Understanding CCTV Cloud Storage

Since the advent of cloud technology, many industries have been drawn toward this new technology. In the security industry, cloud technology has many benefits to the end-user, which is disrupting conventional (CCTV) video surveillance. This blog post will explain five core benefits of CCTV cloud storage, vs traditional DVR, NVR, and VMS security systems.

 

What is VSaaS?

Originally covered in a previous blog post, VSaaS, or Video Surveillance as a Service, is hosted cloud-based video surveillance. VSaaS typically includes video recording, storage, remote monitoring, alerts, video analytics, and more. Some businesses might wonder how long will CCTV storage last. Storage of CCTV footage can last as long as is required or specified by the business user. With advancements in cloud technology and improved bandwidth, the business case for investing in VSaaS and cloud video surveillance software is stronger than ever. 

 

What are the Benefits of VSaaS?

There is a debate over if VSaaS will become the dominant approach for the enterprise surveillance market. Enterprise users are willing to pay for ease of setup, no additional hardware and enhanced security. This brings us onto a discussion of the main benefits of VSaaS, which are:

        Ease of Use: setup is simple with little to no maintenance required on the part of the enterprise user. The video surveillance system is accessible from anywhere, at any time, via web and mobile apps. Cloud surveillance cameras don’t require network configuration like port forwarding and most providers offer reliable remote monitoring and accessibility. 

       Cost Savings: via economies of scale, lower capital cost, reduced IT & security costs, reliability & redundancy. VSaaS requires much lower upfront expenditures through the use of existing or new cameras. No additional hardware (i.e. DVR or NVR) is required on-premise. 

       Security: advanced cloud-based systems do not have the cybersecurity vulnerabilities of traditional systems, such as open ports, or on-premise software with remote access.

       Flexibility and Scalability: valuable for situations in which you might need to change storage, upgrade/downgrade, or add additional cameras. Many solutions offer a flexible combination of on-premise and cloud storage. This is ideal as users can decide what is suitable without having to modify existing hardware, with unlimited cameras, locations and users.

       AI & Video Analytics: access to the latest innovations like occupancy management and object detection. Users can receive automatic technology and software updates. 

VSaaS is Secure

Expanding on point 3 as above, CCTV cloud storage offers more security than traditional methods of storing surveillance data. For instance, keeping the footage off-site in a secure Tier III and ISO27001 certified facilities with strictly controlled access (like Ocucon's datacentre footprints) mitigates against bad actors physically accessing network video recorders in stores and deleting or altering footage. Furthermore, natural disasters, fires, floods, terrorist attacks can destroy that equipment, so sending footage to the cloud in real-time protects your valuable data. A final point to consider is that cloud storage typically offers more resilience out of the box as video footage may be backed up or archived in multiple locations, guarding from equipment failure causing loss of data.