Video Trends In 2016: Reaching For The Cloud(s)
By Steve Carney, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Video and Integration Platforms, for Tyco Security Products
The video surveillance market has evolved considerably in recent years, thanks to the introduction of high-definition, high-megapixel cameras and their network video recorder counterparts. With the ability to produce better video data, at a higher speed, the market has made a concerted effort of late to address bandwidth consumption and data throughput. With 2016, the evolution continues, with cybersecurity, business intelligence, service-based solutions, and the cloud, becoming top-of-mind issues for integrators and manufacturers to address.
Cybersecurity
Cybersecurity will continue as a growing trend in the security industry and beyond. In 2015, we saw governments and private entities investing heavily in security measures, encompassing infrastructure security for transportation and buildings that included physical and logical/cybersecurity. Concern over cyberattacks via physical security networks also grew this past year, as more and more networks are accessible via mobile apps, IP cameras, controllers, NVRs and other network devices.
The pace and intensity of addressing cybersecurity is far beyond anything else the industry has previously encountered and its prominence in the physical industry will continue in 2016. Cybersecurity is a major concern for everyone, and it’s important for the security industry to ensure it is doing everything it can to keep our security solutions secure and give customers peace of mind. As many know, network vulnerabilities have to be managed at the highest levels, especially since so many systems are now networked. No one wants to be a vulnerable point on a network or the cause of a security breach. In the network world, if a manufacturer can’t stay ahead of cybersecurity concerns, which are the fastest evolving issues in the market, it will fall behind.
Managed Solutions And Business Intelligence
The video surveillance market can also expect to see growth in the managed services sector, as end users look for services providers to secure and store sensitive data rather than trying to secure and store it themselves on local servers and networks. There is certainly unrealized potential in providing security services in addition to providing security systems. Many integrators are currently moving to a subscription service model, a model followed by many start-up businesses. Start-ups often don’t own phones, videos, or music — they use subscription-based services to keep their businesses lean and focused. The security market will see this filter through from the consumer market to the business world towards the end of 2016.
Demand for added business intelligence will grow in 2016 as well. Businesses are looking for an edge over their competitors with the added intelligence that can be provided by their security and other systems. The expectation from end users that all security systems and electronic systems in general will work together seamlessly to offer these added benefits is part of a trend that began in 2015.
In 2016, the popularity of business intelligence capabilities will continue to be linked to end users’ expectations for all electronic systems, including security, to “do it all” with simple-to-understand user interfaces. The security industry is in a great position to supply large amounts of data that can be used for more than security purposes. Security data can potentially serve a central role in the aggregation and management of data from multiple systems, which also, incidentally, happens to be at the heart of what Internet of Things is and does.
The Megapixel Solution: Cloud Storage
The hope is that in 2016, the industry will determine the best and most practical approach to using the cloud to store, move and secure the large amounts of data produced by high-resolution video cameras. Because the stakes in the security industry are so high, video systems in the security industry have to be especially secure, much more so than in other industries. In the next year the industry will be figuring out how best to use the cloud, which seems the natural solution for moving and storing large amounts of video security data.
The small-to-medium business market will continue to use the cloud when and where it makes sense to do so, in the form of hosted and managed solutions and expanded service contracts. End users want to be able to access their video surveillance systems quickly and easily. Cloud applications can be deployed quickly, and changing processing and storage needs can be addressed on demand. By decreasing the need for on-site servers and databases, cloud computing can reduce the size of physical space needed and can lower maintenance and hardware costs, as well as staffing requirements. As technology advances and there is broader adoption, cloud computing will likely increase significantly in 2016.
The next year seems bright for the physical security industry. Several published reports this year estimate that industry revenue will likely increase by double digits over the next five years. This market demand, coupled with the innovation from the consumer market that is increasingly influencing security, make it an exciting time. We do face real challenges as a market in the coming year, such as finding a solution for high-resolution image management and continually creating physical security systems that are as close to immune from cyberattacks as possible. However, these challenges are also great opportunities for collaborations and partnerships, and give the industry a chance to grow in leaps and bounds.
Stephen Carney is senior director of product marketing, video and integration platforms, for Tyco Security Products, overseeing the company’s American Dynamics, Exacq, Illustra, and Proximex brands. Prior to his career in product management Carney was an attorney and commercial litigator. He started his professional life as an officer in the U.S. Army and served as a Patriot missile operator and platoon leader during Desert Storm. He can be reached at stcarney@tycoint.com.