Avigilon EVP Out, Schmode Consolidates Power

By: John Honovich, Published on Mar 06, 2014

Avigilon's EVP Operations, Chris Ross, a former executive at Ericcson, Qualcom and Novatel Wireless, has 'resigned'.

Now, just months after taking over marketing, Bryan Schmode is consolidating power further by taking over all of operations.

In this note, we look at what is happening and the benefits / risks in this move.

Schmode - Love 'em or Hate 'em

********'* *** **********,***** ****, * ****** ********* at ********, ******* *** Novatel ********, *** '********'.

***, **** ****** *************** *********,************** ************* ***** ******* by****** **** *** ************.

** **** ****, ** look ** **** ** happening *** *** ******** / ***** ** **** move.

******* - ****'**** ****'**

[***************]

*************** **** ******** ** Avigilon's *******, ****** **** an ********** ***** *********** at ******** ** ****,****** ** **********.

**** ****** ***. ** even ********'* ****** ***** in ********* *******:

"*** ****** ***** *** about ********'* "**** ** prisoners ******** ** *****" with **** ****** ************* strengths ** ***** ***** style. '***** *** *****/********* person ** * ***** grand ****** ** *****/******** ** *****. * no **** ****** ******** match. *************.' ******* ************ *****, 'Brian ******* ** ******* it!!'"

** ** ******** ***** most *** *** ****** to ****** ** ** aggressive, ******* *** ***** out. ******* ******* ***** to ** ** ****. The ******* *** **** able ** **** ****** at ****** *********** ************* for *** ************ ******** for *** **** ********* **** **** ******.

** *** ***** ****, there *** **** *** simply **** ***, *********** his ****** *** ******** tactics. **** ******** **** former ********** **** ** Avigilon *** ** ***** companies************* **, *** ***** of ***** *** ******** was ********* ****, **** many ******** **** **** have **** ******* **** by ***.

*** **** ****** ********, confirmed ** ******** ****** independently, ** **** ******* had * ********* ********* him ** * ***** show * *** ***** ago, **** *** ************* that ** ****** ** for *** *** **********, against ****** ** *** burned.

** ***** ** **** people *** ***** ** jealous ** *** ******* or ********. ** ** not **** ****** ********** with *** ** ******* or ********** ***** ******.

*******, ********'* ******* '***********' is **** ***** ** the ********.

Taking **** **********?

* *** ****** ** any ***** ********* ****** over ********** ** *** ability ** ****** *** 'other' **** ** *** business, ********** ***********, ********** and ************* ****** **** takes ********* ***** ****, experiences *** ***********.

**** ** ** **** to ***** ** **** new *** ******* ****?

***********, ***** *** ******* he *** ********* ** sales, ** ******** *** opportunity. ***, ** **** be *********** ** *** how ** ******** ** it.

Comments (21)

Undisclosed Integrator #1

03/06/14 09:05pm

"Replace 95 cameras with one Avigilon 29M camera... Yeah, that's the ticket!"

Undisclosed Manufacturer #2

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 03/06/14 09:23pm

I imagine the corporate culture is similar to this:

Undisclosed Integrator #1

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #2 | 03/06/14 09:49pm

Don't under estimate the power those motivational sales strategies working. They often lead to very successful businesses. Just look at Enron, Bear Stearns and Madoff Investment Securities.

Alain Bolduc

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #2 | 03/07/14 09:00am

Since we seem to be talking about bastards people other people love to hate, this should be entertaining - and it isn't a scene from a movie:

Thumbnail pp 5

Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Alain Bolduc | 03/07/14 03:51pm

@11:51-12:09

"Since 2002- today, 4% of VC investment make shareholders money. Returns on Venture Investment are negative."

Undisclosed #3

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 03/06/14 09:51pm

Rukmini Wilson

In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 03/06/14 10:27pm

At least they practice what they preach: Replace 3 standard VP's with one mega VP!

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Rukmini Wilson | 03/06/14 11:19pm

That was funny!

Matt Ion

In reply to Rukmini Wilson | 03/07/14 01:08am

Awesome. Well played, sir.

Greg Austin

In reply to Rukmini Wilson | 03/09/14 04:23pm

+1. Hilarious.

chuck georgo

03/09/14 04:39pm

I believe it is the wise man or woman that is careful of what bridges they burn, as they may find the need to cross back over them some day - the competition you crush today, maybe the partner you need tomorrow...r/Chuck

Undisclosed Manufacturer #4

03/09/14 04:51pm

I have two observations. The first is that usually as companies grow, it is normal to transition out of the team that helped you grow into the team that can help you become a large company. But generally when that occurs, it's a 1 out, 1 in slow transition, not consolidation of power. When you consolidate such as Avigilon is doing right now, that's almost certainly a sign that the company is circling the wagons because of massive internal problems. If you look at IQinVision as a comparison, within 12 months they lost their VP of Sales, CMO, CTO and CEO, and then their COO consolidated much of that power. Nowadays, IQinVision is an afterthought whereas once they were the lead horse in the IP Camera game.

