Cablefax The Magazine - July 2012 - 32

2012 Top Ops Awards
INDEPENDENT TECHNOLOGY AWARD
Comporium
iControl and Home Security
Most business success stories have one thing in
common: good timing. And if you ask Comporium
EVP Bill Beaty, that's why the cable industry will
succeed with iControl in the home security and
automation market.
Comporium's been in the home security business
for 20 years, but Beaty says his company-
and the industry at large-have hit a tipping point. Increased
broadband penetration and speeds coupled with an explosion
in smartphone usage make new smart-home services a
no-brainer. Now that the right infrastructure is in place, and
smartphones are everywhere, Beaty's forecasting big growth
for cable outside the traditional realm of voice, video and data.
" Three to four years ago when we were fi rst getting into
this, the PC was the most-often mentioned way to interact
with the [iControl] platform, " says Beaty. " Just in the last
two years with the increased usage of the iPhone and iPads,
[customer access] has been exponential in growth, and the
value has been tremendously enhanced. And so you have
these two technologies and advances that are crisscrossing,
and that is what's creating the excitement right now. "
There's so much excitement for Comporium, in fact, that
the company is not only launching its own broadband-based
home security services based on the iControl technology,
it's also wholesaling access to the platform to other cable
operators. Because cable companies have already invested
in their broadband networks, the capital expenses required
to introduce new smart-home services are minimal. The
revenue potential, on the other hand, is signifi cant.
Comporium director and GM Dan Lehman says the traditional
home security market has only about a 20% penetration
rate. Cable companies, however, can go after the other
80% of the population by evolving beyond a pure security
sell. While Lehman says the cable industry has started off
by promoting security, it's quickly moving toward a smarthome
lifestyle message by focusing on home monitoring and
energy effi ciency applications.
For example, Lehman says people love to check on their
pets during the day, and that's easy to do when you have an
IP camera set up at home and an app on your smartphone.
The iControl platform also includes sensors for monitoring
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doors and windows, a remote-control lighting solution, a
smart thermostat for power metering, and more.
Even the security services with iControl go beyond traditional
emergency response. Instead of triggering an automatic police
call, the iControl system lets users set up alerts and customize
responses to different situations. In theory you could get a text
message if an elderly parent didn't get out of bed in the morning.
Or you could confi gure the system to send you an email
with a video clip if it sensed movement on your property in your
absence. " We're in a big transition now of somewhat re-educating
the consumer from a security over to [a] lifestyle [message], "
says Lehman. " I think it's going to evolve very rapidly. "
Lehman also says he expects customer uptake to happen
quickly. Comporium is projecting it will have 8 to 10
wholesale customers for the iControl platform within a year,
and probably 6 to 8% penetration of the service in its own
subscriber footprint after 24 months. Not bad for a brand
new broadband application. Not bad at all. ✴
- Mari Silbey
Fast Facts
✦ Comporium is based in Rock Hill, SC, and is an investor in
iControl.
✦ Comporium was awarded Five Diamond Central Station
Certification in April by the Central Station Alarm Association.
✦ Research company Lead411 listed iControl as one of the
" Hottest Companies in Silicon Valley " in 2011.
July 2012
CableFAX: The Magazine
http://www.cablefaxmag.com
Cablefax The Magazine - July 2012

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