Big Blue, meet Big Brother

IDG News Service - Looking to cash in on an increased demand for video surveillance and other security-related services, IBM said today that it will offer services to help companies deploy digital video surveillance and security systems.
The new services are designed to help companies make a transition from older, videotape-based surveillance systems to IP-based surveillance networks, IBM said in a statement.
As opposed to analog video equipment, digital video makes possible new, more flexible systems that can store images electronically while communicating with the rest of an organization's IT and security infrastructure, such as badge readers and intrusion-detection systems, IBM said.
IBM will also be offering consulting, system design and integration services, as well as hardware and software installation and maintenance.
Switching from videotape- to IP-based surveillance enables a company to add intelligence to the images captured by digital video cameras, according to IBM. For example, customers could deploy systems that recognize a brandished weapon or suspicious movements in a customs line, or allow security professionals to index and quickly review the faces of all individuals who used a particular entrance to a building.
In addition to providing its consulting expertise, IBM plans to tie a variety of products into its digital video surveillance offerings, including the company's eServer servers, WebSphere application servers, storage systems and Tivoli storage management software, it said.
IBM will also work with a number of independent software vendors that make digital video surveillance products, according to Amy Lipton, marketing executive for IBM's global digital media services group. "This is a huge opportunity in the services area, the software area, the content management area, as well as in the storage area and the server area," said Lipton.
The retail, transportation, travel and government sectors are all areas where IBM sees demand for digital video surveillance technology. The company predicts that the market for digital video surveillance will reach $5 billion by 2005.
One example of the types of projects IBM will undertake with the new service is at National Car Parks Ltd. (NCP) in the U.K. That organization installed more than 400 digital video cameras in its commercial parking lots that can be monitored from a single control room, according to Lipton. By centralizing management of the cameras, NCP has been able to increase its hours and staffing during crucial periods.
In making its move into digital video surveillance, IBM will be competing in a market populated by specialized small and midsize companies, Lipton said.
"It's an emerging market, but it's emerging rapidly," said Lou Latham, a research analyst