Honeywell Details Video Management Software Platform

• By Steven Titch
• Oct 07, 2008

Honeywell joined the burgeoning list of vendors offering software designed to integrate video surveillance components via the Internet protocol last month, formally unveiling its new IP-based video management system.

Honeywell, which had teased its Video Management System in March at ISC West, was scheduled to begin commercial shipments in September, according to Rob Blasofsel, access/video integration manager at Honeywell Automation and Control Systems, Minneapolis, who was interviewed for this article in August.

Honeywell is positioning its VMS as a “top box,” Blasofsel says. Unlike most of its competitors, which include Milestone Systems, Pelco and On-Net Surveillance Systems Inc., the Honeywell software package does not integrate an NVR per se, but is designed to bring multiple DVRs, NVRS, digital and analog cameras, and other client devices --  from Honeywell and other vendors -- under a common management platform.

But Honeywell goes one step further. Ultimately, it sees the high-level video platform merging with its access platform to become a single point of security and surveillance management. The video management system tightly integrates with Honeywell’s Pro-Watch security management system for access control and management, to the point to where they nearly handshake. “They share common services,” Blasofsel adds, referring to codelevel software and functions. “They can share common servers. They eventually will form one platform.”

For example, the video and access control platforms can work in tandem to ensure there can be video recording and retrieval of all card access entries. It can even do credential imaging if credentialing is part of access policy, Blasofsel says.

Honeywell also provides analytics, an integrated database manager and ATM/point-of-sale support with the system.

The software runs on Windows XP and Windows 2003 Second Edition and Enterprise Edition. It can connect to various large-scale storage platforms, including iSCSI RAID from Honeywell, Blasofsel adds. Application protocol interfaces are available, and a software development kit is under development.

Other features include:

• Operator messaging feature enables data sharing of incidents among operators.
• Auto-discovery of cameras connected to Honeywell Rapid Eye, Fusion and Enterprise recorders.
• User-defined macros that can execute common operations.
• Video pursuit made possible with motion detection sensors in surrounding cameras.
• Digital zoom from PTZ and fixed cameras.
• Ability to investigate events and alarms by simultaneously viewing alarm videos at various stages. For every alarm, users can view the video captured during prealarm, on-alarm and post-alarm, as well as view live video from the camera that triggered the alarm.

Honeywell licenses the product on a per interface basis. For example, once the user purchases a license to use the interface for a specific NVR, there is no limit on the number of those NVRs the user can attach, Blasofsel says. The platform is highly scalable from smaller enterprises up through “power surveillance users,” he adds.

The software has been in beta testing for most of this year, Blasofsel says, although he declined to disclose any customers. The package is aimed at airports, seaports, large multisite commercial buildings, casinos and other high-profile facilities, he says.