My second observation is that Bryan Schmode is the poster boy for the Peter Principle.

Is this a case of the candle burning twice as bright burns half as long? I'm not sure, but if I were an investor in or customer of Avigilon's right now, I'd be very concerned.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #4 | 03/09/14 05:59pm

"Is this a case of the candle burning twice as bright burns half as long?"

Maybe that's by design. I still think the end game is short term sale to a huge company with more money than brains (Cisco, Honeywell, IBM, etc.).

Avigilon must know that they can only sustain this pace for so long and that once Avigilon returns to regular industry growth rates, they will fall to a normal industry valuation. Avigilon's already worth $1.4 billion so there is not much higher a valuation they likely can get (Axis has 4x their sales but not even double their valuation).

It would be a brilliant tactical finish to sell to a huge company for $2+ billion later this year and ride off into the sunset with a ton of cash. Then whatever operational issues remain are the problems for the sucker buyer.

Undisclosed Manufacturer #4

In reply to John Honovich | 03/09/14 06:23pm

John,

I have no doubt that this is what Avigilon is hoping for. But remember, there are only a handful of companies that can afford a $1.5 - $2.0 billion acquisition. Even if it was a stock-trade for 51% of the company that's still $751k - $1.01 billion, and the list is similarly small.

But remember, acquisitions are not only about brand, revenue, IP and channel, they're about the management team. That's why most acquisitions mandate a minimum 24 month retention for the acquired company's senior management team.

Avigilon has shed most of the senior managers who got them to where they are today, Avigilon has some IP, but as you've pointed out, it's not much. That leaves channel and revenue. Most large companies won't buy at top valuation just for those two things alone.

Like I said, I'm sure you're right on the Avigilon's ultimate goal, but it's starting to look like a straw man company right now, and I would expect companies with enough capital to pull the trigger would also have the wherewithal to see through the smoke to what could be an empty treasure chest underneath.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #4 | 03/09/14 06:33pm

I agree that there are only a handful of companies, but they only need 1 that is hungry enough to make the deal.

And they already have the consensus of Wall Street analysts with target prices at $2+ billion, so a buyer would already have a solid rationalization for making the purchase (whether the Street is right or wrong).

It clearly would not be an empty treasure chest. They have real good product across the board (at least on the video surveillance side). The problem is ultimately not what they have but the extreme price someone would have to pay to get it.

Undisclosed Integrator #1

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #4 | 03/10/14 12:30pm

I read once a good indicator trouble is coming for a company is when they cut their R&D funding down or eliminate it. It creates an immediate boost to the bottom line by cutting R&D expenses, but it takes a couple years for the negative affects to become apparent when no more advancements or innovations come forth, since it takes a few years sometimes for R&D results to be realized.

Any insights into what Avigilon is doing with their R&D now? I know they just released new products, but that's past research and efforts just coming forth today.

John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 03/10/14 12:40pm

Avigilon is not cutting R&D. We covered this in the recent 2013 financial review. R&D expenditures are increasing in line with company revenue growth. The main issue is that R&D relative to revenue is quite low compared to industry norms of top manufacturers.

I am not sure they need to spend that much more - what works is their whole model - good products, packaged together, protected channel, intense sales force, etc. On the other hand, start adding in access control and analytics development for enterprise projects, R&D becomes a lot more expensive.

Thumbnail pp 5

Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | In reply to John Honovich | 03/09/14 11:41pm

It would be a brilliant tactical finish to sell to a huge company for $2+ billion later this year and ride off into the sunset with a ton of cash. Then whatever operational issues remain are the problems for the sucker buyer.

BILL BRASKY STATUS ACHIEVED

Undisclosed Manufacturer #5

03/09/14 05:12pm
Having worked with him and seen him in action, and knowing the peculiar ego-driven personality of Alex, it has never surprised me to see the two of them get closer and grow together while polished, professional, conscientious industry veterans have been victimized by employment at Avigilon.
Thumbnail rob baxter portrait may 2013

Robert Baxter

03/09/14 05:22pm

John, interesting topic. I liked the O'leary clip.

The original question posted was about the expected outcome of the person responsible for sales now responsible for operations?

Don't know Brian Schmode, but the skills and personality types of these two roles are usually different. They both require driven and dominant individuals. However, a person responsible for operations needs to be able to be detail oriented if need to, they are into process, and can build a cooperative team internally to get the job done. For a person responsible for sales they are managing a group of sales people who are usually loaners, very driven, abhor paperwork, and individuals good at building relationships with customers. They usually don't like getting stuck in the weeds over details.

Growing Sales, keeping customers happy may require challenges to what operations wants - being profitable, holding customers to their agreements. If a person can be successful in both roles - I would look at who is their key person that takes care of what they are not good at or interested in.

