4 reasons to move to cloud-based video surveillance

As organizations continue to embrace the advantages of cloud-based operating systems for critical functions such as email, phone, and backup services, it’s only natural to extend these benefits to their surveillance systems. Moving a surveillance system to the cloud offers the same benefits to organizations including increased flexibility, better access and management, resource pooling, and more IT support. Moreover, upgrading to a cloud video surveillance system is easier and more affordable than organizations think, especially when compared to the same cost of replacing their existing system with an on-premise system.

Many businesses ask “What are the benefits of cloud video surveillance?” While cloud surveillance video management systems provide many advantages, read on for the four major benefits of cloud video surveillance for businesses and organizations compared to traditional on-premise surveillance systems using onsite network video recorders (NVR) or digital video recorders (DVR).

1. Remote access

The ability to view, download, and save video surveillance from anywhere on any device is the top benefit of a cloud video surveillance system. Remote access is not just important for organizations with multiple locations (such as school districts), but is also a key feature to optimize a surveillance system for business efficiency. 

Traditional on-prem systems are designed to be viewed onsite and run on a desktop. Remote access for a DVR or NVR, if available, typically results in a significant impact on image quality and load times. The ideal solution for remote access is a modern, cloud-based video surveillance system, which has been built to be accessed from any desktop or mobile device.

With convenient access, a surveillance system evolves into a more complete management tool. Administrators can receive alerts, manage users, and even communicate with employees using their mobile devices. Smart, cloud-based video surveillance can help improve business operations and efficiencies with data generated by video analytics.

2. Added security

Traditional on-prem video surveillance systems with internet-connected remote access are not only unreliable but can also add unnecessary risk for an organization. While firewalls can monitor for potential attacks, managing this extra security can burden an IT team’s resources.

With the right cloud-based video surveillance system, protection against cybersecurity vulnerabilities should be built in. This includes protecting cameras from a direct internet connection with a physically separate network port. Cloud systems should also provide data encryption and secure, remote access to video. 

By moving video surveillance retention offsite, cloud-based systems provide additional protection against loss and damages compared to on-prem video retention. Savvy criminals know they can hinder investigations and greatly reduce their chances of being caught by stealing or damaging the video surveillance system.

Redundancy can counteract the loss and damage to a DVR/NVR system. Cloud data centers offer triple redundancy, ensuring that even if onsite hardware is stolen or damaged, the data is backed up to the cloud, so you can still access your video.

3. Ability to scale

Expanding locations, increasing users, adjusting resolution and retention periods, and adding video analytics; these are just some of the reasons that might demand a scalable solution. Traditional systems make it difficult to do this and lack the infrastructure and flexibility to meet these needs. Cloud-based solutions, on the other hand, make it easy to centralize your video surveillance across multiple locations, increase users as needed, and adjust retention or resolution in real-time. 

With a cloud subscription-based model, organizations should only pay for what they use.

4. Automatic upgrades

With the evolution of cloud-based technologies, organizations are growing accustomed to automatic system upgrades and cloud video surveillance provides this same level of continuous system service. 

On-prem systems require site visits or open ports for maintenance and, without cloud connectivity, software upgrades. Cloud–based systems receive automatic and secure software upgrades across all connected sites and devices. This greatly reduces the need for technicians to visit multiple locations for routine updates. This also ensures that cloud customers are always using the latest version of software, which is automatically maintained in the cloud without any action needed on the part of the customer. 

Conclusion

Upgrading a business video surveillance system is a strategic initiative that takes careful planning, but it should not be a burden. With a cloud-based solution, you can streamline the process of upgrading and scaling your technology, while ensuring minimal strain on your IT resources. 

Are you ready to upgrade your video surveillance system to the cloud? Take our video surveillance quiz to compare your current system with the Eagle Eye VMS. Contact us today to schedule a demo.