Interviews

AUDIT OR SUFFER!

Q. AUDIT OR SUFFER! WOW! THAT'S QUITE A STATEMENT. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THIS NEW TERM 'V-BAS' THAT YOU HAVE COINED MEANS? 

A. Over the many years that we have been working on COM-SUR™ and studying the Video Surveillance industry, we realized that some Basic things have been Ignored by the industry. In spite of great Cameras and VMS/CMS, most customers of CCTV do not achieve 'Real' and Valuable outcomes from CCTV. 

We are changing all that by introducing a new paradigm of defining COM-SUR to be a VBAS (Video Backup and Auditing System), a new 'standard' coined by us. We believe that with the Dedicated use of COM-SUR, users of CCTV will be able to achieve the following Outcomes from CCTV:

1. Crime and Loss Prevention  
2. Improvement of Processes and Sales  
3. Better chances of Solving Crime Faster 

Q. PLEASE TELL US WHY IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO ‘AUDIT’ VIDEO REGULARLY 

A. We see Auditing everywhere. But, nobody Audits CCTV. The reason is simple; it's too Cumbersome to do so. While larger organizations rely on 'Alarms', smaller organizations look at Video only when there is a 'Need' (often it's too late by the time they find this 'need'). COM-SUR helps make 'Review' as an Integral part of Video Surveillance. Using COM-SUR's 'Rapid Reviewer', users can Rapidly Review Hours of Video in Minutes. Built-in tools like Highlighting of important areas, Flagging, Skipping, Picture in Picture, Zoom and Pan, Aggregation of relevant Screenshots, quickly converting them into a Movie and uploading the same to one's Private YouTube channel (Collaborative viewing), a wonderful integration with MS Office (GDocs next) and Skype; all these make the process easy and seamless. Post-Facto Surveillance helps users Discover exceptions that can easily be missed out by Algorithm based solutions. Seemingly-in-order issues like a Recce, Non-Attentive Sales Staff, un-stocked Shelves, instances of Shoplifting, Staff members Stealing products, workplace Health and Safety issues, standard operating procedures being Flouted, sudden Change of Camera positions, student Abuse at school, Sleeping guards, Non-working Cameras, and Hundreds of such exceptions that may never be discovered by even sophisticated Surveillance systems, can be discovered during Post-Facto Surveillance. Data about such exceptions can be used to take Corrective and Preventive action, and Improve business Processes and Sales. It is only when the Human Mind and Human Eyes are involved that such exceptions can be discovered. Let's remember that Cameras have Lenses. Humans have 'Eyes'.  

Irrespective of the Camera brand, the essence of a Video Surveillance system is to deliver a Video Feed. But what After that? One must remember that there is a lot of Hidden Information in Video. Most of this information Cannot be discovered by Alerts. The human Mind and Eyes have to be involved. Also, not many users of CCTV are likely to be monitoring Video Surveillance 24x7, or invest in expensive and complex VMS (with even more complex and expensive yearly licensing costs). Again, people who continuously watch Video Surveillance tend to become ‘Video blind’ very quickly (Live Surveillance is a Tedious and Demanding task. As per a study published in the Security Oz Magazine 

after 12 Minutes of continuous Video monitoring an operator will often Miss up to 45% of screen activity, after 22 Minutes of viewing, up to 95% is Overlooked. Moreover, according to a research carried out by the Police Scientific Research Branch at the UK’s Home Office, CCTV observers tend to suffer from ‘Video Blindness’ after 20-40 Minutes of observation, i.e. they cannot recognize the objects in the Video anymore). The chances therefore, of missing several exceptions are very high. Again, as an Addition to real time Surveillance, Post-Facto Surveillance is therefore an Absolute Must. 

Q. WHAT IS YOUR TARGET MARKET FOR COM-SUR?

A. The efficiency with which COM-SUR makes discovery of exceptions possible through Human intervention, addresses a common problem across all types of CCTV users. In this context, it would be important to note that the market size for installations of Tens of Cameras at one location is Far Larger than the market size for installation of Thousands of Cameras at one location; and it is highly unlikely that these smaller number of installations will ever invest in expensive technology. COM-SUR addresses this market size. 

