Examining Pelco's Partner Program

Pelco is aggressively expanding its partner program - a move that is counter to the general trend of manufacturers tightening their own 'packages'.

The program is called PartnerFirst and the website includes a long list of major partners including direct competitors Axis, Arecont Vision, OnSSi, Sony, etc. As part of this program, many of these manufacturers will be presenting in Pelco's own booth during ASIS (including Genetec and Milestone). Pelco also reports that the website will eventually include all 114 manufacturers that Pelco has confirmed integrations.

These are fairly strong steps to be 'open' and more than the lip service that most manufacturers give to it. By promoting partners despite the fact that Pelco has its own internal products, Pelco will certainly lose some sales that it could otherwise capture by the strength of its channel and the breadth of its product offering. On the other hand, Pelco may offset these losses with stronger customer satisfaction and trust from its dealer base.

In any event, if Pelco can continue this course, this would be a major positive step to 'truly' open systems in an era where the focus on selling all of one's own package continues to strengthen.