INTERVIEW Camilla Kirkham - Nimans
“The key buzz word in the industry is ‘wearable technology’ – better understood but not
restricted to the term body cams.” Camilla Kirkham, Director of Sales - Security & AV
Secure Opportunities
With Nimans launching their new AV and Security Division we thought it would be a great idea to talk to
Camilla Kirkham who heads up the operation to find out why these products and applications are underrepresented
in our ‘traditional’ reseller market
Comms Business Magazine
(CBM): You have been in
this market for nearly three
decades so why is the timing
right today for Nimans to
launch this new division?
Camilla Kirkham (CK): is
market was traditionally
populated by analogue
products with proprietary
interfaces and with the
introduction of IP networks
most players were terried
of the new technology. IP
products were introduced too
soon, produced poor imaging
and soon resellers were put o
the whole idea.
e IT market had a go a
few years ago and it did not go
well with most closing down
their AV operations – overall
the market was not ready and
the brands available were not
those that were ever going to
set the market on re.
Technically, there were
still two problems; there was
insucient bandwidth and IT
departments were very resistant
to putting cameras on their IP
networks.
Today that has changed with
high bandwidth connectivity
and more enlightened, less
protective IT management.
All changed – IP is
commonplace, green elds
are IT. Only analogue, in
asbestos, co-ax replacement
too expensive to replace with
Cat 5. All new sites look to
IP. Today greeneld sites
are almost exclusively based
AV and security installation
unless there had been a heavy
investment prior in co-ax
cables.
CBM: What are your main
reasons for joining Nimans?
CK: I was very impressed with
the management team and
their vision for the future. I
totally got their strapline ‘to
serve the customer’. CCTV
is also a very natural t for
their endpoint business so the
potential was great.
We have also got the brand
representation right rst time
for the market with Hikvision,
a company with a $7.35bn
turnover and an R&D team
of around 16,000. e other
key vendor in our portfolio is
CCTV giant Hanwha. Both
enable Nimans to present
credible and competitive
propositions.
CBM: This is a lot more than
just CCTV systems though
isn’t it?
CK: ere are around ve
key markets that we will be
addressing other than CCTV.
e key buzz word in
the industry is ‘wearable
technology’ – better
understood but not restricted
to the term body cams. en
there is two-way radios and the
lone worker market.
Access control to any and all
areas using cards and biometric
access and video door entry
and security systems, intruder
alarms, PA systems, motion
detection and thermal imaging
solutions.
Security applications
today are vast and include
asset protection for sta
and goods and the industry
has also embraced analytics
to determine future better
outcomes. Many would be
surprised to know that security
divisions are getting funding
from marketing department
to establish metrics such
as footfalls in in retail and
exhibition areas.
Analytics is a rapidly growing
tool for the industry with a
range of vendor and third party
software integrations enabling
greater value add opportunities
for resellers.
CBM: How can Nimans add
value for reseller looking to
get in to this market?
CH: the rst steps are training
and accreditation which we can
oer via our vendor partners.
Training for channels. Field
support is provided by two
rst line personnel and three
dedicated post sales engineers.
e results have been
fantastic with sales doubling
each month since we launched
in September.
In 12 months-time success
would look like sustainable and
protable growth for ourselves
and partners with as many
as possible of our resellers
engaged in selling these
products.
ese are very exciting times
for Nimans as we become
a complete one-stop-shop
for security and AV. Since
launching the new division in
September we’ve been blown
away by orders and interest and
2020 will be even bigger and
better.
For the majority of resellers
IP CCTV and security should
be a natural extension of their
business and I’m looking
forward to helping them take
advantage of the huge market
Camilla Kirkham, Director of Sales Security & AV opportunities.
54 | Comms Business Magazine | February 2020 www.commsbusiness.co.uk
/www.commsbusiness.co.uk