Two companies partnering for one solution – AMAG and Salient Systems

A message we’re hearing a lot at ISC West this year is the customer’s growing demand for end-to-end solutions. In the small- to medium-sized business (SMB) segment, especially, there is a strong demand for total solutions that are simple to use and easy to integrate and manage. The most efficient path to achieve such systems is often to install an end-to-end solution from a single supplier, combining access control and video.

Creating unified solution by uniting product businesses

We’re seeing the trend play out in the arena of mergers and acquisitions (M&As), but two independent companies can also achieve similar results by working together closely, combining their product lines to bring a single, unified solution to the market. An example of that approach, being highlighted at ISC West this week, is AMAG Technology’s new agreement to incorporate Salient Systems’ video products into its Symmetry platform.

AMAG will sell Salient products as the latest, private-labelled additions to its Symmetry product line. Specifically, AMAG is now offering Symmetry CompleteView Video Management System, Symmetry PowerProtect NVR Server Platforms, and Symmetry TouchView Mobile Video Apps for sale right alongside its other Symmetry products, and as part of an end-to-end system. These products are private-labeled versions of Salient’s existing product line, which have been integrated closely to operate as a single system with AMAG’s Symmetry access control products.

Simplified approach for a better future

John Kenning, regional CEO of G4S North America and Technology, describes the agreement as an “OEM arrangement with a deep partnership.” (AMAG is part of G4S Technology, a worldwide manufacturer of security management technology.) The pact will also help the two companies move faster in the future to meet customer demand, to advance technologies, and to embrace opportunities such as cloud services.

“Our strategy is to provide our customer base wanting end-to-end solutions a simpler, consistent and more flexible route to build a combined system for access control and video, using one simple graphical user interface (GUI),” says Kenning. Such a system appeals particularly to the SMB market’s need for an easily integrable system. At the enterprise level, and even for global enterprises, the simplified approach can translate into easier standardisation throughout the organisation, and easier ordering and vendor management (dealing with fewer vendors).

Kenning lists the energy sector, higher education and healthcare as vertical markets where the approach is gaining traction. “Video gives us a way to grow faster, and the video partner we have chosen offers the features, functionality and flexibility to allow us to grow faster,” says Kenning, noting that, generally, growth is faster in the video segment of the market.  

Win-Win game

AMAG has already been working with Salient to integrate the companies’ systems, and Kenning says Salient’s rapid growth and new capabilities in networking and managing bandwidth consumption contributed to the decision to private-label Salient video products as part of the Symmetry line. (Network-friendly features of the CompleteView VMS include Dynamic Resolution Scaling, and Smart Search makes it fast and easy to locate a video recording.) The bi-directional interface to Symmetry Access Control enables alarms and events to trigger recordings, and recordings can automatically be associated with access control events. “It’s just a very well-rounded opportunity and product, a very strong fit” he says. “They are growing by leaps and bounds.”

Salient Systems’ benefits from the deal will include access to a new, large and global distribution channel for its products. G4S’ global reach includes some 600,000 employees worldwide. The initial announcement at ISC West relates specifically to AMAG, but the private-labelled Salient products will be available under the Symmetry brand worldwide by the second half of 2015.

AMAG and Salient will work together to provide Level 2 or Level 3 technical support across the access control and video platform, all accessible through AMAG’s customer support system.

Part of the “deep partnership” will be AMAG depending on Salient Systems for future development of the video system, which will free up AMAG resources to be more focused on customer-facing development and additional features and functionality. (AMAG previously private-labelled another company’s video product, but had to tie up its own resources doing development for the product. AMAG will continue to support the legacy product, and has plenty of replacement inventory, but will not develop any new features or functionality, and will eventually manage the product’s end-of-life.)

AMAG will also continue to work with other third-party suppliers through its API (application programming interface), doing additional integrations to meet customer demand, as will Salient.

ISC West will no doubt have plenty more announcements, too – stay tuned.