As technology continues to evolve, more and more companies are seriously considering hosted video surveillance solutions. The convenience of the solution and the fact that more and more applications are moving to the cloud, increase the attractiveness of video surveillance.
If you too are considering a surveillance solution, you may find the multitude of options overwhelming. Further complicating matters is that the term "hosted video" can be used interchangeably with "cloud video surveillance" orVSaaS, and these can in turn include several types of solutions.
Below we detail two categories of solutions:cloud and hybrid.
But first, a little background:
Today, most companies use on-site video surveillance, where video recording and management is done locally, either with network video recorders (NVRs) or a video management system (VMS). Some companies use a third party to manage video recordings - for example, to apply software updates, manage licenses and other types of device management. These are called managed video services. But generally, both scenarios can be categorized as on-site video surveillance.
Let's analyze a hosted video. The main things to consider here are where the video is stored (the infrastructure) and where it is managed (the services involved in managing the video system). When one or both are off-site, they have hosted solutions.
Cloud video surveillance - In full VSaaS models, video images are not stored in the same place where they are captured by your surveillance cameras, but rather are transmitted to a video provider or third-party company for storage and management.
While this model may seem attractive given the many business applications moving to the cloud, the reality is that they require significant bandwidth. If you're a business with multiple locations and using high-definition IP cameras, you'll need to be prepared for the costs associated with transmitting and storing a large number of images and videos in the cloud. On the other hand, the main advantage of the solution is that the risk of losing the filmed content (e.g. deletion by unauthorized access to the device memory) is dramatically reduced, it can be cloned incrementally in the backup systems so that you keep a history on the same server or even others.
Hybrid solutions- With this type of model, video recording and storage takes place at your business premises, but video management is provided by a video producer/provider who hosts the central video server and manages your devices. Some providers may also offer the storage of backup some of your video files.
This model gives you the benefits of on-premises video recording (safely storing data on-site at your business premises and eliminating the need to use a lot of streaming) with the benefits of managed video services. This way, all day-to-day management of your NVRs and cameras is handled by your provider, saving you time and, in some cases, trouble. You also don't have to purchase and maintain your own server, so your upfront costs are lower.
A hybrid solution could also involve streaming some of the video footage to the cloud for analytical processing. For example, if you integrate your video footage with point-of-sale data for transaction analysis, or if you use video analytics to gather business intelligence, some of the video footage and data may be streamed to a central off-site server. That server is managed by a vendor, who delivers the data to you in a formal report so you can track business trends, better monitor your operations, or investigate suspicious activity.
What do these options look like?
Full VSaaS solutions—where video footage is stored entirely off-site—might work for residential security, but can become expensive for commercial enterprises. As compression technology evolves and bandwidth becomes more affordable, fully cloud-based solutions become more attractive.
For now, however, maintaining video recordings on-site remains the cheapest option for enterprise organizations. But your business can still benefit from a hybrid solution, which can have a variety of benefits in terms of time savings and cost efficiency.
What are the benefits for my business?
In general, hosted hybrid solutions are best for businesses that don't have a lot of in-house IT expertise. These businesses can benefit the most because they can rely on their vendor for day-to-day system maintenance as well as business analytics reporting.
Here are some other things to consider when evaluating a hosted video solution:
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Cdata entry and minimal IT staff - If you don't have the infrastructure or staff to host your own video network equipment, a hybrid hosted solution will suit you better, where the video server is hosted and managed off-site by the provider.
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Faster deployment - If you need to get your video surveillance solution up and running quickly, a hosted hybrid solution can provide a faster deployment because you don't have to worry about installing or configuring the central server or any application software.
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Convenient reports - If you don't want to spend a lot of time with video analytics, a hosted hybrid solution might be for you. In some hybrid models, you'll receive predefined reports on what's most important to you—for example, a list of potentially suspicious transactions that match video footage—so you can quickly scan to investigate.
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Flexible payment options - In many of the hosted hybrid solutions, you don't need to purchase software licenses or worry about renewing licenses. Because you purchase a service, you pay a monthly fee and your provider takes care of the rest. This is particularly useful if it is difficult for your organization to make large capital investments. You can skip investing in a central server and use your provider's instead. Depending on the provider you choose, you may or may not need to invest in on-site devices (cameras and recorders). Some vendors will allow you to finance your hardware, while others will want you to purchase it upfront.
With hosted video surveillance, you can forget about having to manage, configure and maintain video surveillance cameras - which means more time for what you love to do.
Determining whether a hosted solution is right for your business is an important decision that involves many factors, including your business size, bandwidth, network infrastructure, and budget.
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