Guy Apple

The U.S. physical security market will be focused on Las Vegas this week and the big ISC West trade show for 2015. But what should attendees expect when they get to Sin City? We asked our panelists for their insights into what will be making “big news” at this year’s show. Fortunately, the suspense is almost over!

This week’s Expert Panel revisits a classic question that has been around since the advent of IP video: Should an enterprise’s video system have its own network, or should it share the corporate network? Our panelists' responses reflect new IT trends, technology changes and shifting priorities that are impacting how the question is approached. Rising concerns about cyber-security (such as fears that video might provide a hacker entry into the enterprise system) are one new aspect. New trends like virtualization are also changing the economics of IT systems, while bandwidth demands continue to be an issue. Let’s take a look at our panel’s latest takes on this classic network video system dilemma.

We live in a global market, and goods can easily be manufactured anywhere in the world and then shipped anywhere else. For many years, companies have taken advantage of the consequent flexibility to save costs and increase profits by manufacturing products around the world, especially in low-cost areas such as China. Historically, goods made in China (and some other locales) have been characterized as somehow lower in quality, and yet many of the top companies (such as Apple, for example) have managed to achieve superior quality of goods coming from Chinese factories, while keeping costs low. All of which suggests this week’s question for our panel: In 2015, does it really matter where a security system component is manufactured? 

What lessons, if any, are there to be learned from the recent attacks in Paris? Recent events in Paris highlight the deadly and changing face of terrorism in 2015. Two gunmen armed with AK-47 assault rifles attacked the Paris offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on 7 January, killing 12 people in all, including eight Charlie Hebdo employees and two national police officers. Two days later, the terrorism continued with a hostage crisis at a printing firm at Dammartin-en-Goel and at a kosher supermarket in Paris, where four hostages were murdered before the assailant was killed by police. The world has been shocked by the events, and many are evaluating what we can learn from them to help us prevent or minimise such future attacks. We asked our panel if there are lessons to be learned specific to the security industry.

Return on Investment (ROI) is crucial for any security installation. Most people consider what return on investment they are getting when making a purchasing decision. Usually, customers will select the option which provides them with the greatest ROI. But how can ROI be measured? Individuals involved at different points of the security buying chain will have different ideas of how to measure ROI. Here are a few thoughts from our Expert Panel. As you will see, ROI is more of a subjective matter, depending on several different variables.

BrandDog Media specializes in B2Bmarketing & global sales management After 18 years as VP of Marketing & Sales with Network Video Technologies (NVT), Guy Apple is now working as an independent consultant and owner of BrandDog Media. BrandDog Media will supply exemplary marketing services to business-to-business organizations with a focus on electronic security and surveillance. Proven ability In Globalization BrandDog specializes in B2B marketing and global sales management strategies designed to provide simple, cost-effective routes to professional quality brand penetration and demand creation. Guy Apple stands out with a proven ability to provide guidance for globalization, which is key for the development of a diversified brand and revenue stream. Services provided: Branding, graphic identity, globalization guidance, collateral, digital/press advertising, website creation/update, editorial, videos, trade show services and translation.