When IT companies shift to physical security, many fail to recognize the importance of product reliability and engineering efficiency in security. Security products demand unique qualities such as high customization and reliability. EtherWAN, a company providing Ethernet products, found security to be a good fit. Six years ago, the company entered the security market. Through the design concept of modularization, EtherWAN provides a wide range of Ethernet products, even for small orders. The network management features were also customized from a general IT approach to make it more user-friendly to security applications.
When IT companies shift to physical security, many fail to recognize the importance of product reliability and engineering efficiency in security. Security products demand unique qualities such as high customization and reliability. Etherwan, a company providing Ethernet products, found security to be a good fit. Six years ago, the company entered the security market. Through the design concept of modularization, Etherwan provides a wide range of Ethernet products, even for small orders. The network management features were also customized from a general IT approach to make it more user-friendly to security applications.
To ensure reliability, its products go through many rigorous tests to ensure that they are exactly what were promised to the customers and fully conform to industry standards. For example, its PoE devices are all required to achieve the maximum power requirement without any issue. With high engineering efficiency, it can quickly solve any technological problems and carefully review all possible factors that might result in product malfunction.
What really differs Etherwan from other companies is it's core business motto — integrity and honesty. For example, Etherwan is committed to designing its products strictly according to standards. If the product is designed to fit the IEEE802.3af standard which requires the proper wattage to be 15.4 watts, then Etherwan will insist on giving each PoE port the full 15.4 watts. The same goes for products designed in compliance to IEEE802.3 which requires 30 watts for each PoE port. Etherwan understands that such integrity to power source conformance is an important factor to project success. “Integrity for us is the company's central value,” said Maggie Chao, Associate VP of Sales Division at Etherwan.
Etherwan's security business includes OEM sales and original brand manufacture (OBM) of its own products. During the last six years, Etherwan successfully introduced its Ethernet products from IT clients to the security industry. Now, two out of Etherwan's top 10 clients are pure security companies, cementing the importance of its security business. For Etherwan, the security market holds strong potential. Its security business unit has grown almost 30 percent in recent years.
Etherwan also has a good reputation in the transportation sector, particularly for traffic and railway monitoring. In 2013, the company is concentrating on transportation and security in its target countries — the U.S., Benelux, Southeast Asia and South Africa. In the U.S., Etherwan attends one to two road shows every month to educate its clients on the basics to the advanced knowledge of Ethernet network infrastructure. Etherwan is also anticipating significant growth in the Malaysian and Thai markets.
"In the near future, we can expect more challenges in price competition. When clients who used to purchase IT networking products started to buy security equipment, they were more likely to compare brands and prices," Chao said.
Technology wise, networking technology should follow the nature of the security product application. “For Etherwan to win in the price competition, product reliability is key,” Chao said.