures incident visibility and referencing with video footage.
The award winning TruWitness is another feature which allows any Android device to stream video to your VMS platform and also Google Earth integration which allows easy identification of camera locations among other key features.
From an integrator’s perspective the fact that it is a configurable-friendly GUI and the system allows the integrator to configure special site requirements are major benefits. Additionally, the recently released DVTEL Horizon NVR is one is the easiest units to deploy right out of the box.
Q Professional Services (QPS) can also assist the integrator with FAT, SAT and other commissioning services meaning once you have given us the configuration requirements, we can assist in setting it up at your local QSS Sales Branch ready for pickup and installation at your site. QPS can also assist with on site commissioning if this is a service an integrator requires.
From an end user’s perspective, the fact that you have a powerful and fully scalable solution that allows quick footage retrieval, easy to use GUI so that operators can tailor the screen to their personal requirement and the fact that it is backed by DVTEL and QSS allows that peace of mind to ensure your system will have full support going forward. We also offer Software Maintenance Agreements (SMA) to ensure that your system is always kept up with new version upgrades and gives the end user new features as they are readily available.
Q: It's not just software solutions you're going to carry either – it's cameras, including the very capable Quasar. How will DVTEl's cameras slot into the QSS product range?
A: The DVTEL Quasar range of cameras is another real strength of DVTEL. These cameras have a unique compression capability which reduces Network bandwidth and storage requirements without any loss in quality. These cameras are unreal and truly a product that needs to be seen to be believed.
These cameras can be reduced to use 2Mbps while transmitting images at 1080P at real-time. This is truly amazing stuff. Most cameras require 4-6MBPS so you can already see that you can reduce cost of storage and also network/bandwidth requirements. What this means is your storage can be reduced by 50 – 60 per cent which is a huge saving.
QSS will sell and support the entire range of DVTEL products such as the Meridian which is an NVR Appliance supporting either 8 or 16 cameras, then Horizon which is an NVR Server supporting up to 100 cameras. Both Meridian and Horizon are based on a powerful Latitude core and are extremely easy to install and commission.
Then you start to look at DVTEL Latitude which is virtually unlimited capacity and feature rich NVMS. The beauty of all these systems they all seamlessly integrate into one another and from an operator’s perspective, it will have the feel of one system as opposed to numerous sites. We will also sell the Ioimage range which are cameras with built in video analytics and available as encoders with the same smarts depending on your requirement.
DVTEL actually compliments many of the products that QSS already distribute. For example, Software House already has strong ties with DVTEL abroad so this may strengthen in Australia as a result.
“From QSS’s perspective we are truly excited about this new relationship. DVTEL has one of the leading VMS platforms in the world and also a great range of cameras and NVR systems”
Q: Up till now QSS has worked with Verint – will this change?
A: Our focus in 2014 is with DVTEL but we will continue to support our existing Verint client base and we have sent out letters detailing what this change means and that we will not abandon any client we have sold Verint to in the past. In fact we have trained our newest IP Network Specialist (Ken Holt) to support the Verint range for our existing Verint clients.
Q: How long before QSS will be handling the product – is it available right now?
A: DVTEL is in stock at every branch as we speak and also there is a dedicated DVTEL demo unit in each of the sales branch and also at the QSS Training and Service facility in Laverton North. We will post DVTEL Training dates for 2014 on our website in late February but in the meantime, visit installers can visit their local QSS branch and learn about how DVTEL can give them the edge in 2014.
Q: Training – you'll obviously need to get your staff up to speed on the new platform?
A: In January, DVTEL and QSS staff installed demo units in each of the branches and conducted comprehensive sales training on the DVTEL products. Given our staff are already IP CCTV knowledgeable, the transition was an easy one as many of the QSS staff at one stage or another of their working life have had some interaction with DVTEL or similar products.
Q: You said late last year that you planned to maintain QSS' existing client base while expanding strongly into major projects – winning DVTEL is obviously a key step, isn't it?
A: Without a doubt this is an important partnership in our overall strategy. We evaluated numerous VMS platforms prior to undertaking this decision and once we did this, it was easy to see the standout product hence we cemented the relationship towards the Christmas period to be ready for a 2014 launch. Our key technical staff worked very hard and long during this evaluation period to ensure we would be aligning ourselves with the correct VMS and related product partner.
This year will see the launch of Q Professional Services that will also compliment the major projects front. Our existing client base is very valuable to us and we also believe that they will benefit from this new relationship, too. There are many quality DVTel products under the DVTEL banner they can now access.
Q: When it comes to major DVTEL projects, how closely will you work with integrators and end users? What can these customers expect from QSS and DVTEL in terms of service and commitment?
A: This will be a key strength of our major projects launch, Q Professional Services. We will offer FAT, SAT and we will build and configure systems with the integrator to ensure a system is tailored to each client’s requirements. Something that not many people may actually know is that QSS already had this service but was not being utilised to its full capacity.
We have the large QSS Training and Service facility in Laverton North and also mini service centres in our sales branches. Customers can expect product training courses, support from Q Professional Services and also the support of DVTEL and QSS staff all over Australia. We will ensure we support the end user via the integrator through a combination of products and services for all project requirements.
Q: Do you feel that snagging DVTEL has rounded out the QSS offering, taking you to the next level in terms of ability to compete with other distributors on major projects?
A: Absolutely. In my opinion some companies have become complacent and borderline arrogant about their product offerings. What I mean by this is that irrespective of the size of your business, you can’t lose sight of what is important – that is your customers, your customer support and the relationships that have been built over numerous years.
We at QSS are humbled by this new relationship and while we are still only a mid-size business in relative terms we will re-focus to ensure we continue to offer personalised service and value add to all our clients. We don’t have room for complacency in a market that has many options. QSS will go back to basic 101 in terms of customer service and value-adds.
Q: There are a large number of existing DVTEL sites across Australia – up towards 800 in all. Will QSS be offering service, support and upgrades for these brownfield sites?
A: Our intention is not to focus on brownfield sites. If these potential customers want QSS to support them going forward, we will happily assist them. But our focus is to look at new opportunities to grow QSS and DVTEL sites and to compete against the many other products that are out there. We are mindful that from DVTEL’s perspective it makes no sense to cannibalise market share but rather take it from your real competitors and we are all on the same page with this strategy.
Q: You've been busy. What's next on the horizon for Q?
A: The tail end of 2013 has been extremely busy that’s for sure. Q Security Systems will continually evolve and improve on what we do and the products we sell. Our new specialised procurement focus headed by Ross Bernard will ensure that inventory management is done in a manner consistent with ever changing forecast requirements. Managing stock is a difficult role and one that can either make a company successful or bring it to its knees. Let’s be frank, running out of stock is not a good look for anyone.
Stanley El Komala will now focus 100 per cent on product development and vendor management and to ensure that we continually have the best products from around the World on offer. The next few months will see some social media strategies deployed, new competitive pricing and tools for our clients to access online so it will make quoting QSS products a much simpler task.
We will continually look at our business and ensure we don’t get left behind but rather stay in front of our competitors. All our staff are on board with the changes being made at QSS and they are all excited and looking forward to a big 2014. There are many expectations of what all these changes bring to the new-look QSS business and we are not going to disappoint. That’s what I can tell you about what 2014 holds for QSS and our loyal clients.
