Let your mouse take on product research

ARLINGTON, Va.--Security systems integrators and end users looking for comparable data on various access control systems are likely hard pressed when it comes to finding that information in an electronic format. Evaluweb.com, a new web portal, plans to change that. The recently launched web site aims to provide side-by-side comparison of products in the security market. It can even identify manufacturers by product category, systems integrators by state and help an integrator select products based on the scope and needs of a particular project. Behind Evaluweb is John Szczygiel, former president of Siemens Building Technologies' systems integration division in the United States, who has worked in the systems integration side of the business for nearly 20 years. "There really isn't a resource to compare technical data on security products on a side-by-side basis," said Szczygiel. "But you can find an airline flight or a digital camera online and look at them by price or features." Szczygiel came up with the idea for Evaluweb last year after realizing there was not an easy way for people in the security industry to gather information about products. He launched a beta version of the web site at the end of December, with the next version scheduled to be launched at the end of February. Other web portals exist in the market, such as SureSpec.info, which launched in 2003, but its focus is on providing product specifications on fire products. So far, Evaluweb.com lists products from approximately 30 manufacturers focused on the access control and surveillance markets. In the coming year, the goal is for the web site to list 40 product categories with at least 25 products in each category.