IN THE BOARDROOM™ with...
Ms. Mariann McDonagh
Senior Vice President of Global Marketing
Verint Systems, Inc.
www.verint.com
OTC:VRNT.PK
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com:
Thank you for joining us today, Mariann. Please give us an overview of
your background and your role with Verint.
Mariann McDonagh: I currently serve as senior vice president of
global marketing for Verint, a leading global provider of analytic software-based
solutions for communications interception, networked video, and enterprise
optimization. I assumed this role in March of 2002 after spending 15 years
in the high tech and software industries. Throughout my career I’ve
managed a wide range of strategic marketing initiatives for companies
including election.com, Cheyenne Software and CMP Media.
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: One will read on Verint.com that, “Verint
solutions bridge information gaps between enterprise systems, extracting
critical information and applying sophisticated, integrated analytics
to distill actionable intelligence. Then, Verint solutions deliver this
intelligence to the people who need it, wherever and whenever they need
it, for timely and effective action. “ Please give us an overview
of Verint solutions.
Mariann McDonagh: Verint solutions transform voice, video, and
text into actionable intelligence — timely, mission-critical insights
for achieving strategic goals. Verint is the world leader in networked
video management. Our award-winning Nextiva integrated portfolio of networked
video solutions enhances security and enterprise efficiency for more than
5000 organizations in over 100 countries.
The Nextiva portfolio features a broad array of solutions for video recording
and analysis. Nextiva wireless devices, encoders, decoders, and IP cameras,
and embedded DVRs capture images from virtually any stationary, mobile,
indoor, or outdoor location. Nextiva’s advanced video analytics
rapidly detect events in vast amounts of video and enterprise data. And
Nextiva’s robust video management software, intelligent video distribution,
and system-wide monitoring and diagnostics simplify management of large,
geographically-distributed operations.
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: What are your target markets and what
is your perspective on the market drivers for Verint solutions at this
time?
Mariann McDonagh: In Networked Video Management market, our Nextiva
enterprise and vertical solutions address the needs of a wide range of
industries, from banking and critical infrastructure to retail and mass
transit. Verint is the Networked Video management provider of choice for
55 airports, 43 seaports, 7 out of every 10 US banks, 2 of the world’s
5 largest retailers, and government organizations around the globe.
The biggest drivers for our solutions is the fact that organizations
are collecting vast amounts of information — more information than
they can rapidly assess and use. Many security organizations suffer from
information overload from the data produced by an increasing number of
cameras, alarms, sensors and other disparate enterprise systems. As a
result they are unable to rapidly pinpoint and understand events of importance.
Our Nextiva Networked Video Management and Video Analytics solutions provide
security management with timely intelligence about events of genuine importance
to their organizations, freeing them from hours of tedious, unproductive
video review and positioning them to address potential exposures quickly
and effectively. By integrating critical information from video and other
security systems and sensors, the Nextiva platform helps to automatically
detect potential threats and trigger more proactive and effective responses.
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Congratulations on the recent announcements
regarding: Washington’s Olympia Intercity Transit which has selected
Verint’s Nextiva™ Transit solution to enhance safety and improve
overall operations on its fleet of municipal buses and vans, and a major
US port which has deployed its Nextiva™ Critical Infrastructure
solution to enhance security of its waterways and land-based facilities.
Can you tell us about these projects? Any other USA projects you care
to mention?
Mariann McDonagh: Transit remains one of Verint’s strongest
markets for networked video management solutions, both in the US and abroad.
In fact, Frost & Sullivan just awarded Verint its 2007 Mass Transit
Security Company of the Year award for the European Market.
We are also seeing a significant increase in the number of municipalities
that are deploying our wireless surveillance solutions and Intelligent
Edge Devices in the United States. 36 cities in the US have already installed
public safety networks that support video monitoring and 149 more cities
have plans to install similar networks.
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: We also understand you’ve had impressive
“wins” in the International market such as with: a major UK
utility provider which has deployed Nextiva™ Critical Infrastructure
solution and integrated video analytics suite to enhance the security
of its facility and perimeter and China’s Shenzhen Bay Port Authority
which has deployed Nextiva™ Critical Infrastructure networked video
solution to enhance the security of Shenzhen Bay Port, which connects
to Hong Kong via a 5.5 mile ocean crossing bridge. Care to elaborate about
these projects for our audience? Any other international projects you
care to mention?
