Just returned from the first stop on the PSA Security Network Education Tour in Pine Brook, NJ. Sharon Shaw, PSA’s Director of Education did an excellent job of coordinating all the presenters, topics and logistics, and most importantly – managed to sum up all of the material presented in the two-day training event into a coherent whole, which made it more valuable than the sum of the parts. Vendors, including NICE, held training sessions on everything from new recurring revenue models to improving profitability on projects. And it was interesting to see how all of the educational material came together, quite literally, with vendors referencing other vendors’ presentation material throughout.
Dave Schatz, NICE’s Business Development Manager, and I had fun because, in the spirit of the Education Tour, we developed material with a more educational (and less ‘salesy’) focus. In order to make it engaging we presented some deeply thought provoking, and rather controversial material.
Our first discussion revolved around the real-world, and by that I mean true “on-the-street” challenges that security integrators face today. We previewed what the surveillance video world will look like in 5 years, which forced attendees to take an introspective look at whether they are on the right path to make the shift from analog to IP video. We talked about what some integrators have done to differentiate and grow more than others. Conversely, we also discussed what’s holding some integrators back from embracing the IP shift in the market, even as DVRs continue their steady decline. I jokingly said that it reminded me of Kübler-Ross’s ‘5 stages of grief’ model, which, as we all know, begins with denial. The model describes what happens when one is in denial to the tee. First, it’s “I feel fine.” Then, it’s “This can’t be happening, not to me.” Sound familiar?
In our second discussion, we took a “no-holds-barred” look at the things that typically erode project profitability following a contract award, and presented some options to prevent these “gotchas.” Gauging from the nods and snickers from vendors and integrators in the room, it was pretty clear we’d hit some soft spots.
All in all, a great experience – and Dave and I are looking forward to trying it again, with a few twists, in Houston Sept 14-15th. Thanks PSA.
Dr. Bob Banerjee
Senior Director, Training and Development
NICE Security Americas
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