Subscriber Discussion

How To Sell/Incorporate Network Monitoring During The Install Phase?

JH
Jay Hobdy
May 01, 2018
IPVMU Certified

We are looking at various solutions to monitor camera and wireless device status at our client's sites. We are primarily focused on up/down status for now.

 

How is this best sold? Should this option be on the proposal and marked as optional? Should it be in the installation agreement where they just sign off on paying the monthly fee?

 

 

Avatar
Daniel S-T
May 01, 2018

Are you trying to do this for their benefit, or more for your own when it comes to troubleshooting?

If you find a free program, I would just throw it on a server, if you are providing one, and have it running so at least it will log up/down for you.

I used a program called PTRG Network Monitor, but it was for personal use, not anything business related. Not sure on the legalities of using it for commercial use, for free. The program did quite a bit, but I just used it to monitor when Access Points went up and down for a friend of the family.

JH
Jay Hobdy
May 01, 2018
IPVMU Certified

We are trying to build RMR. 

We don't typically use servers. We use NVR'smostly

 

My thought is to do it for free for 90 days, then start billing for it.

 

We want to use a device from SnapAV that pings the devices and provides a direct connection to the network so we can access the GUI of the device.

 

My question is how to best present this to the client in a manner that they just accept it.

 

Do we put it in our proposal as a free option for the first 90 days, then start billing?

Avatar
Brian Karas
May 01, 2018
Pelican Zero

Do we put it in our proposal as a free option for the first 90 days, then start billing?

I understand your logic/approach, but I think you have it exactly backwards if your goal is to increase RMR and really push this service.

I would make this a standard line-item in your quotes. Describe it succinctly and accurately "Network monitoring with proactive outage notification", or something like that. Have your pitch down solid in terms of benefits to the customer, how it can help them save on downtime, service calls, lost video, potentially detect cyber breaches, etc.

In the terms, tell them they can cancel at any time in the first 90 days and get a pro-rated refund, after that it renews annually. You need to play on the basic "momentum" of RMR billing, where once it is initiated, customers are less likely to cancel if the service/offering has perceived value and is not a "considered purchase" (e.g. so expensive that they have to stop and think about how else they could use that money).

To really make this stick I would probably look at subscribing to some services and news feeds for network and data center outages in your area and send customers proactive emails when there are general outages. This would be an email along the lines of "We are monitoring your service, and while your systems are all up and functioning, we wanted to make you aware of XXXXXXXXXXXX, which is currently affecting some customers in our area. If you or your employees are having trouble accessing XXXXXXXX, be aware this is most likely not the result of problems with your equipment or internet connection, but we wanted to make you aware of the issue as part of the monitoring services we provide you.  Blah blah blah...."

Your challenge is that you are selling insurance, and if they do not use it, the perceived value may drop. If you provide some notifications of general outages or other issues it can help show value for the service and show that you are proactive and informed. If your customers have constant outages due to their own bad luck, or other issues, then you might not need to provide any additional updates, they will get enough value just from the direct monitoring.

Some examples of things you might want to check out for monitoring internet outages:

Downdetector

AWS Status

Spiceworks Outage Heatmap

In short, bill them from day 1, provide clear value/feedback from day 2 (or as close to it as possible).

 
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(3)
U
Undisclosed #5
Aug 01, 2018
IPVMU Certified

If you provide some notifications of general outages or other issues it can help show value for the service and show that you are proactive and informed.

I suppose an occasional, non-impactful, faux outage wouldn’t hurt the cause either.

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Aug 02, 2018

BK - I hope you are enjoying the new position.  I'm sure the IPVM team misses your articles as much as the membership. 

I'm relatively new to the industry compared to the IPVM staff, you, and most of the IPVM membership...so please feel free to call out my lack of experience if I'm missing something well know to most....

Is there a reasonable (monthly?) charge to inform a customer of an internet/network/device outage...if the security contractor is not the managed service/IT provider and neither of those are providing this routine service? 