Mariann McDonagh: Asia-Pacific is a strong international markets
for critical infrastructure, ports and transit security. As you mentioned,
we recently announced a deal with Shenzhen Bay Port, which provides a
key gateway between the mainland city of Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The bridge
will further enable the flow of goods and visitors between the two key
economic areas. Verint’s Nextiva Critical Infrastructure solution
will enable Shenzhen Bay Port Authority to enhance the security of the
port perimeter, facilities and immigration check points. Nextiva Analytics
have been deployed to provide actionable intelligence to immigration officials
on vehicles and pedestrian border crossings, suspicious cargo and activities,
abandoned objects, traffic flow direction violations and tampering with
camera in high security areas.
Perhaps one of our most exciting announcements in this market was the
selection of Verint’s Networked Video solution to enhance security
for the City of Beijing in advance of the 2008 Olympics. We received a
several million dollar order to help protect critical infrastructure including
government and enterprise facilities, utilities and other high risk areas
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Verint recently completed the acquisition
of Witness Systems. Dan Bodner, President and CEO of Verint Systems, Inc.
said, "The industry-defining combination of Verint and Witness creates
the market’s broadest portfolio of powerful solutions that optimize
workforce, contact center and enterprise performance to deliver a compelling
customer service advantage and creates a single global provider for an
enterprise's complete workforce performance needs." Care to elaborate
for us about the strategic benefits of this combination?
Mariann McDonagh: The combination of two visionary growth companies,
Verint and Witness Systems, creates a leading global enterprise that ranks
as the 27th largest software company in the US. The combination will provide
a stronger global footprint, significant expansion of both direct, indirect
and OEM sales channels, and create broad cross-sell opportunities across
an extensive global customer base that includes 75 of the Fortune 100.
In fact, as a result of the acquisition, our combined customer base now
includes more than 5000 organizations in 100 countries, while our staff
has grown to more than 2500 global associates in 18 countries. We are
a global market share leader with superior scale, deep research and development
resources and demonstrated execution capabilities, making Verint the reliable
partner of choice for today’s leading enterprises – both in
the security and in the commercial enterprise markets.
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Are there any particular strategic relationships
that you’d like to mention?
Mariann McDonagh: At ASIS 2007, Verint announced the details of
our Alliance Partner Program, an initiative that will drive technology
and business collaboration between our company and global enterprise technology
market leaders. The program is designed to deliver enhanced networked
video management and enterprise solutions to the security market, and
will combine Verint’s Nextiva Video Management portfolio with technologies
from early Alliance Partners including EMC and Motorola, as well as other
established market leaders. We will seek out relationships with complementary
technology providers who enjoy the same leadership status in their respective
markets as Verint does in the video security space, with the result being
advanced and tightly integrated video security and information technology
solutions.
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: What resources do such as streaming video,
webinars, webcasts, podcasts, “white papers” and “case
studies” are available for end-users at Verint.com?
Mariann McDonagh:We have gone to great lengths to make the Verint
web site an informational resource, rather than just a promotional marketing
tool for the company. Visitors to our site will find a variety of white
papers, archived webinars and case studies that tackle today’s critical
issues among executives in the markets we serve. We are actively leveraging
both audio and video Podcasts as an informational tool as well. Podcasts
are an incredibly effective medium for delivering compelling industry
content in a format that is easy to absorb during daily commutes and short
spots of downtime.
SecuritySolutionsWatch.com: Thanks again for joining us today, Mariann.
Is there anything else that you would like to discuss that we haven’t
covered?
Mariann McDonagh: Thank you for inviting me to participate, Martin.
I would just like to inform your readers that Verint recently hosted three
very informative panel discussions at this year’s ASIS 2007 on issues
related to the future of municipal security, intelligent video management
solutions and the top issues and concerns among today’s security
executives. These panels were recorded and will be posted on our web site
as Podcasts for anyone interested in listening to them. Thanks again for
your time today Martin.
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