Surveillance software market estimated at $139 million

Some hard numbers once again from Frost and Sullivan, which this week estimated the North American video surveillance software market at of $139.76 million in 2006 and foresees tremendous growth as well — to $826 million by 2013. The growth is due to ever-cheaper hardware and the ever-increasing quality of video analytics, the research firm explained. Integration and efficiency are also major driving factors. “The convergence of security with the IT infrastructure is providing the necessary business case for security managers to shift from analog to IP surveillance,” noted F&S’s George Paul. “This convergence not only reduces the cost of deployment, but also helps build a unified database that can increase interaction among the various security systems.”

As advanced compression techniques have improved the quality of the images for lesser bandwidth requirements, the network cost to support IP cameras has declined. Unfortunately, technological conflicts are currently prevent speedier adoption. “Integrators, consultants, and vendors coming from the traditionaSecurity background must remain up to date with regard to the latest technologies in the IP surveillance market,” said Paul. “This can be achieved only through increased education and experience on live projects as well as pilots.”