Cloud technologies today are actively used for the secure storage and distribution of information. The users can connect via the Internet to the cloud to work with their data regardless of location. Cloud technologies are also becoming increasingly popular in the video surveillance industry. To create a surveillance system, you only need to buy surveillance cameras, while a remote server is used for data storage and management. This type of surveillance has many advantages over the traditional approach to setting up the systems. These include lower costs, more efficient use of resources, and ease of use. Let’s look at the most significant characteristics of cloud video surveillance.
1. More Storage Space
The video archive of a traditional surveillance system is constantly self-updating. If there is insufficient space on the media, old videos are deleted to save new ones. This approach is reasonably practical, but a situation may arise when some important files are deleted without the user’s knowledge. In the case of cloud video surveillance, the users have space on the server that fully corresponds to their system. If they add new hardware, the cloud expands to accommodate more data. This approach allows you to store videos for quite a long time until they become unnecessary.
2. Quick Interaction with the System
Since the surveillance system is constantly connected to a remote server, settings or control commands can be set anytime via the Internet. Such video surveillance is a kind of service that is provided for a periodic fee, so the provider resolves any performance problems very quickly. The system user can contact the support service at any time and get advice on the functioning of video surveillance at their facility.
3. Remote Access and Control
To view the archive of video recordings, the user just needs to connect to the server via the Internet. It does not have to be located in a monitoring room on the site. You can even use a smartphone or tablet to view video streams.
4. Periodic System Updates
The software responsible for the performance of all surveillance system components needs constant updates. The program code becomes better, errors are eliminated, and new, more effective solutions are added. If, when using the case of traditional video surveillance, the user needs to monitor the timely updating of the system, in the case of cloud video surveillance systems, the service provider is responsible for this.
5. Scalability
Since, in the case of cloud video surveillance, the clients use a minimum of their equipment, expanding the system is not too labor-intensive for them. You can add new cameras by simply attaching them to the desired points and connecting them to the site’s local network. The service provider will take care of the appropriate means for storing video data. Adding a new user is also effortless.
6. Compactness
For video surveillance, the user uses cameras and network equipment. The data is immediately transferred to the cloud, where it is processed and stored, so the owners of the surveillance system do not need to maintain their server for the video archive.
7. Reliability
In the case of traditional solutions, the destruction of the server part, for example, during a fire, will mean the loss of all collected data. The cloud-based video surveillance allows you to store video recordings in a remote location. The only threat to them is deliberate destruction. But video data is also reliably protected from unauthorized access by an authorization system. Cloud systems can flexibly combine video storage both on-site and in the cloud. It has virtually no effect on the viewing quality. Cameras can be flexibly configured to either immediately transmit information to the cloud or so that the initial buffering and analysis of the image is done on-site, and only an edited and compressed copy is sent to the cloud. Cloud systems can provide much higher storage utilization because they operate in a multi-tenant mode.
8. Multiplatform and Easy Integration
You can use a variety of cameras and access a device with any operating system. It makes it easy to use existing equipment without the need for investment. In addition, integrating a new gadget into the system is very simple and often only requires installing the appropriate program. Cloud systems can also work with a variety of analog and IP cameras. However, new cameras can be set up and configured automatically. In the control system, you can see the state of the camera and localize the location of the fault in the chain itself or the communication channel.
9. Ability to Receive Notifications
Traditional systems require constant monitoring. New solutions make it possible to avoid this. You can turn on convenient notifications to stay updated. At the same time, you do not need to monitor the operation of your video equipment constantly. In case of failure, you will receive an SMS or push notification.
10. Ease of Launch
Deploying traditional systems is a long and complex process. It is necessary to install the operating system, configure routers on the network, install storage servers, configure cameras, and install the critical applications. This work requires a team of qualified IT engineers and relatively high start-up costs. Cloud systems are deployed “on demand”. All you need to do is install the cameras and connect them to an inexpensive primary device that bridges your system and the cloud. Everything else is the responsibility of the cloud provider.
Conclusion
Cloud video surveillance is a new but reasonably practical approach to creating surveillance systems that allow you to plunge into modern technologies without actually purchasing these technologies. Such systems provide users with more features than traditional surveillance systems at a more affordable price. It is clear that cloud systems have many advantages, most notably flexibility, scalability, significant savings in both capital and operational costs, as well as higher reliability and availability. The problems of cloud systems include insufficient bandwidth of the Internet channel, which can manifest in the presence of many video cameras (of the order of several hundred or more).
