Digimerge emerges as new company

TORONTO - Plug-and-play video products company Strategic Vista International will target the systems integration channel for the first time through a new company called Digimerge Technologies. Unlike Strategic Vista’s other offerings, such as its Lorex brand with a focus on easy-to-install products and Sylvania, its do-it-yourself brand, Digimerge’s products will be geared toward national and regional security dealers and systems integrators. Its products will focus on three markets - digital video recorders, PC-based security for monitoring over the Internet and wireless alarm systems. “Digimerge is playing in the bigger market and with more entrenched competition,” said Joel Kligman, president of Strategic Vista. “We see it as a being a bigger opportunity than our existing business.” The addition comes at a solid financial time for the six-year-old company, which has posted 50 percent growth in recent years and $30 million in annual sales for fiscal 2002. Last year Kligman hinted Strategic Vista could soon move into the enterprise level and integrated security market, but was unable to release specifics at that time. Like its parent, Strategic Vista, Digimerge is a technology-based company. It forms partnership for the likes of manufacturing and technology, but keeps product concept, development and sales and marketing in-house. “What that allows us to do is have really unique solutions that are market driven, but also highly competitive by the time we bring them to market,” said Kligman. Besides being competitive in terms of technology, price will also be a factor, said Nick Rizzuto, product manager for Digimerge. And Digimerge expects to release new products faster than perhaps some manufacturers in the market. Digimerge’s first suite of products, three DVRs, a wireless alarm system and a PCI system, were slated to be unveiled at the ISC West Show in Las Vegas at the end of March.