Do you think it would be a competitive advantage to a security integrator/MSP/IT provider to provide health monitoring of recording devices such as hard drive status, recording status, camera video loss, time accuracy, model # info, and firmware version? 

If so, what are your thoughts on selling this service versus offering it as a competitive advantage to gain a customer?  Or in your opinion would this service provide a significant enough competitive advantage over other bidders (if it is a nominal charge) in a bid situation?

Appreciate your thoughts....

Avatar
Regis Glorieux
May 01, 2018
IPX360 Solutions

You may also look at CheckMySystem's CheckMyCCTV Proactive CCTV System Remote Status Monitoring software

*** Note: We represent and support CheckMySystems in US & Canada ***  

MM
Michael Miller
May 01, 2018

We include proactive server health monitoring on all of our quotes and 90% of the time customers just ask what it is and then move forward with it.  The customers that say no normally have there own IT team with there own monitoring solution.

We used to put this in as an option on the quotes and we would only get it 10% of the time.  

 

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #1
Jul 31, 2018

What are you monitoring? Just if the recorder is online? And or All the cameras online? Health issues? What are you charging? Monthly or annually? Different levels of monitoring?  Looking at using domotz (charges us) observables,inc.(not sure if cost a monthly yet to us)If monitoring ip cameras it seems I can only monitor devices on the same subnet as the network monitoring device. Is there a way to put on a Lan 2 of the recorder or on a plug n play ?  

UD
Undisclosed Distributor #2
Jul 31, 2018

If you want to go totally geeky, grab a Raspberry Pi and setup up something like Nagios on it.  You could also toss in something similar to MRTG to monitor their bandwidth usage.  Don't know the RMR value of this, but it's kinda cool to do.

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U
Undisclosed #7
Aug 01, 2018

I agree with being geeky. Raspberry + Verizon USB Modem, also add nmap, wireshark and VNC. 

UM
Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
Aug 01, 2018

To help prevent the documented issues with the Hikvision systems not being updated with current firmware/security patches and the lack of detailed health monitoring for non computer based video systems, we developed a system that checks the network connection, video signal from cameras to recorder, time stamp/ntp settings, hard drive status, provides model number, firmware version, and verifies system recording by camera for Hikvision and their OEM products via hourly poll to the device.  While this is software based today, we are considering a cloud version that would provide enhanced graphic dashboards, automated notifications of errors, multiple device firmware updates pro-grammatically, snapshot capture for verification, and a more robust reporting platform to help our customers understand the true value of having a fully functional system.  We definitely went geeky!

Ml
Mendy lewis
Aug 01, 2018
Safezone24

I’m using no-ip monitoring that ping the DDNS address to TCP NVR port every 5 minuets, and email alerts on down and recovery, very simple to setup and work well

U
Undisclosed #4
Aug 01, 2018

How would you monitor HIK P2P?

Ml
Mendy lewis
Aug 02, 2018
Safezone24

Hik p2p it’s a Hikvision Service running I their servers, I’m monitoring network connectivity to the NVR, so if Dvr online, why do I need indication for Hik-connect?

I’m pinging from outside of the network inward, to an open port to NVR, and don’t use the slow p2p

 

U
Undisclosed #4
Aug 02, 2018

I understand what you do

I was curious if you monitor HIK P2P

I do not open ports anymore like you do

and P2P in my case very fast

customer love it

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #6
Aug 01, 2018

We considered using devices like Snap's OVRC Pro or Domotz but figured that IT departments might have issues with it in a corporate environment.  Are these devices secure? 

 

U
Undisclosed #7
Aug 01, 2018

Do you have a customer that would be willing to pilot your services free of cost? This will give you a working model to develop analyze the services and use cases you wish to sell.

You will also have the breathing room to develop which services are needed, build a knowledge base on how your team delivers, manages and hosts the remote services.

If you already have a working model, it can be easier to sell those service in front of new and existing customers.

 

DR
Dennis Ruban
Aug 02, 2018

I used PRTG. We sold the monitoring services with a monthly fee. You install a probe on a server inside the customer's network, collect the data, setup the rules, etc.

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