HeiTel partners with AlarmWATCH for verified Video Intervention

MILLERSVILLE, Md.—Another partnership shows the continuing audio/video verification trend is going strong. Heitel, a developer, manufacturer and distributor of hardware and software solutions for video intervention and remote monitoring, on April 6 announced a partnership with Hunt Valley, Md.-based, UL-certified central monitoring station, AlarmWATCH for delivery of HeiTel's Video Gateway solution, Video Intervention, to AlarmWATCH dealers. HeiTel's Video Intervention Service brings video from pre-existing, legacy CCTV systems into the central monitoring station, and provides real-time video, plus two-way audio communication with a customer site.

HeiTel CEO Dirk Ostermann said Video Intervention Service provides AlarmWATCH dealers another service to offer customers, thereby differentiating themselves and gaining more opportunity for RMR. “The biggest differentiation between the HeiTel Video Gateway and other systems is that the Heitel system pushes the video in a second to the central station rather than sending an email and then the central station dialing into the DVR,” Ostermann said. “We also do what we call Video Intervention—with two-way audio—now available for every central station. If they have someone breaking in, they have video in a second and can intervene. It makes a lot of sense, not only for security, but for process optimization as well, like in quick serve restaurants … It's another service that can be offered. Security dealers like that very much. They're looking for something to create more value for the customer.”

AlarmWATCH VP of sales and marketing Guy Kline said the partnership with HeiTel brought legacy systems into the next generation of surveillance and gave AlarmWATCH dealers an edge. “In its infancy, security monitoring dealt with false alarms and policies that directed a 'no response or dispatch' until a situation was verified. Now, with new video surveillance technology, the industry can offer prevention and intervention through real-time action and specific details,” Kline said in an email interview. “We can now offer our dealers a strong competitive advantage to help them boost recurring monthly revenue for their existing CCTV customers and to find new customers who want to 'see and feel' protected using the latest real-time video surveillance technologies.”

HeiTel also recently announced an integration with SureView's Immix platform, which Ostermann said also increased the reach of the HeiTel Video Intervention Service. “We've had a relationship with SureView in the UK for many years. Their approach is to be open to any DVR and control any DVR and making DVRs available for central stations and creating recurring monthly revenue for them,” Ostermann said. “There are I think approximately 35 or 40 central stations that are already equipped with the Immix. That means all those central stations are equipped to provide this type of service to legacy CCTV clients without any additional cost.”

Ostermann said more partnership announcements were forthcoming.