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It came without a whole lot of fanfare, but Pelco, which not too long ago exemplified the end-to-end vendor of proprietary video systems, has slowly transitioned itself into a supplier aiming to leverage open platforms.

Pelco's PartnerFirst program, launched last year, counts among the company's most significant initiatives. The program enters 2010 with more than 100 vendors in segments ranging from analytics to SCADA to storage and forms the center of Pelco's plan to shift toward integration of open, best-of-breed platforms. 

"It's really demand from our customers. They want the flexibility to use our product with other manufacturers' products," said Dave deLisser, director of third party integration and partnering at Pelco. "As much as you like to think you have the best product, you can't be the best at everything."

Although it has been low-key, Pelco's transition to open systems raises the stakes for vendors and integrators who maintain IP migration is a slow-moving market trend. Pelco enjoys high brand recognition in almost every vertical and market segment. As its integration message begins to flow through the integrator channel, the contention that IP integration and centralized security management are for deep-pocketed, large-scale, multi-site installations will get tougher to defend.