Page 36 - Security Today, January/February 2020

When you consider the potential savings realized from preventing incidents, adding network audio as part of your security ecosystem solutions just makes sense.”
era whether it is even working and if it is, whether the resolution is high enough to make out faces or other identifying details, or whether a person is actually watching the video feed.
When you add audio to the mix, you literally send a message to the area that the camera is in fact working and that someone is indeed watching. Whether triggered by audio or video ana- lytic, responses can come in the form of a prerecorded message stored in the speaker or an operator talking directly to someone on the premises, both of which have proven effective in real- world applications.
Consider a situation where someone has entered a location without authorization and is about to commit a crime or is en- gaging in a dangerous or unsafe behavior. Hearing a voice speak- ing directly to them could almost fill the role of their conscience reminding them of the potential ramifications of the poor deci- sion they’ve made or are about to make. Hearing that voice of reason should make them rethink and hopefully stop what they were about to do and leave the premises.
In many cases, live chat or recorded messages actually prevent an incident from happening altogether. And the ability to deter a crime, accident or other event from happening directly translates into cost savings. For example, prevention can allow end users to save on first responder costs, time, resources and administrative costs, to name a few. If a criminal activity is prevented, organiza- tions avoid loss from theft or vandalism, attorney’s fees and other costs associated with the judicial process. From a safety perspec- tive, prevention can translate into savings on healthcare, insur- ance and legal costs.
Flexibility and Scalability
Introducing audio into the security landscape is hardly a new concept. While legacy analog systems may have been adequate in the past, network audio has become the standard today, rather than the exception. Therefore, traditional analog technologies simply don’t provide the same level of functionality and stability as IP solutions, and can actually do more harm than good.
Security, phone, building automation and many other systems operate via IP networks, which opens the door for integrators to tie these systems together enhancing security and overall op- erations. IP network speakers powered over the Ethernet (PoE) seamlessly fit into this complete solution.
With these solutions, everything is built into the speakers, in- cluding scheduling software allowing users to schedule announce- ments for various times of day or week, select sources, monitor system health and more, In addition, since each speaker has its own unique IP address, users can also customize and configure zones however they’d like.
Since PoE IP speakers are self-powered via the Ethernet, scheduling, zoning and other parameters can easily be changed on the fly remotely via a software interface using a web browser,
delivering a level of flexibility and scalability that just isn’t fiscally viable with analog solutions. One of the main drawbacks with an- alog speaker systems is that once they’re installed and configured, they’re static. This means any changes to the system may require a truck roll, rewiring of the system and rewiring of the rack which could translate into significant increased cost to the client.
Given the differences in performance between these two tech- nologies, there really is no comparison between analog systems and IP Network audio solutions. Where analog speakers are pas- sive—essentially just moving air in the form of sound—IP speak- ers offer an all in one intelligent, cost-effective solution that just makes sense in today’s IP-based world.
Integrator Benefits
For integrators, augmenting security systems with IP network audio solutions offers not only ease of installation, configura- tion and integration, but audio also creates an additional revenue stream in the form of net new business and ongoing services. When you consider the potential savings realized from preventing incidents, adding network audio as part of your security ecosys- tem solutions just makes sense.
Let’s say an audio system allows an organization to deter just one person from stealing from or vandalizing a business or pre- vents one person from being injured. The savings associated with preventing that single incident, could conceivably offset the cost of the system. With each subsequent prevention, the audio sys- tem transforms from a cost center to a revenue generator.
And considering the breadth of verticals that can benefit from deploying audio as part of their security system, integra- tors’ revenue opportunities are virtually unlimited. Corporations, healthcare facilities, schools, government, retail, transportation, finance and municipalities are just a sample of the markets where integrators can deploy audio to enhance security for both new and existing customers.
Moving forward, smart integrators will want to familiarize themselves with SIP in order to take advantage of the benefits of IP networked speakers. Additionally, every time integrators install a camera, they should think how network audio would benefit their clients.
Without question, video surveillance has become a power- ful and effective tool for securing people, premises and assets. Given continued advancements in image quality, video analyt- ics, compression and other capabilities, the role of video in se- curity will only increase in the future. Adding network audio to your security ecosystem has gained acceptance and when you consider these four main benefits, there is no question that IP network audio can be an equally vital component for delivering enhanced security.
With the ability to enhance the detection and interpretation of events IP network audio solutions to transform traditionally reactive solutions into proactive, preventative systems, these so- lutions can generate significant cost savings for
organizations who deploy them as part of their
overall security strategy.
Chris Wildfoerster is the business development manager, Audio Solutions, at Axis Communica- tions Inc.
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2020 | SECURITY TODAY
AUDIO WITHIN SECURITY