Seagate and CMP just produced an online panel discussion on the topic of 'Storage in the Digital Home'. All the content is good and well worth a close look. Joe Martin is one of the great panelists in this session. He works in the Global Marketing group at Seagate and specifically heads up the Digital Home and Gaming divisions. I've been privileged to work closely with Joe over the last year in doing some of the "Case Study" work that he references in this presentation.
The truth that continues to amaze me the most about storage in the digital home is that its quickly becoming one of the most necessary components in everybody's home technology package. Even if you don't have distributed audio, video, or a dedicated home theater room, chances are you do have a DVR, a digital camera, or some type of digital camcorder. All of these systems and devices utilize storage...... BUT......DESPITE the apparent necessity, there continues to be a general lack of interest on the part of consumers ABOUT their storage. Even though it is the repository for some of their most cherished pictures, their favorite TV shows, their favorite music, and/or their videos of the last family vacation, they STILL SPEND LITTLE TO NO ENERGY on thinking about the quality of their storage solutions.
So I think there is an opportunity here for integrators to differentiate their products and their services by helping their clients understand the value of quality storage solutions. And helping their clients maximize how the storage is used and how their content is stored and backed-up for safe keeping.
For years the A/V integrators have theorized about creating a RECURRING REVENUE model for their businesses. When I ran my company for 8 years I did the same thing without ever really being successful at it. But I think this subject of Digital Storage is one that holds a lot of promise for a recurring revenue. Several of the system integrators that I interviewed during this case study are already doing it. By providing services that help people manage all their digital content, back it up securely, and get access to it in ways that are intuitive all around the house, these integrators are finding tangible ways to sell recurring services.