Without an effective video management solution (VMS) in place, your company's video surveillance system will be as rudderless as an orchestra without a conductor. A video surveillance solution consists of the surveillance cameras, network infrastructure, storage solution, as well as the software one needs for managing the system as a whole, viewing live feeds or recorded video, etc.
Before the dawn of the digital revolution, analogue cameras were connected over an infrastructure of coaxial cables to a DVR (digital video recorder, think of it as an old-school PVR). The DVR functioned as the storage solution and came pre-configured with a software solution that allowed companies to manage the surveillance system, after connecting additional input devices such as a mouse, keyboard and screen. A proprietary surveillance solution like this was highly limited in the functionality that it offered users.
Skip ahead to the here and now and this analogue set-up has been replaced by an IP (networked video) system, which sees the cameras connected over a standard PC Ethernet network the likes of LAN, WAN or the Internet. The humble DVR has been replaced with a central PC server or computer, a network attached storage (NAS) device, or even SD cards that are housed within each surveillance camera. Users are now able to employ their notebooks, desktop PCs or even a mobile device to view live video feeds from surveillance cameras via a Web browser, says Roy Alves, Regional Business Development Manager for Middle East and Africa at Axis Communications.
To make everything work as and when needed, a video management software solution is still required (in most usage cases) and this software can be installed on the same PC that is being used for video storage or on a separate computer altogether.
Axis' approach to VMS
According to Alves, the network video and digital video surveillance company offers customers its own selection of video management solutions that addresses the needs of various sized installations, and hosted video solutions using cloud-based infrastructure. However, the company's hardware surveillance products all boast an open interface, thus making it easy for third-party vendors to integrate Axis' cameras and encoders into their video management systems after becoming an Axis Application Development Partner.
Companies opting to have their surveillance needs met by a single supplier can opt between Axis Camera Companion and Axis Camera Station:
* Axis Camera Companion is a basic video surveillance solution for small surveillance systems, utilising between one to 16 cameras, such as at a retail store, SME or local hotel. In this type of surveillance set-up, all video is recorded onto SD cards in the individual cameras and no video data is stored on a DVR or PC server. The solution is very easy to install and use and makes it easy for users to access the system over the Internet, enabling them to view live or recorded video using its PC client or viewing apps for smartphone platforms.
* Businesses that require a more robust VMS for a bigger scale video surveillance systems sporting up to 30 cameras can opt for Axis Camera Station. This fully featured surveillance solution has been designed for medium-sized companies as a complete monitoring and recording system. In such a set-up used in locations like big hotels, universities or shopping centres, video is recorded on a system server. This system supports a wide range of Axis network products including HDTV image quality; camera-based alarm triggers that can help optimise bandwidth and storage efficiency; as well as failover recording and tampering alarm, which assists in securing surveillance systems.
Axis offers a variety of video management solutions, with clients being able to choose between VMS solutions offered by Axis partners or from the firm's own portfolio. Alves stated that the task of choosing the right system for your business depends on many factors, such as how many cameras customers plan on installing on each site, whether they have an IT infrastructure to support their surveillance system, and whether they want to make use of a single vendor or multiple suppliers.
"By addressing all of the above questions, companies will discover the rendezvous, where their current and future requirements match up with their budget constraints and technical possibilities, which will inform their decision as to which VMS is best," concluded Alves.
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