John Martinez

03/10/14 12:21pm

John, If it is only thier sales and channel to sell, they are in big trouble. A Billion dollars by Silicon Valley standards is not impressive. So if they are taking the build and sell path, suitors will slice and dice the numbers and probably do a deal a lot less than that amount.

For some reason, Apple's Jobs keeps running through my mind. Next Larry Ellison pops up.

Login to read this IPVM report.
Why do I need to log in?
IPVM conducts unique testing and research funded by member's payments enabling us to offer the most independent, accurate and in-depth information.

Related Reports

Dahua USA Celebrates 5 Years of Errors on May 22, 2019
Dahua USA is, in their own words, 'celebrating' 5 years in North America or as trade magazine SSN declared: Dahua Technology finds success in...
Access Control Job Walk Guide on May 22, 2019
Significant money can be saved and problems avoided with an access control job walk if you know what to look for and what to ask. By inviting...
LifeSafety Power NetLink Vulnerabilities And Problematic Response on May 20, 2019
'Power supplies' are not devices that many think about when considering vulnerabilities but as more and more devices go 'online', the risks for...
Maglock Selection Guide on May 16, 2019
One of the most misunderstood yet valuable pieces of electrified hardware is the maglock. Few locks are stronger, but myths and confusion surround...
Access Control Request to Exit (RTE) Tutorial on May 13, 2019
For access controlled doors, especially those with maglocks, 'Request to Exit', or 'RTE' devices are required to override electrified locks to...
Bluecherry Open Sources Entire VMS on May 13, 2019
Bluecherry announced they have "released the entire Bluecherry software application open source with a GPL license". We spoke to Bluecherry's...
10 Facial Recognition Providers Review (Secutech) on May 09, 2019
Adding to our 19 Facial Recognition Providers Profiled report from ISC West, IPVM focused on facial recognition technology for our Day 2 coverage...
Dahua and Hikvision Products Illegally Sold To US Government GSA on May 06, 2019
Dahua and Hikvision products are being widely and illegally sold to the US government GSA. The sellers are falsely claiming these China products to...
Dahua ePoE Long Distance UTP / Coax Tested on May 03, 2019
Dahua's Enhanced PoE (ePoE) line is claiming extended video and power transmission over 600m without repeaters, with devices interchangeable via...
Knightscope Adds Just 2 Total Customers In Past Year, Yet Raising Money at $300 Million Valuation on May 02, 2019
This is no longer funny. While Knightscope has laughed it up promoting robot selfies, joking about a 'suicidal robot', the man who attacked a...

Most Recent Industry Reports

NJ Law Requires Apprenticeship For Public Works Integrators on May 24, 2019
Few integrators do a formal apprenticeship program. However, now a NJ law is requiring any integrator on public works projects (such as state...
Security / Privacy Journalist Sam Pfeifle Interview on May 24, 2019
Sam Pfeifle is best known as the outspoken former Editor of Security Systems News. After that, he was publications director at the International...
Verkada Video Quality Problems Tested on May 23, 2019
Verkada suffers from numerous video quality problems, not found in commercial IP cameras, new IPVM testing of Verkada vs Axis and Hikvision...
Average Frame Rate Video Surveillance 2019 on May 23, 2019
What is the average frame rated used in video surveillance systems? In IPVM's 2011 statistics, the average was 6-8fps increasing to ~10fps in...
Access Control Job Walk Guide on May 22, 2019
Significant money can be saved and problems avoided with an access control job walk if you know what to look for and what to ask. By inviting...
ASCMA / Monitronics Declares Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Plan on May 22, 2019
Monitronics is entering into Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company, also called Ascent Capital Group Inc., aka ASCMA, aka Brinks Home Security,...
US Considers Sanctions Against Hikvision and Dahua on May 22, 2019
The US government is considering blacklisting "up to 5" PRC surveillance firms, including Hikvision and Dahua, Bloomberg reported, with human...
Dahua USA Celebrates 5 Years of Errors on May 21, 2019
Dahua USA is, in their own words, 'celebrating' 5 years in North America or as trade magazine SSN declared: Dahua Technology finds success in...
Axis ~$150 Outdoor Camera Tested on May 21, 2019
Axis has released the latest in their Companion camera line, the outdoor Companion Dome Mini LE, a 1080p integrated IR model aiming to compete with...
Covert Facial Recognition Using Axis and Amazon By NYTimes on May 20, 2019
What if you took a 33MP Axis camera covering one of the busiest parks in the US and ran Amazon Facial Recognition against it? That is what the...

The world's leading video surveillance information source, IPVM provides the best reporting, testing and training for 10,000+ members globally. Dedicated to independent and objective information, we uniquely refuse any and all advertisements, sponsorship and consulting from manufacturers.

About | FAQ | Contact