2020 – a year of opportunity for video surveillance

Bob (H.Y.) Hwang Ph.D., Managing Director of Hanwha Techwin Europe, highlights how major advances in technology, such as artificial intelligence, IoT and cybersecurity, are creating new opportunities for those involved in the video surveillance systems supply chain.

This new year will, without doubt, bring many exciting opportunities for manufacturers, such as Hanwha Techwin, to help system integrators and our distribution partners grow their businesses.

Over recent years, growth in the sales of security cameras, recording devices and video management software platforms has been fueled by businesses and organisations recognising the need to take their security to a higher level. As IoT devices have become more popular over the years, managers responsible for security all share the same goals of protecting property, people and assets against a context of increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks.

It is therefore not surprising to learn that the global professional video surveillance equipment market continues to dynamically grow with worldwide market revenue reaching $19.9 billion in 2019, up from $18.2 billion in 2018, according to the IHS Markit Video Surveillance Intelligence Service.

New higher specification cameras which will be introduced during 2020, will provide end-users, including those with limited budgets, with the opportunity to upgrade their existing video surveillance systems and further enhance their security.

Innovative solutions for 2020 and beyond

Equally important, as end-users’ expectations rise as to what they can expect to achieve from their video surveillance systems, I predict we will see a surge in the deployment of cameras equipped with advanced forms of edge and Cloud based video analytics, AI or Deep Learning solutions. This predication is supported by a report produced by Gartner, a leading research and advisory company, which suggests the use of AI and advanced analytics will significantly increase over the next few years and by 2022 will have a global business value of approximately $3.9T.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning

We may within the next few years see the introduction of AI applications which enhance video surveillance systems to a level which at this time might not seem possible.

Wisenet 7 Cameras

During 2020, we will be launching a new range of cameras equipped with our next generation Wisenet 7 chipset which offers a new level of processing power and an extensive feature set that includes AI. As such, these new cameras have been designed to detect and classify people and vehicles in real-time and capture various characteristics of objects as well as people, such as license plates and facial attributes.

In addition to offering greater accuracy and fewer false alarms to users who are looking to detect criminal activity, the cameras will also help businesses identify ways to improve productivity. Retailers in particular, will have access to an analysis of data which could include the age and gender of their customer.

Advanced cybersecurity

With cyber attacks becoming more sophisticated, building a strong security system is no longer an option, but an imperative. We asked our design engineers to place cyber security at the top of the list of requirements for the new Wisenet 7 cameras. This is why from the moment one of the cameras is connected to the network, a secure boot block prevents unauthorised attempts to gain access to the camera’s firmware.

New Technologies for 2020

In looking forward to the exciting opportunities that lay before us during 2020 and beyond, we are conscious of the increasing impact that Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G technology are likely to have on the video surveillance sector.

In the short term, please watch out over the coming months for other new ground-breaking products and solutions which we will be introducing to help system integrators generate new business whilst delivering added value to their end-user clients. All have been designed to improve the system integrator’s experience and reduce operational costs. These include:

• New feature-rich cameras multi-directional and panoramic cameras which negate the need for end-users to incur the cost of installing a higher number of standard cameras that would normally be needed to cover a wide area. In order to reduce the time an installer spends on site, we have equipped these cameras with a motorised PTRZ gimbal which enables the lens position to be easily changed in order to set the camera’s field of view.
• Niche and vertical market applications, such as retail and transport, will be able to benefit from a raft of new cameras and solutions, including thermal, explosion proof and ANPR models.
• Among the many new cameras that we will be introducing during 2020 will be an 8K model which captures images of such superb quality that they need to be seen to be believed. Operators will be able to closely zoom in to a small section of an image without any pixilation occurring.
• Total cost of ownership will be reduced by our new cost-effective appliance which will be supplied with embedded Wisenet WAVE Video Management Software (VMS), making it affordable even for budget conscious end-users.

Hanwha Techwin Partner Programme – STEP

The Hanwha Techwin STEP partner programme is proving to be hugely popular with system integrators who are able to take advantage of a range of benefits designed to give them a competitive advantage and help them increase their share of the video solutions market. It seems almost every day on social media channels there are postings which announce a new STEP participant or a systems integrator being accredited to a high status level within the programme.

2020 will see a revamp of STEP which will make it even more relevant to the electronic security supply chain and to facilitate close working relationships, based on mutual respect and trust between Hanwha Techwin, system integrators and our business partners throughout Europe.

Market led

Our new products and solutions have come about by us listening to our partners in the supply chain, thinking outside the box and innovating. System integrators and their end-user clients can rest assured that with the support of our parent company, the Hanwha Group, Hanwha Techwin will continue to respond to evolving market requirements by driving the development of exciting new products and solutions which harness the very latest advances in technology. By doing so, we will help them grow and justify their trust in the Wisenet brand.

Creating demand

During 2020, we will continue to expand our A&E, pre-sales and business development teams. We will be seeking to employ people of the highest calibre who share our passion for building partnerships with system integrators and other contributors to the supply chain. In doing so, we will bring our formidable product range to an even wider audience and create new sales opportunities for our partners.

In conclusion, advancements in technologies will support new use cases to meet customers’ needs in various verticals, expanding the horizon of our industry. This new year will, without doubt, bring many exciting opportunities for us and our channel partners as we continue to respond to evolving market requirements.