The Background
We are all familiar with Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV). It has been around for some time. The concept is a series of video-recording cameras which record imagery for use in securing buildings. It helps to give owners an overview of footfall and activity, as well as deterring criminal activity and for use as evidence to prosecute should that be required.
Despite being such a useful resource for businesses of all sizes and industries, CCTV has historically been out of reach of many companies. It was too expensive to be widely available and those that could afford it complained it was cumbersome. Recordings had to be saved to an on-site DVR, a large and expensive piece of equipment that had to be present on every site – a burden for multi-site businesses. Furthermore, footage was automatically overwritten when a DVR reached capacity and the process for moving key footage off the DVR to another location was fiddly and had to be done manually.
As has been the case so many times in the past, the cloud has proved to be a great leveller and has shaken up the CCTV market. The advancements in Cloud Computing have presented us with an exciting new prospect: Cloud CCTV.
What is Cloud CCTV?
Put simply, Cloud CCTV is traditional CCTV augmented with Cloud technology. You still use a network of cameras at your site, you still have an area to store your footage, you can still use it to monitor footfall and activity, and you can still use it to keep your building(s) protected. However, rather than having a complicated DVR on site that must be maintained, your camera recordings are securely stored in a Cloud portal and can be accessed via the internet.
This is a key benefit. One of the main gripes of the ‘traditional’ legacy CCTV systems was that the recordings could only be viewed from the DVR. That meant you had to be on-site with your DVR in order to view your cameras and the footage you received was only really useful for catching criminals after they have made off with your precious items. With Cloud CCTV you can view a live feed of your premises wherever you are in the world – meaning a business owner can keep a watchful eye on their business from wherever they choose. Moreover, Cloud CCTV can be set to activate when it detects movement and notify you of that. Should a criminal enter your building, you will be notified and can track their movements in real time, giving the police a real chance of apprehending the criminal before they make off with your sensitive items.
How does it work?
You could be forgiven for thinking that Cloud CCTV would be an incredibly complex piece of kit to have installed in your workplace. Legacy CCTV could often be very complicated. Fortunately, Cloud CCTV is simple by comparison. All you need is enough IP cameras (internet-based cameras) to cover the key areas of your building(s), connect them up to your internet and purchase a subscription from entrustIT and you are ready to go.
Your recordings and live camera feed can be viewed in entrustIT’s internet portal or using a smartphone application which works on iOS and Android devices. The feed can be viewed in real-time or you can view your recordings remotely. There is no need for a DVR – it is all hosted in the cloud. Removing that piece of equipment from your setup saves a sunk cost and gives you more flexibility.
What about the cost?
Another important factor when considering Cloud CCTV is its affordability. Your camera hardware will range in price based on your needs – a high-definition waterproof camera will always be expensive. However, if your needs are more modest there are plenty of great options available to you. We recommend cameras from Axis, Y-Cam, or Hikvision, but there are many options to choose from.
Once you have your cameras, all you need is a monthly subscription to the entrustIT Cloud CCTV service. Pricing is based on the length of time you need to keep your recordings saved in the Cloud for. You can learn more about the pricing by visiting our Cloud CCTV web page and downloading our CCTV product sheet – but you will pleasantly surprised at its affordability. You can also scale up/down monthly as your business grows and changes, meaning you are never paying for something you do not need.
What is the next step?
If you are interested in learning a little more about Cloud CCTV, visit the entrustIT Cloud CCTV page. We have a number of excellent resources to keep you informed.
The team at entrustIT will handle the whole process for you. We can either make a recommendation of cameras for you to purchase or we can procure them for you. Our engineers will visit your site to conduct a survey and plan where to best place the cameras. We will also conduct a network assessment to decipher if your internet connection may cause you problems down the line and then we will install your cameras for you and ensure they are working correctly.
Once your cameras are installed you will receive access to our online portal and smartphone applications where you can view your camera feed. You will also receive ongoing support from the entrustIT Service Team to manage any issues related to your CCTV system.
If you would like to learn more, visit our Cloud CCTV webpage.