NVT acquisition gives Phybridge footprint in the security market

Phybridge is an unfamiliar name in the physical security market. That’s because the Canadian company first made its mark in the telecommunications market, serving customers transitioning from analogue to digital telephone systems using “voice-over-IP.”

The telecommunications transition came six to 10 years before a similar transition happening now in the physical security market, and the infrastructure solutions that succeeded in the former market are also applicable to the latter.

Capturing video surveillance market

Today, Phybridge is looking to apply its core technology to the video surveillance market, specifically its 24-port CLEER switch, which delivers fast ethernet and PoE+ over a coax infrastructure with more than 1,500-foot reach. It’s a Layer 2 switch providing remote management capabilities from anywhere in the world, and with the ability to manage power by port. The technology, invented by Phybridge founder Oliver Emmanuel, offers a price point that is 10 to 40 percent less than competitors.

Despite its solid technology and track record in the communications market, Phybridge faced an uphill battle in the video surveillance market, where it lacked brand awareness and where the dealer channel looks very different.

Phybridge is looking to leapfrog those challenges with its acquisition this month of NVT, a well-known brand in the security market that will provide them an immediate “footprint” in the IP video market. Phybridge will be leveraging NVT’s long-term reputation in the market, while expanding NVT’s existing product portfolio with Phybridge’s products. (Some products will be sold in both the communication and security markets, co-branded as NVT and Phybridge.)

"They have a great reputation for service and a large customer base of distributors, integrators and end users"

“NVT has an amazing history of great, quality products on the analogue side,” says Phybridge CEO John Croce. “They have a great reputation for service and a large customer base of distributors, integrators and end users. Phybridge’s reseller infrastructure was previously in the communications industry, and the security market is very different in how manufacturers support the customers.”

NVT acquisition

Originally, NVT had approached Phybridge about OEM’ing a product to be sold in the security market under the NVT name. Those discussions evolved into the acquisition announced April 14, right before the ISC West show.

Croce sees a “gap” in the security market in terms of providing the infrastructure needed to implement IP systems. “In the lab environment, everything works,” he says. “In the real environment, you have UTP and long reach, coax and long reach, single pair and long reach, and customers want to use what they have.”He describes the infrastructure as the “glue that brings the endpoints together.”

“We bring new resources and capabilities to building that infrastructure in the real world,” says Croce.

NVT under the new ownership will also work to fill that gap by implementing an “IP Migration Dream Team,” working with camera, access control and other manufacturers to ensure interoperability of technologies to provide an end-to-end solution. The approach will help relieve the integration burden on resellers, who can be assured a solution will work for their customer. Croce says NVT wants to be known as the company partners and end users go to when they are looking to migrate from analogue to IP systems.