Commercial Integrator + Security Sales Sept/Oct 2023 - 80

SSI
EXCLUSIVE! EXECUTIVE INTERVIEW: HOW i-PRO IS UPPING ITS GAME
not to just bring a product to market that
was a me-too. On every product, it was
what could we do to make it better? How
could we improve?
Now that we've filled the majority of
our lineup, it's what's next? What are
those next things that will make a difference
for our vertical markets? It's about
starting with early prototypes, testing
those in front of the market, getting that
feedback and driving that through product
development. Our product R&D cycle
has been shortened significantly. That's
one of the challenges we had in the past,
24 or even 36 months of development,
which is too late. We've shortened that
down to 12 months or less.
corporations have that require a lot of
approvals to get something done. It takes
about 12 to 15, 24 months to get a new
product out. That has been reduced to
less than 50% of the time because the decision-making
process has been changed
very quickly. Once we hear something
is a go, it's a go! We don't get bogged
down. Since 2019, we have new products
coming out that could not have been done
through Panasonic. It's all based on the
two strategies of open technology and
time-based processes.
How is i-PRO handling cybersecurity?
Brennan: We have made a very strong
commitment and investment on the cyand
any other potential weaknesses are
not vulnerable. Keeping edge devices safe
also relates to our products' secure global
design certificates. And the Ambarella
chipset is very important in that we're not
using anything noncompliant with NDAA.
We have Secure Element now implemented
as well as end-to-end encryptions. We
have SRTP [Secure Real-time Transport
Protocol] as well, like Axis or Bosch.
We work on different end-to-end encryption
technologies, both on video and
metadata. " Made in Japan " is an important
key term right now for i-PRO, that
we're bringing our manufacturing back
to Japan. It was a long road. We went to
China, we went to Cambodia, but thanks
to the weaker yen, stronger dollar, a lot of
manufacturers are coming back to Japan.
Lowenstein: PSIRT is an important
acronym within the business that stands
for i-PRO's Product Security Incident
Response Team. This team is dedicated
to monitoring our products, proactively
safeguarding our solutions to make sure
any unauthorized access or similar challenges
are covered. We have to anticipate
the potential for a leak or a breach. Our
PSIRT works very diligently to be ready
rather than reactive when it comes to
resolving those types of situations.
The independent i-PRO is said to be allowing the business to be nimbler,
shorten R&D product cycles and become more competitive.
Brennan: As a new organization, our chief
product officer from Japan is now based
here in the U.S., focusing heavily on the
needs of the Americas. Also, Panasonic's
quality is spilling over to i-PRO through
sharing components across brands,
allowing us to come to market faster with
new product. Shortening lead time and
having shared components has a ripple
effect throughout our manufacturing.
Previously, Panasonic would always build
a product from the ground up, which is
why it would take so long. This new kind
of design is not only faster but will help us
be much more competitive in the market.
Sekiguchi: Additionally, it's about the
process that Panasonic and other large
bersecurity side. We are not only focused
on becoming a top cybersecurity product
but also organization. In RFPs and bids,
more companies are asking to ensure
the supply chain is secure. Our product
is handled with a great deal of care from
the minute it leaves our factory until it
gets installed. We've hired a very strong
cybersecurity team and our product has
the highest level of cybersecurity.
Sekiguchi: We worked with Symantec
back five years ago. That's where we
started to have a third-party certification
implanted into devices where it was
manufactured in our factory. We still
have that, so it's not self-certified. The
third-party testing makes sure our ports
80 Commercial Integrator+Security Sales & Integration | Sept/Oct 2023
Brennan: We want to ensure too that
we're educating the channel. We're beginning
a series of cybersecurity education
programs with our partners, helping
them address the needs and concerns of
end users while also bringing third-party
solutions. For example, Adam established
a very strong relationship with Extreme
Networks, which has just been added to
the ecosystem. We have a very similar
philosophy, and they play in the same verticals
we do in municipalities, education.
We take cybersecurity throughout the
solution set very seriously.
What are highlights among the 100plus
products introduced this year?
Lowenstein: The majority of them were
cameras. We continue to offer an embedded
recording platform under our ASM
software. We are also continuing to make
MICHAEL CARR PHOTOGRAPHY
Commercial Integrator + Security Sales Sept/Oct 2023

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