1. ALARMS
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2. The
DeathofPatrols
By T. Legion Kodak’s Australian division was making example. The advent of CCTV technology
$56 million a year profit, by 2002 this had is increasingly being used to conduct virtual
Moore’s Law: “The number of transistors dropped to just $615,000 a year. By 2004, patrols. These patrols are conducted by
that can be placed inexpensively on an it had effectively disappeared from the trained operators using Web-enabled CCTV
integrated circuit will double every two Australian business landscape. Why did a cameras. This technology enables these
years.” household name such as Kodak vanish more staff to be alerted to movement or access
quickly than a burp in a cyclone? Kodak was to secure buildings or areas and make a
I
t is an omnipresent fact that technological wrong-footed by a technology that it had judgement call on what is happening, safely
change is occurring at an ever-increasing helped create; it held onto an old and proven from within their A1-graded alarm bunker.
rate. Moore’s Law, first coined in the technology (photographic film and cameras) On confirmation of a crime, they can then
early 1970s to describe change in transistor even when it was evident that the digital elect to send police or follow established
technology, has now progressed to doubling stuff the guys in research and development procedures to solve the issue. Expensive
every eighteen months. Futurists predict that had been helping develop in the basement solution... maybe, but costs are a bit like
by 2020, exponential improvement described was a cleaner, faster, easier to use and more time and gravity, time always pulls it down!
by Moore’s Law will ultimately lead to what economical product. The advent of cheaper cameras, cheaper
has been termed ‘technological singularity’, The inability to fully embrace technological and faster communication and movement-
a period where progress in technology change can provoke massive shifts in detection software has merged to provide an
generally occurs almost instantly. The quote, the value of old, trusted and established emerging solution that pushes society one
“The best thing about the future is it comes business models. Looking at the changes step closer to Orwell’s Brave New World.
only one day at a time” fails to take into in the way people consume media, the way This technology negates the need for human
account this period of singularity, a period people advertise, how they communicate, or resource at a location, or for the scheduled
some believe will outstrip mankind’s ability to the way they commute is enough for anyone walk-through of a building. It is safer, costs
adapt and in fact survive its own technology! to understand how important it is to future- less and, when linked to movement-detection
Business’s ability to survive such change proof a business. software, is more reliable than a human
is already littered with the skeletons of It is interesting to watch the ‘Kodak moment’ resource. But, like all technology, it does not
companies that would not or could not developing in relation to the use of technology solve every situation; for example, buildings
adapt and were left wallowing in the tar within the global security community. that have 24-hour presence and movement
pits of the recent past. Remember Kodak, Established models such as patrols, the need the human element constantly onsite,
a global company over one hundred years mainstay of responding to traditional alarms or but negates most of the need of a patrol for
old, producing photographic film? In 2000, securing after-hours infrastructure, is a classic empty buildings or for alarm response.
041

3. ALARMS
The inability to fully embrace technological
change can provoke massive shifts in the value
of old, trusted and established business models.
Not convinced that the classic security model and Consumer Commission) investigation from this model, a cynic could argue that the
of patrols is like a dead man walking on the for allegedly failing to meet its contracted technology has not been taken up as quickly as
Green Mile? The silver bullet comes in the patrol requirements, a solution has long been anticipated as its revenue-saving potential to
form of the first convergence of the traditional overdue (a distinct need exists). This company clients is not in the best interest of the current
PIR (passive infrared sensor) with a CCTV and others have been investing in technology security provider’s interest. Sure, there will
camera. Like most revolutionary ideas, it is to make the patrol officer more accountable be circumstances where the human element
a combination of old technology with new; a and efficient in response. In-car terminals and (the patrol officer), is required to respond, but
combination of technological advancement end-to-end communication, satellite tracking this will be in the minority, not the majority, of
with logical progression of thought. With and satellite navigation are all leading-edge times that currently exist.
clear statistical evidence that up to 98% of applications and have long been overdue There is no doubt the need exists for
alarm responses are to false alarms, this in this sector of the security market. What this technology, there is no doubt the old
new product is set to revolutionize traditional this technology does not take into account monitoring and response models were
security models and kill off a service problem is that in using the new camera PIRs, the fundamentally flawed and had, and still have
of the security industry – the patrol industry. patrol officer does not need to respond in the (despite the latest technology being placed in
When the IR-illuminated camera PIR is majority of circumstances. If a verifiable crime vehicles), service issues and there is no doubt
activated, this product takes a ten-second is taking place, police can be called to respond that clients are seeking more efficient, reliable
video clip when it detects movement. The immediately. and cheaper ways of doing business. This
clip is then encrypted and sent to a phone Patrol models of generating revenue and convergent technology is about to wash over
or monitoring station where it is decrypted profit have long been based on a flat minute the security industry and sweep all old models
and viewed. This visual verification of what rate (for locking, unlocking, general security and infrastructure before it; it is just a matter of
is happening ensures patrol officers are not checks and so on) and then a higher rate for time before the ‘Kodak moment’ has passed
dispatched to the cat, a flapping curtain, bird or alarm and emergency response to clients. In a and a new level of service, new revenue
other non-threatening issue. In the event that highly competitive market, this model means models and a greater service at a more
the images catch a criminal act, police can be most of the profit is generated by security efficient price to clients becomes the norm.
contacted directly and sent to a verified crime. companies from emergency response, that is, The question now becomes who ends up in
With another major national patrol company alarm call outs and so on. When the traditional the tar pit and who embraces this technology
facing an ACCC (Australian Competition monitoring stations also generate profit change to survive? n
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