360-degree Surveillance - A new paradigm shift

Abhishek Kumar, Regional Director, South Asia – Oncam tells VARINDIA of how video surveillance has been on the top of the charts now and what has been Oncam’s competitive strategy to sustain its business in the Indian surveillance space -
  
India remains one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, and faces a lot of challenges as a result of this growth. The rate at which India is expanding puts extra emphasis on the need for safe roads, ports and airports, and railways to support this growth, and meet various Safe City initiatives that are now commonplace in the country.

As a result of this growth, video surveillance has become a critical element of building a comprehensive security posture.  
Similar to much of the rest of the world, there’s been a significant shift to IP video surveillance from traditional analog systems for many years now – especially as the technology becomes more readily available and more cost-efficient. India is no different, as manufacturers are better able to navigate the channel through strategic partnerships to provide end users with their technology. IP is more common in new construction and projects, since many end users spend a lot of money on their analog systems and look for ways to create a hybrid option with new investments on video cameras. So the shift is happening, but might be slower in some aspects.

Oncam & the India Market

Oncam is relatively new to the Indian market but is already seeing considerable traction in the adoption of its pioneering 360-degree technology. The software is developed in the US and the UK and is still leading the market in terms of customer experience. Oncam is in a unique position to provide much more than video surveillance with its 360-degree cameras. 

“Our brand has taken the position of being more in line with adopting cutting-edge technology through analytics software, technology partners such as drones manufacturers, and using video in the classroom within the education sector. At the end of the day, we want to be a brand that provides innovative technology solutions that extent far beyond simply being a camera manufacturer. In essence, we want to be a partner to customers in providing solutions to real-world problems with our extensive strategic partnerships and technology innovations,” says Abhishek Kumar, Regional Director, South Asia.

360-degree surveillance technology is just the beginning for the channel to explore, as the video data gathered from these cameras can provide a lot more for customers looking to streamline their business operations, see a significant ROI and find ways to use video for more than simply security purposes. The channel can be critical to bridging the gap between manufacturers and end users to create a technology solution that meets their needs and delivers even more bank for their buck, so to speak.

In terms of market vertical, oil & Gas, Safe City solutions, Retail and the transportation continue to be critical to its business for Oncam, but it is also seeing significant growth in the education market, since panoramic surveillance lends itself well to covering campuses with minimal investment. 

Budgetary constraints are always a concern when exploring ways to deliver Safe City or critical infrastructure solutions, for example. Customers are looking for ways to maximize their investments, which is where more “open” solutions come into play, as well as appealing to a number of departments when investing in surveillance equipment. Panoramic cameras can also deliver significant cost savings, as a single 360-degree camera can replace between four and five traditional pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, saving not only on hardware costs, but on the licenses needed to operate those cameras.

Looking ahead…
Growth is a significant factor in India, and as population expands, so too does the need for cities to provide more comprehensive security solutions and safety initiatives to protect citizens. One of the main areas that will see significant growth is in the transportation sector. Transit applications are an ideal fit for easily adaptable, scalable and reliable 360-degree camera systems to provide maximum situational awareness for a city’s infrastructure, preferred transportation medium and regulatory requirements. This also applies to airports and seaports, which require more stringent video surveillance solutions to protect critical assets and people.

“We also expect to see a dramatic increase in how loss or shrink, is managed by retail stores. The retail sector in India is emerging as one of the largest sectors in the economy and is the world’s fifth-largest global destination in the retail space with a total market size estimated to be around US$ 600 billion,” concludes Abhishek. 

Samrita Baruah
samrita@varindia.com