Further, the market and customer for COM-SUR is from A-Z: Airports, Banks, Companies, Celebrities, Defence Establishments, Educational Establishments, Factories, Gyms, Governments (from Agriculture to Forests, Disaster Management etc) Hotels, Hospitals, Housing complexes, Jewellers, Malls, Oil and Gas installations, Nuclear plants, Restaurants…the list can be Endless…and of course, Law Enforcement Agencies themselves, who can be considered as the ‘Tip’ of the pyramid. It is well known that Law Enforcement agencies need to share information (Screenshots from Video are regularly released for public awareness, information etc.) as well as incidents amongst themselves all the time. Imagine how easy it would be if this sharing happens in one common format. Imagine if relevant meta-data is shared between Law Enforcement Agencies and collated at a common place like Interpol. The market size for COM-SUR therefore is truly Global and exceptionally Large. With the amount of focus on Homeland Security, one of the largest customers for COM-SUR would be governments themselves (some countries could just Mandate that CCTV must be Reviewed as a SOP and all Incident Reports must follow a ‘Standard’). Again, COM-SUR can 'sit' on top of Video Feeds related to Smart City Projects that larger organizations may have bid for. 

Q. WHAT HAS THE RESPONSE BEEN LIKE FOR COM-SUR?

A. COM-SUR has received phenomenal response from verticals such as government, banking, hospitality, jewellery, and most importantly law enforcement agencies. Several known names from the Video Surveillance industry as well as experts from Defence and Law Enforcement have validated the need for COM-SUR in order to derive Real Outcomes from Video Surveillance Systems. Several Pilots are already on.     

Q. WHAT ABOUT COMPETITION?

A. As such, there is No Direct competition. While competition provides a complex set of features for incident reporting and management, they are largely dependent on ‘external’ triggers/alarms raised due to Video analytics. It is a known fact that a large percentage of these alarms are False, leading to false reporting. More so, the above systems require complex integration, and are often restricted to support Cameras/Recorders of a particular manufacturer. Lastly, large investments need to be made in procuring and installing the above systems, and considerable technical expertise is required. This Restricts the Market size. COM-SUR is easy to install (Plug-n-Play) and needs no physical integration with any Camera/Recorder. It helps gain Intelligence from Video, uncovering events that may not raise any alarms. It Broadens the market; from a Housing Complex/Small Business to a Nuclear Plant, and requires minimal investment. COM-SUR, in fact, Complements Competition, i.e., it would be useful even in cases where large establishments have deployed VMS, PSIM etc. Patents have been filed.   

Q. WHAT ARE YOUR NATIONAL AND GLOBAL STRATEGIES FOR COM-SUR?

A. Our primary focus of expansion is through Channel Partners/System Integrators, Alliances with Camera/DVR/NVR makers to bundle COM-SUR (White Label), OEM deals with PC makers (COM-SUR can help revive the fledging PC industry, as it encourages the use of New Win10 based PCs) and Hard Disk makers. Digital/Radio/Print marketing/attending Physical Security and other vertical shows will be a regular marketing strategy. Making COM-SUR Courses available through leading institutions (NIIT in India for example), and developing Video Tutorials to be made available on our website. Most importantly, the greatest focus will be to work closely with the Police and Governments, and explore ‘country licensing’ (country Mandates usage of COM-SUR to gain country-wide patterns; think of the Big Data gathered). Finding the best fit with Crime related TV shows. Advertising in Security related magazines. BTL marketing would also be pursued. Tapping into distributors of Microsoft products and such, also makes good sense. We believe that some System Integrators may also make a business from COM-SUR; i.e. they may offer a service to their customers. This will lead to more popularity, and Job Creation. 

Q. WHAT DOES THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE FOR COM-SUR? 

A. We want to ensure that COM-SUR becomes the one Common ‘Platform’ for All users to derive Valuable Outcomes from Video Surveillance. Think of Peshawar, Paris, and Pathankot. Think of the Several School Shootouts in U.S. schools. We are living in dangerous times. After Peshawar, there are ever more threats to Vulnerable institutions like Schools and Religious establishments. Advisories continue to lay greater importance on more deployment of CCTV and Physical Security. However, both come with their own problems. COM-SUR can help ease these problems, and enhance security. The Peshawar school re-opened, and the Army was sent to guard it. 700 Jewish schools in Paris were being protected by thousands of Police. For how long can the Army or Police continue this? Part of the solution therefore is for All Stakeholders to take All possible measures Themselves to enhance their safety, keeping costs and complexities of technology in mind. Community Policing is the need of the hour (listen to David Cameron's speech after Paris). If users of CCTV review and monitor CCTV as a SOP, they all become Extra ‘Eyes’ for the Police. This brings in Automatic Prevention.