Is Cisco still in the VMS arena and are they relevant? I have not seen them anywhere recently.
Cisco VMS 2013 Progress?
Michael, last year, Cisco did a reboot of their VMS and followed up with a new version last month. Here's their overview video from ASIS:
That said, I rarely hear about them. However, most certainly, they continue to market it to their sizeable customer base.
I toured a school about 2 years ago that had a brand new Cisco system installed (100+ cameras). Cisco cameras and VMS. The school already had a everything else Cisco, phones, switches, routers etc. so they were conviced that it was the best thing for them. At that time the system was brand new and they were very happy with it. I think John is right, they target their large customers who have bought into Cisco already. I can't find my notes anymore from that site visit but I seem to remember that their cameras were very expensive, so much so that we didn't even consider looking at it again. (and we install mostly Axis cameras)
We have seen them pop up a few times this year after nothing the past couple years. We actually have an access control customer that uses it and they are not excited. Just pretty much indifferent because it was selected by IT.
They are being deployed in three facilities as i speak than I work at with more than 100 or 200 cameras in each.
To me, the Cisco cameras look a like the Bosch Dinion cameras. Is Bosch manufacturing the cameras for Cisco, which then rebrand them?
Cisco is still in the VMS arena. VSM is now in version 7.2 and it's nothing like what users may have experienced in the past. Basically, it's an all-new product.
I was hoping this thread would get more comments. This reply is an attempt to get the discussion started again. Has anyone out there tried V7? Thoughts?
My own experience has been very positive, especially relative to the challenges of V6. V7 is a solid and viable VMS.
Regarding Tiago's question - that 4500 series camera was rumored to be OEM from Pelco, but it's pretty much moot now with the new 3000 and 6000 series cameras. Another huge improvement is the options for Cisco branded IP cameras. Previously this line was very limited and quality was suspect.
Thomas, thanks for the feedback. Good to hear.
Part of the challenge is many are tired of Cisco. They had their chance at video surveillance, they screwed it up (for years) so it's hard to get excited now, especially since there are so many mature quality products already in the marketplace.
As an example, 4 or 5 years ago, anything about Cisco video surveillance was a top read post. Now, Cisco posts barely move the needle and is average to below average for reads. So unless Cisco can show some evidence of really being ground breaking, a lot of the market has just tuned them out.
How do you buy Cisco's VMS?
You have to be a Certified approved dealer in the Cisco security dealer program. I do believ that there V7 VSOM VMS is way more stable then there V6 was a few years back. They do offer there own Cisco cameras that are basically a Vivotek OEM, however Cisco has become a very friendly partner to Axis IP cameras & is not pusghing there dealers to have to sell the Cisco brand cameras like in the past. It seems to me that as long as you stick to the V7 VMS & the Axis Cameras it is a very stable Platform & the Axis cameras perform very well just as long as you keep up with the latest Camera revision.
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