Page 39 - Security Today, November/December 2018

ing in significantly lower cost. No employee could access the sys- tem inappropriately. Professional management of the video data would inevitably lead to higher reliability and more secure video protection at the same time.
The same model could be scaled out to a large number of cameras in a single project for superior coverage, or to multiple small projects in other locations that are aggregated together via the cloud. Video would be recorded locally and stored over the cloud to a professionally-managed data center, with IT-grade op- erational and security best practices. Such a facility would pro- vide the best achievable uptime and responsiveness to any issues as they arise while providing significant improved ROI.
Challenges and Risks
When rolling out any new technology, there are always challenges and risks to be addressed. A long-time challenge to the first cloud deployments has been that security professionals are often un- willing to allow their video to be stored offsite. Instead, they have traditionally preferred to keep their video data “locked down” in their facility where they can physically limit and control access. Losing this level of physical control can be perceived to be a ma- jor issue. However, this view is changing as cost benefits are better understood and security professionals become better educated about cloud technology. The increasing use of the cloud for IT- managed corporate data and rising personal use of cloud services are also responsible for much of this gradual shift in perception.
Another concern is that video surveillance generates very large files, and the transfer and storage of such material can be quite costly. Most professional-grade megapixel security cameras to- day offer advanced compression technologies such as H.264 and increasingly H.265. Many camera vendors go further by offering their own technologies that reduce network bandwidth and video storage requirements. These techniques and technologies are es- pecially important with the widespread adoption of multi-sensor cameras and the growth of 4K or higher megapixel technology for ever better surveillance coverage and image quality. While these factors all help, only by selecting what video is stored lo- cally and what is uploaded to the cloud can the cost issue be most effectively addressed today.
Yet the biggest concern of today’s security professionals is cybersecurity. Highly publicized cyberattacks continue to plague electronic systems of all kinds worldwide, and only the most cy- ber-secure systems can be counted upon to adequately protect surveillance video.
In response to these valuable benefits and addressing justifi- able concerns, many long-time video management systems have added remote access technology to their products and are in- creasing system security. Most VMS systems now allow remote access to the surveillance system, such as through an offsite PC or Mac, and increasingly through a smartphone or tablet app. Many also enable video to be streamed to additional locations for secure offsite backup or storage.
A few vendors now provide next generation products designed entirely from the ground up for the cloud. In these cases, video is captured locally through megapixel cameras, then uploaded to a remote storage service via the cloud, with various techniques employed to reduce video file size and network bandwidth. At
present, these systems often are limited in practical use by the number of cameras that can be supported in a single location, but all show much promise for the future. A reasonable predication is that eventually, the most important video will be stored offsite using cloud applications.
Today’s Best Solution
The best solution at present may be a blended or hybrid cloud surveillance system. Such a hybrid offers both local and cloud recording. It starts with the traditional model, of recording lo- cally on an NVR or server using the vendor’s video management system. This increases the reliability of recording and eliminates most performance, bandwidth, or cost issues that arise from con- tinuously streaming all captured video over the internet to the cloud. The hybrid approach can allow for more cameras to ef- fectively be used in a single location than a cloud-only solution might affordably deliver.
The local NVR or server plus the video and user accounts it contains can be managed remotely, over the cloud. This reduces or eliminates the need for local admins, providing major savings and reducing both complexity and risk of system compromise. No local programming is required, and only those authorized can access the system.
Important video, such as clips of activity or incidents, can be uploaded to the cloud for long term storage or sharing with mul- tiple users—anywhere, anytime.
A fully-enabled thick client for laptops or desktops, a soft- ware-free thin client accessed from most popular web browsers, or a useful app on a smart phone or tablet are all that are re- quired to access and use the system with a single sign-in regard- less of platform.
Strong cybersecurity is key to the reliability and protection of both traditional and cloud-based surveillance, and may be lack- ing in many in-use systems today.
For new cloud-based deployments, use of two-step verifica- tion is a required first step. This security approach can be used to allow access the surveillance system or the video it contains, regardless of platform used. Having strong controls over who can see and do on the system is also a must-have.
Video to be shared from the cloud must be password protect- ed with NIST-compliant data encryption for maximum security to ensure appropriate access. Each local VMS or NVR system must establish a trusted outbound connection to the cloud stor- age platform. This eliminates potential network vulnerabilities by eliminating need for any open ports through the network firewall. This capability will be appreciated by the IT organization, further reducing the risk to the entire network infrastructure versus tradi- tional remote access methods.
Cloud-based systems that offer these types of protection, per- formance, flexibility, and cost savings are the next logical step as video surveillance and the security industry overall moves into this new age. Hybrid cloud solutions are available today from a select group of vendors, and offer much additional promise for the future through the power and potential of the cloud.
Jeff Whitney is the vice president of marketing at Arecont Vision, a Costar company.
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