Security Products

By Peter Wilenius · May 2008

IP video casts new light on industry but also includes challenges, opportunities

The evolution of IP video technology is rapidly changing the security industry landscape and creating both challenges and opportunities for security professionals, vendors and system integrators. Unquestionably, the industry has embraced the benefits of IP video and the efficiencies of a converged security and IT infrastructure. However, it is equally clear that, although the movement to an all-IP environment is inevitable, there are practical considerations that will dictate the pace of that transition.

The emergence of the all-IP video paradigm incorporating IP cameras, CAT-5 cabling and video management software on industry-standard host and storage servers is being selectively embraced by security professionals looking for higher resolution video and cost efficiencies related to installation and capital outlay. But all-IP video isn’t necessarily appropriate for every organization or application.

IP Adoption
The rate at which all-IP video is adopted will vary by industry. We are seeing a faster adoption of IP video technology in facilities such as college campuses, hospitals, corporate headquarters and airports, where IP networks are pervasive and CCTV systems are only now being deployed as a result of heightened security concerns. In the retail and banking industries, which by their very nature consist of widely dispersed networks of smaller locations, the preferred solution for some time will be analog cameras and recorders. As early adopters of CCTV technology, retailers and financial institutions also are heavily invested in legacy systems and less inclined to incur the cost of retrofitting their facilities.

In other scenarios, security professionals are deploying solutions incorporating analog cameras with encoders and video management software on IT servers, so the new and emerging reality features multiple technologies co-existing within a single organization.

Deploying appropriate flavors of technology within an organization inevitably raises the question of unified management and system compatibility. It can get very complicated if a large financial institution, for example, has one vendor for the DVRs deployed at its branches, another for its IP cameras and a third for its video management software. The result could be a complex integration or no integration at all, in which case the security department has to cope with parallel user interfaces and management systems, multiple vendors and training issues.

New Opportunities
The good news is that the evolution of diverse, co-existing video technology environments within enterprise-wide security systems also has created a need for an end-to-end solution capable of unifying all-IP, hybrid and conventional recorder-based video technologies.

VideoSphere, March Networks’ recently launched video management solution, does exactly that. Unifying video management software capable of interoperability with IP and analog cameras, video encoders and networked recorders provides the flexibility to select video surveillance technology that’s right for a specific application without worrying about compatibility and integration or being forced to make technology choices that may not be appropriate.

The accommodation of multiple technology environments under the umbrella of a unifying video management system allows security professionals to leverage their investments in existing cameras and cabling infrastructure when it makes sense for them to do so. Common video management software also offers the freedom to mix and match video technologies based on the specific requirements for each location.

Video Analytics
The pace of technological innovation also is accelerating on other fronts. The emergence of video analytics, for example, promises to dramatically increase the effectiveness of video surveillance systems by alerting security personnel to potential risks as they occur. Object tracking, direction-specific tripwire, and perimeter alarms and occupancy sensors are making their way into the wider market and will become more prevalent as they demonstrate their accuracy and costeffectiveness. Analytics that monitor the integrity of video surveillance systems by alerting security personnel to camera obstructions are already having a major impact on the effectiveness of video surveillance systems.

Increased Integration
The integration of video with data systems is also accelerating, as retailers and financial institutions, for example, see the benefits of linking their CCTV systems with exception reporting and banking transaction applications. The marriage of video and data dramatically enhances data mining effectiveness and provides loss prevention personnel with much richer visual intelligence.

In mobile applications such as public transit, the integration of video with GPS, vehicle information systems and impact sensors allows investigators to correlate video images with data relating to the operation of a vehicle at the time of an accident. Similarly, integration of video and access control systems allows security professionals to link video with data points reflecting door openings or alarm events.

All of these innovations in video surveillance are dramatically enhancing the capabilities of security professionals and resulting in safer workplaces, reduced losses, more effective investigation capabilities and operational efficiencies.

These changes are driving the convergence of security and IT as more CCTV systems migrate to IP networks. In the new video paradigm, security professionals and IT departments must work together more than ever and understand each other’s domain. But each will continue to bring their own areas of expertise to the table in addressing the security challenges of their organizations.

About the author

Peter Wilenius
Peter Wilenius is vice president of corporate development for March Networks Corp.