The Future of Video Security
Even before the pandemic, cloud computing was
flourishing. It is nearly impossible today to find an
organization that doesn’t use some form of cloud
service. From applications to operating systems, to
web servers, storage, and virtual LANs — an almost
infinite array of solutions can be found in the cloud.
No doubt, the adoption of cloud-based tools and services will
be a priority for organizations for years to come. The pandemic
has brought a considerable acceleration of technology development
and a broad demand and acceptance of countless new use
cases, all unheard of just a year ago.
Gartner recently reported that the worldwide public cloud services
market is forecast to grow 6.3% in 2020 to total $257.9 billion, up
from $242.7 billion in 2019. Desktop as a service (DaaS) is expected
to have the most significant growth in 2020, increasing 95.4% to $1.2
billion. DaaS offers an inexpensive option for enterprises supporting
the surge of remote workers and their need to securely access enterprise
applications from multiple devices and locations.
Part of the attraction for a cloud-based services approach is that
it offers an easy and efficient way for an enterprise to manage applications
and technology with a high level of redundancy, stability,
and security. Simply put, cloud computing eliminates the problems
of buying and maintaining hardware and software on a user-by-user,
workstation-to-workstation basis. Cloud solutions are generally more
affordable, which makes them suitable for businesses of any size.
THE VSAAS BOOM
For reasons mentioned, cloud services are particularly attractive
to professional security and surveillance applications. Some of
the key factors driving the popularity of Video Surveillance as a
Service (VSaaS) include the low cost of investment, the increased
demand for real-time surveillance data, and the flexible scalability
offered by cloud-based solutions.
According to a recent Markets and Markets report, the VSaaS
market is expected to grow from $2.2 billion in 2020 to reach $4.7
billion by 2025, and it’s expected to grow at a compound annual
growth rate of 16% from 2020 to 2025.
“We continue to see the cloud as a major influencer in the market,
particularly in the enterprise space; many large organizations
are adopting a ‘cloud-first’ strategy to solve existing challenges,”
said Jeremy Scott, national sales manager, North, Milestone Systems.
“While many of these organizations are invested in their
current technologies, a hybrid environment offers an easy, costeffective
path to leveraging the benefits of the cloud and toward
making a full transition over time.”
VSaaS can include video management, recording, storage, remote
viewing, alerts, and the on-demand use of video analytics
and other high-level computing services. In a VSaaS environment,
service providers can manage some, most, or all surveillance-related
activities, which reduces on-premise (on-prem) IT costs. And
because minimal hardware is needed, cloud solutions reduce upfront
capital costs and significantly lower entry barriers for organizations
to achieve high-level security system capabilities.
The technology stack that was traditionally embedded in devices,
clients and servers can now be augmented or replaced with cloud
computing and applications provided by cloud and VSaaS providers.
FLEXIBLE SOLUTIONS
No matter the solution — on-premises, hybrid cloud, Infrastructure
(IaaS), Platform (PaaS) or Software (SaaS) as a Service — to
match the right customer with the right solution, we must understand
the true nature of the customer’s operation. Cloud computing
unlocks excellent opportunities for designing the right solution
for their specific needs.
For example, Milestone Systems now offers a range of products
on Amazon Web Services (AWS) that offer flexible, cost-effi-
cient and reliable cloud deployment alternatives to the traditional
on-prem VMS systems.
AWS is the worlds’ most comprehensive and broadly-adopted
cloud platform. It offers the most secure cloud computing environment
available, with services such as compute, storage, database
and networking available in seconds. By deploying their
VMS from AWS, users save time on system set-up with automated
OS and VMS installations and a pre-configured VMS.
In a full-cloud deployment scenario, the only hardware maintained
on-prem are the cameras, and possibly an end-device (gateway)
used to access the system. This means that the servers, recorders, and
storage are maintained fully by AWS 24/7 anywhere in the world.
“Video management platforms, intelligent applications, hardware
acceleration, cloud processing — they are all evolving and progressing
together. The speed of advancement right now in our industry
is remarkable,” Scott said. “Video platforms and
applications are getting smarter and more useful,
and users are benefiting tremendously from
increased automation and new capabilities that
augment human decision making.”
This article originally appeared in the March 2021 issue of Security Today.