Considering the rate of change of the video surveillance industry, it can be difficult to know which companies to partner with to meet your security and safety needs. Faced with a plethora of potential partners, what criteria should you be considering when making your decision?
Evidence of further education is a good place to start as it demonstrates dedication to building and maintaining higher levels of knowledge. This is critical when it comes to providing the best advice and recommendations for your business.
Working with a team of highly educated professionals has obvious benefits in terms of receiving a high-quality service. After all, the network video surveillance market is constantly innovating and businesses which stay at the cutting edge of information will ultimately be able to provide better service and solutions. With this in mind, it’s critical to prioritize working with partners who invest in knowledge validation through certification.
Analyzing qualifications to find the best fit
There is no shortage of qualifications available to partners, but it’s important for you to understand the key differences between them. Certifications can be awarded by vendor organizations or professional associations. A certification awarded by an organization recognizes that a working professional has the knowledge and ability to perform a role within the context of that specific organization and its products or services. In most cases, these certifications tend to carry more weight as they are associated with that specific company and therefore validate deep expertise in its services and products. On the other hand, certifications from associations are more vendor-agnostic and can be generally applied to different types and brands of technology.
You should also be aware of the nuances of the certification process. Some programs only require attendance for the candidates to be certified, whereas others are more rigorous in their assessment to prove competence. This assessment could involve review and validation by an unbiased third party or be carried out in-house, with the former considered to be more valuable.
Another factor to bear in mind when choosing a partner is the recertification process. As the security industry innovates at lightning speed, certifications can quickly become outdated. The right partner will ensure that they choose a program which builds in recertification as a key stage in the process. This commitment to continuous assessment will ensure that you receive the most relevant and recent security information for your business.
Driving growth through knowledge transfer
A key benefit of working with a certified partner is the ability to learn more about your systems through knowledge transfer. Trained experts will help improve your understanding of the system, which allows you to gain more value and achieve a reduced total cost of ownership (TCO).
This also results in better insights into new opportunities to address business challenges with the solution, as you’ll be aware of the full range of capabilities outside of your current use cases. For example, you may have initially invested in a video surveillance solution to attend to security challenges, but then also choose to use the system to support business operations.
Working collaboratively with highly trained partners can help you avoid potential problems and solve issues more efficiently, avoiding downtime or other business impacts. In addition, improved knowledge of your system also helps you ensure that performance is maintained and optimized, so that you're getting the most out of your system.
Education arms you with the right tools during industry shifts
The dynamic nature of the surveillance landscape means that new threats against your business are constantly emerging, simultaneously as new solutions and use cases arise. For this reason, it’s important to collaborate with a partner who will ensure that you’re implementing the best technology to keep you one step ahead. Knowledgeable, qualified partners who go above and beyond to validate their expertise and ensure their workforce is certified will become your ‘secret weapon’ when it comes to protecting and improving your business.
Choosing a partner who invests in knowledge and demonstrates this by having a significant number of certified individuals in their workforce will ultimately contribute to positive success factors. This will help to future-proof your business against industry shifts and help you get the best out of your solutions.
