An Evolution, Not a Revolution

A look at technologies and trends shaping the IP industry

• By Elan Moriah
• Oct 01, 2009

Terrorism and other security threats are generating a high demand for advanced video security solutions that can help detect threats and protect lives and assets. A wide range of industries—including banking, retail, critical infrastructure, government, education, ports, public transportation and homeland security —is interested in a broader deployment of video solutions.

Using a more proactive approach to leveraging existing video infrastructure, organizations continue to increase the safety and security of their facilities, improve emergency response and enhance their investigative capabilities.

Technology Transition

Consistent with the ongoing demand from heightened security needs, the video security market continues to experience a technology transition from passive analog CCTV video systems to more sophisticated network-based IP video solutions with integrated analytics.

Traditionally, CCTV systems use analog equipment and closed networks that offer basic recording and viewing capabilities. Conversely, IP video solutions use network-based video management software that can efficiently collect, manage and analyze large amounts of video over networks. The transition from analog systems to network-based digital systems can help improve an organization’s ability to detect security breaches, deliver video and data across the enterprise, and quickly provide outside agencies the information they need to address security threats.

The technology transition from CCTV systems to IP-based video solutions is an evolution, rather than a revolution. Many analog technology users still will need to continue using their existing analog video infrastructure in conjunction with IP-based video solutions. As this technology evolves, the market will favor those able to support their customers through the transition. Video analytics technology also is poised to continue gaining momentum. Video analytics are designed to help organizations make sense of huge volumes of information by automatically pinpointing activities indicative of security threats. When video analytics was first introduced to the market, there was a great deal of hype around this new, innovative technology. As such, the expectations from video analytics have resulted in some disappointment. Without tight integration to the video solution, the value of analytics is limited.

In order to be effective for security operations, video analytics is now becoming a very important feature of an integrated video solution—not a standalone proposition as it was originally.

Investment and Purchase Patterns

As technology advancements continue to change the landscape of the industry, so do customer demands. Similar to recent trends with enterprise applications, such as ERP and CRM systems, buyers are transitioning from multiple suppliers to single vendors that can provide a comprehensive IP video solution. It’s expected that this trend will be further driven by the increased involvement of IT departments in the purchase decision-making process of video solutions. As such, these departments and broader organizations are opting for a single source for all their IP video needs. This movement bodes well to the value of integrated solutions in that they can help drive a more streamlined connection to PSIM systems, such as access control and other security subsystems. The end result: buyers can receive higher value for their video systems at a lower cost.

Impact on Business, Operational Effectiveness

As technology transitions to a more sophisticated, network-based IP video system with integrated analytics, organizations are leveraging their current video infrastructures. And with enhancements to video technology, organizations enjoy faster and greater return on investment. Today, more organizations are leveraging networked video to improve business and operational effectiveness.

Retail is one sector in particular with a significant interest in using IP video solutions that feature integrated analytics. Armed with this technology, retailers are better prepared to make more informed operational decisions and validate assumptions for key in-store marketing, product placement and advertising decisions.

By leveraging existing video surveillance footage, retailers can quickly extract and search for trends and patterns in customer behaviors to provide them with a more enjoyable shopping experience. Further, when combined with point-of-sale data on customer-buying patterns, these video solutions can help determine the success rate of specific promotions and optimize store layout and design to infl uence traffic patterns and maximize sales.

In the future, we can expect to see integrated analytics applied across an array of markets, helping improve the customer experience and providing a quantified ROI.

Connecting the Dots

Today, there is an ongoing focus on the need for integrated security systems that combine traditional physical security with IT-based security platforms. This demand for security solutions paves the way for advanced practices in information management. Making video available to users on the network will enable them to make faster, more proactive and better informed decisions.

As the market continues to evolve, we can and should fully expect demand for safety, security, convenience and design to follow suit—fueling product development and innovation to revolutionize the IP video marketplace.