5 Video Surveillance Trends

I already assessed the 10 key security industry trends from IFSEC International earlier in the year. Now that we are five months down the line from IFSEC, we have a chance to see which trends are already making an impact.

1. Cost

I should elaborate here: In this sense, we refer to capital cost. We all know cost is becoming increasingly difficult to calculate, due to the complexities of systems today and the time it can take to design and configure projects. However, the trend is that an end user looks for the bottom line cost straight away. The pressure to lower costs has never been greater.

Cost has been driven down for two main reasons. First, production of the components and technologies that go into IP have been falling for the last few years. With lower production costs comes the freedom to reduce prices in the market. Secondly, and perhaps more influentially, cost has been reduced due to a vast increase in competition. More and more manufacturers enter video every year, and they have helped to erode prices.

An intriguing sub-plot on top of this is the buying choices of the customer. People in general have changed their opinion on what is important to them. They are prepared to pay for a less reliable product that will “do the job” instead of being “state of the art” and paying for longevity.

2. Simplicity

In any tech market, users are demanding a quick and easy-to-use interface so they can get the most out of their systems quickly. We can call this the “iPhone approach.”

The security market is awash with new software platforms that, ultimately, all do the same thing — give a user a very simple, easy-to-use way of getting their system to do what they want.

Roughly two-thirds of video systems are now on a software platform, rather than a traditional all-in-one Network Video Recorder. Of the 30 percent of systems that are on an NVR, almost all of these now use some form of PC software to manage the NVRs. Simple to use software is now the norm for video, and it is rapidly moving towards 100 percent of video solutions operating on a software platform. We can see this trend within specifications, you will be hard pressed to find a tender that either doesn’t call for a VMS solution for Video, or an NVR/DVR with some form of PC software for the end user.

3. Vertical solutions v.s. standalone products

We are running out of jargon and acronyms for marketing video products — HD, Full HD, PoE, WDR, and DNR. Until the next ground-breaking technological leap, we are basically re-badging the same features over and over again.

To stand out from one another, manufacturers are targeting verticals in which to sell product. This enables them to market in a different way and also to build some tailored systems towards a specific application.

A lot of marketing noise has been around the Transport, Construction, and Healthcare verticals. In effect, manufacturers create systems to fulfill needs within these environments. More and more investment has gone into these messages as we start to see movement in construction again, some more disposable budget within healthcare, and an ever-increasing need for security within transport.

4. Integration

Certainly within the last 12 months, I do not recall a specification for a medium/large sized project that failed to mention integration. Intruder, CCTV, and Access Control are now expected to interact. The interesting trend is how the integration is achieved. Until very recently, we made use of contact closures (usually via a D-Sub connector) to initiate basic interaction between units from different systems.

Integration is now achieved in a far more intelligent way. Through the adoption of software, manufacturers now have Software Developer Kits (SDKs) that basically contain the data instructions that their products send/receive — basically their dialect of IP for communication.

By implementing an SDK into your system, you are able to share information at a database level. This provides autonomous information sharing and live updating of multiple systems as scenarios can be created whereby when a PIR detects movement, a camera starts recording. This in turn can tell an Access Control system to lock a door unless an extreme level of clearance is presented. All of these processes and rules occur in milliseconds, all without any human input or involvement. The log of these events is stored in the database for each system ensuring they all keep an accurate, up-to-date assessment of the system.

This level of integration is becoming more and more commonplace to the point that consultants now expect this to happen, rather than ask if it is feasible.

5. Mobile Access

It is becoming more and more important for video surveillance systems to be accessible via a mobile device. As we use our mobiles for more tasks (both personal and professional), users are demanding that they can manage their security system without the need for a dedicated workstation. Site managers for example are now issued with smart phones and/or tablets that enable them to carry out their key daily tasks on the move — security now falls into that bracket.

Almost every camera manufacturer has developed its own app (or is compatible with a third party app). All the major operating platforms have camera apps now including: iOS, Android, and Blackberry. We can create a multiscreen view of cameras and even control, via touchscreen, a PTZ camera.

Although not written as a requirement into many specifications, when you speak to an end user directly, this is a feature they are asking for more and more.