Page 22 - Security Today, January/February 2019

Before
Deploying a Cloud Strategy
Why mid-market companies can—and should—deploy a video cloud strategy
BTy Andreas Pettersson
here’s enormous opportunity for all enterprises in the cloud, and those in the middle market are taking note. For mid-market businesses, the past few years have been the dawn of a new era in cloud adoption—one marked by significant growth in the maturity of IT teams and a resulting push toward more sophisticated cloud deploy- ments. As a 2018 Techaisle report on SMB and mid-market IT matu- rity segments revealed, 52 percent of mid-market enterprises can be considered “advanced” as far as IT deployments. This means these businesses have chosen to adopt cloud solutions. However, businesses can face challenges in terms of platform selection, data/process man-
agement, security and other factors that can delay deployment. When it comes to video surveillance, there is a clear business case for midsize businesses to migrate to the cloud. Benefits of cloud- based video surveillance include better security, less hardware, data redundancy, easier scalability, and perhaps most importantly, action- able analytics. Ultimately, adopting cloud for video surveillance is a key step for mid-market businesses toward managing their operations like an enterprise business, but adopting video cloud technology de-
mands a strategic approach to avoid common hurdles.
Obstacles to Mid-market Cloud Video
Surveillance Adoption
Despite benefits of cloud-based video surveillance, many mid-market organizations face challenges to deploying a video cloud strategy, in-
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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2019 | SECURITY TODAY
cluding prioritization and confidence in data security.
Prioritization. Mid-market businesses may not have the internal resources compared to those of large enterprises. Whereas larger organizations have dedicated teams focused on cloud mapping and strategy—and actively working to identify functions, like surveil- lance, that would be best served in the cloud—many mid-market businesses do not. Instead, as the Techaisle study pointed out, a significant percentage of mid-market enterprises approach cloud purchasing on an ad-hoc, rather than strategic, basis. As a result, cloud-based surveillance often takes a backseat to more immediate
business concerns.
Confidence. With mid-market organizations, there’s a widespread
lack of confidence that often accompanies a cloud move. A Deloitte study of technology and the mid-market pointed out, this insecurity stems from concerns that a move to the cloud represents a relinquish- ing of control and a significantly heightened risk of data being com- promised or corrupted. This sense of insecurity can become even more pronounced when it comes to surveillance footage, something all businesses guard securely.
Business Benefits of Adopting
a Video Cloud Strategy
Central management of multi-site locations: On-premise video sur- veillance presents a management and cost challenge for mid-market businesses, especially as they scale. When organizations confine their
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