Page 34 - Security Today, September 2019

”These best-in-class systems offer strong cybersecurity, designed from the start for maximum protection rather than being a later add-on for a traditional surveillance system.”
as larger facilities present issues that must be addressed. The first big challenge is around the availability and cost of network bandwidth.
When multiple cameras are added to a typical cloud solution, the limits of available network bandwidth come into play. Security pro- fessionals must often sacrifice image quality and resolution through compression or other temporary solutions in order to stay within the limits of available bandwidth. Even when sufficient bandwidth is available, the cost of its use and the storage of large amounts of video in the cloud may be too burdensome for many customer projects.
Another important issue facing cloud solutions is the potential vulnerability of network devices—including surveillance cameras— to cyberattack. There is no shortage of media coverage of successful malicious hacks, and the risk increases as data move from physical barriers to the cloud without adequate protections in place.
Keeping these challenges in mind, an increasingly popular solu- tion is a hybrid cloud surveillance system. At their heart, leading hy- brid solutions are designed to address the challenges of the cloud while leveraging the technology’s benefits. It is important to recognize that while all video needs to be easily available for viewing 24/7, not all video needs to be instantly uploaded to the cloud as it recorded.
With a hybrid cloud solution, all video is recorded locally onto an NVR or video server, residing in the location, just as in a tradition- al surveillance system. The NVR or server is administered entirely over the cloud, rather than requiring local staff. There is no excessive
bandwidth cost and no practical limits on the number of cameras.
Delivering Additional Benefits
The best of these hybrid cloud solutions deliver many additional benefits, with a full-function VMS at the core to the system. User, group and equipment profiles and permissions are stored securely in the cloud, allowing remote access by any authorized administrator, at any time and from virtually anywhere.
The best hybrid cloud systems allow all NVRs and servers to be accessed via a single sign-on tied to their individual or group profile, all managed via the cloud. Video from any location can be easily ac- cessed by authorized users and uploaded to the cloud. Instant noti- fications of alarms, motion or system health are all delivered over the cloud. A systems integrator or dealer can support their custom- ers with affordable remote monitoring and administration, reducing truck rolls and offering an enhanced recurring revenue stream.
These best-in-class systems offer strong cybersecurity, designed from the start for maximum protection rather than being a later add- on for a traditional surveillance system. These features address the major IT security concerns, including no requirement for open in- bound ports into the customer’s firewall and the network beyond. Multi-factor authentication is key to the best solutions, as is NIST- compliant data encryption and full transport layer security.
Cloud-based surveillance is already here. As video analytics and AI technologies are further integrated and cur-
rent bandwidth challenges are addressed, cloud-
based surveillance systems will continue to grow
into the standard solution for future security professionals.
Jeff N. Whitney is the vice president of marketing at Arecont Vision Costar.
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