Hikvision USA Starts Layoffs

This is really when they should put on the Gas as far as their cybersecurity efforts. If they want any chance of regaining their opportunity to do enterprise business and not risk any more loss of USA business, this would be crucial. Not sure how much of a current role Chuck Davis has in software design but they should let him have unlimited say so in it now for sure. High profile guys like Chuck feed off challenges such as this but they are going to have let him get very involvled in their software for his role to be effective. Let him hire a team cyber security experts. If he cant do it, then find someone who can. If they arent going to let him do this, then he should leave.

Make the next firmware package be specifically focused on cyber security. If I was Hik right now, I would be hammering Cybersecurity features like crazy for the next several months. If the ban ever got lifted because of cyber security efforts, that would have Phoenix like consequences.

Keep in mind, Hikvision lied to their employees over and over, assuring them that they were not government owned nor controlled and that their critics like IPVM were absolutely unethical.

I dont think Hikvision needs as many salespeople as they do and I never have. The product sells itself.

My understanding is that many Hikvision salespeople strongly disagree with that and dislike that perception. In particular (I think rightfully) they emphasize that they need to deal with serious cybersecurity and 'political' objections, two things that require more sales skill. Was it easy to sell Hikvision in 2015? Yes. Is it easy to sell Hikvision in 2018? No.

I dont think Hikvision needs as many salespeople as they do and I never have. 

Because some of them sell to your customers?

There is another take on this. Hik could be seeing it as a good time to bury bad news and cut loose dead wood. It can also align closely with the effects that Trumps tariffs are having, with the job cuts coinciding with the starting of the next phase of tariffs.

The rapid hiring of staff through the exponential growth of Hik, sucked in some sub-par staff members that really haven't brought anything to the party - simply riding on the ability of the product selling itself, so now is a good time to take stock, consolidate and let loose the dead weight, whilst blaming the ban and tariffs for US job cuts. The real workers in Hiks sales teams manage the sell through, stock and client relationships and have a real world view of the product within the context of its competitors.

Nett result is a shot in the foot for US jobs and the economy - along with the thousands to follow through Trumps juvenile, sabre rattling (not much a sabre though is it Trump? - more of a mushroom?). But hey, you can sleep safely at night knowing that China won't be spying on your back garden - and you won't have  the slightest worry about Trumps new besties - Putin or Kim Jong-un, because they would never do anything naughty would they?

Lay off of Chris - He is a great guy and has not worked for Hik for 6 months. Interesting to see how this affects Sam Belbina and Jeremy Howard.

As mentioned in the post, our estimate is a few dozen people but as also mentioned in the post, there is no official statement including none that has even been sent internally at Hikvision.

I do not understand your point a 'whole department being axed'. That's generally not how layoff works. They tend to be partial reductions of different divisions, not simply eliminating all of sales or all of marketing or all of engineering, etc.

#10, hiring is the default position for companies in a growing global economy. It's why we don't run articles on Axis hiring or Avigilon hiring or Genetec hiring, etc. It's, by definition, not news.

And this particular article is about the US, where an extraordinary event happened (the Ban) that is receiving global attention and disrupting Hikvision's business strategy in the US.

We did hear that telemarketers (in Hikvision parlance 'client relations') were included but that there were others areas in sales as well.

I can believe they were nonproductive but the question is why? They have had such people for years and the role is standard in the industry (e.g., Axis and Avigilon have many people in inside sales / 'telemarketing'). 

Related: Why Are Avigilon Inside Sales People Declaring Themselves 'Security Solutions Experts'?

To the extent that Hikvision is now finding telemarketers 'nonproductive', it is because of the branding and customer restriction problems from the ban. It's a door closer, in the (reverse) words of Sean Nelson - If You Are Not Using Hikvision, Are You A "Door Closer"?

I’d be interested to know the source and integrity of this “information”. As you are relating the story to the UK you’ll be aware that Norbain and ADI already supply most other brands and there really is only a handful of other distributors who are mostly aligned to Dahua.

I look at specs all day and have never seen the statement you mention. If it were true based upon your wording, Axis and Genetec would be included along with many other manufacturers who have all had to issue firmware patches. 

It’s probably not coincidental that you are a manufacturer and have posted a comment aimed at damaging a competitor with a story, that as an integrator, I do not recognise in the UK. I fully accept HIK has had some sloppy engineering that has exposed vulnerabilities, but they are not alone in this. I’ve no idea what the distributor story is about and have not seen a single tender with any wording even close to what you mention. So in the interests of credibility, please share the OJEU tender reference of your source material and also a substantiation of the Distributor claim. 

Trump's actions against Hik (and others) have only complicated things for Hik 'recently' and should not be used as an excuse for the current situation Hik is in.

Their cyber security issues, Chinese State ownership and other facts have been disclosed long before Trump imposed his trade sanctions relating to Chinese goods.

Sure 'they' have enough money to play the long game but only for as long as the Chinese State, the majority owner of Hik, keeps pumping money in to the business helping them to keep prices low and subsidise product lines etc.

You can paint whatever picture you want but the reality is there for everybody to see.

Hik have created the scenario where the kit is available to every 'cowboy' as you call them by demanding unrealistic Sales results and by offering their kit through every possible channel including Amazon. It wasn't that long ago that Hikvision was offered online by TESCO...