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.