IPS, German security technology and application specialist manufacturer, has been in the industry for over five decades. Its engineering expertise brings innovation and technological solutions to the security market.
IPS, a business unit of Securiton Germany, has as its tagline ‘Intelligent Video Software.’ We talked to Peter Treutler, IPS Director and member of the management board of Securiton, to find out how the company has evolved into designing and implementing high-level intelligent video analytics.
Peter joined IPS in 2013 and has overall responsibility for the IPS division. As a member of the management board, he is jointly responsible for the strategy and success of Securiton.
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Can you provide a short introduction to IPS Securiton?
IPS was founded in 1965 in Munich by Peter Schuberth. IPS is today a business unit of Securiton Germany; it’s not a separate business. The IPS technology brand has been part of Securiton Germany since 2006. The name IPS does include the initials of the founder, ‘PS’ and the ‘I’ stands for Industrial technology. Originally it was focused on radio and television, but Schuberth’s passion for video centric technology changed its focus.
Schuberth focused on video sensor technology; needless to say, IPS has been the leader in early and advanced video technology since then. In 1970 the first IPS video sensor was ready for the market. The IPS Deltaguard.
IPS has developed numerous innovative and advanced video analytics products in the following decades, especially for high-security applications. Customers have been authorities, military, police and the energy industry – for instance, refineries and nuclear research centres.
Schuberth died in the early 1990s. The new owner, a former business partner, enthused the company to achieve this goal: ‘To develop the best video analytics the world has ever seen.’ And the staff did it. This was the birth of our multiple award-winning video analysis IPS Outdoor Detection including the patented IPS 3-zone concept, one of the fundamental concepts for modern video analytics.
Also, the IPS 3D geo-referencing and simultaneous object confirmation were developed at this time. Both are still basic elements of another award-winning video analytics, the IPS Dome Tracker.
In 2006 IPS was bought by Securiton GmbH, and this presented new opportunities and new challenges to IPS. In those days, the IPS team was used to their processes set-up and was not accustomed to the management structures of a midsized company.
However, after a short orientation phase, a common strategy for positioning the company in the German and the European marketplace could be defined and implemented
The last 15 years have been hectic for us. Lots of technical achievements, cooperative partnerships and awards took place.
In 2021 we launched two new products, the IPS NextGen Client and the IPS NextGen Video Analytics. We have started a new age for intuitive and advanced configuration and operation of video analytics and management with these products.
What are our vision and mission?
Our vision is to make the world more secure. Our mission is to provide our customers with highly reliable, robust and intuitive, easy-to-use video analytics and video management software to make our vision a reality.
Can you describe your company in three words?
Forward-looking, innovative, unique
IPS products are deployed in thousands of applications throughout Europe. Where are your products made?
We are proud to say that the quality seal “made in Germany” is 100% true for our products. Our software has been manufactured in Munich, Bavaria, since our foundation.
And yes, we are also proud to say that our success across Europe is based on many intensive and long-standing partnerships with system integrators, distributors, providers and technology partners from many European countries.
How have your methods for doing business, or the product(s) or service line(s) you market, changed since the inception of your business?
Some approaches have had to change over the decades. I’m talking mainly about technical changes and internal changes like programming methodology, quality assurance, team composition, etc.
What has never changed is our business approach:
- Solid and sustainable collaboration with our partners.
- Delivery of a high-quality product.
- Direct support.
What do you consider are IPS’ flagship products?
A few outstanding products well known in the industry are the IPS VideoManager, the IPS Outdoor Detection video analytics and the IPS Dome Tracker video analytics. However, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The correct answer to your question would be that the overall system, the combination of IPS VideoManager with diverse IPS VideoAnalytics and the optionally 3D-geo-referencing delivers an extensive and unique functionality to the customer.
The 3D-geo-referencing is one of our highlights as it is such excellent support for any operator. It logically connects several cameras and follows intruders automatically, without operator intervention.
And our brand new video analytics, the IPS NextGen VideoAnalytics, provides any user with the advantage of having all analytics functions in one module with straightforward configuration.
What is your Unique Selling Proposition?
The unique advantage of IPS against other vendors is the fact that IPS delivers video management plus video analytics from one single source. This was and is the basis for advanced, comprehensive and unique functionality. Our products have been designed and developed together to work with each other.
IPS has been well-known for its perimeter protection video analytics expertise for over 50 years. This expertise is embodied in our products and their functionality.
What makes your partners choose IPS instead of other companies/products?
Our partners buy from us because they can expect state-of-the-art, innovative and reliable products from a technical point of view. About the partnership, we offer sustainability, a focus on the needs of our partners, uncomplicated support and the ability to react faster than many international groups.
What’s your company’s competitive strategy in a nutshell?
To be the best in a specific sector. Focus on this sector. Be a valuable partner.
What will be the most significant security trends by the end of 2022?
Machine learning methods such as neural networks and deep learning are making video analysis and thus video surveillance systems increasingly intelligent and form the basis for artificial intelligence.
For the past two or three years, these methods have improved the existing video analysis for retail in, for example, fashion stores, groceries stores, and so on. For perimeter security applications, the detection rate of neural networks still isn’t high enough to fulfil the needed quality standards. This will change based on a new kind of neural network, which is in research and development right now.
So, in a few years, we will benefit from those advanced neural networks and their extended ability to increase detection reliability and primarily ensure a reduction in the false alarm rate since they recognise which incidents are not relevant to security.
Tell us something personal about yourself, please.
My hobbies are cooking, spending time with my family and friends, driving my motorbike and watching movies.
If you had chosen a different career path, what would that be?
World travel by motorbike and provider of guided motorbike tours.
What is your most outstanding life achievement?
My most outstanding lifetime achievement is that I was able to raise two fantastic sons. Both are still in education.
Find out more about IPS here
Get in touch: [email protected]