Security Technology Executive

FEB-MAR 2018

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34 SECURIT Y TECHNOLOGY E XECUTIVE • Februar y/March 2018 • www. SecurityInfoWatch.com VIDEO TECHNOLOGY efforts to address ongoing security threats. In 2006, less than 10 million surveillance cameras were shipped worldwide. Over 100 million shipped in 2016. By the end of this year, the number is expected to exceed 130 million. Retention times are increasing. With litigation, regulatory require- ments, and business intelligence affecting data management poli- cies, there is a growing desire to keep video footage longer. All these changes are combin- ing to put a strain on data storage strategies. Appliance-based archi- tectures are not scalable enough and IT-based solutions are opti- mized for reading , not writing streams of data. More storage capacity is needed to satisfy this growing appetite for data. Organi- zations are responding, and they are increasingly turning to enter- prise storage platforms to address the need. In fact, the amount of enterprise storage shipped for video sur- veillance is projected to grow 42.3 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2021. Big Data Analytics Drives Value Another factor influencing data storage strategies is big data analytics. Every organization wants to derive insights from the vast amount of structured and unstructured data they collect. Video cameras are starting to be viewed as one source among thou- sands that can provide valuable data, and many industries are using video for applications beyond safety and security. Transportation is one example. Population con- tinues to grow. In the U.S. alone, the population is expected to increase by 70 million people by 2045. As the number of people increases, so do traffic problems, especially in major urban areas. States like Utah are addressing transportation challenges using data from road sensors, cameras, and mobile devices to improve road conditions and to optimize traffic flow. Video is also playing a major role in helping trans- form cities into "smart" cities. From monitoring pedes- trian activity to addressing parking and transporta- tion challenges, video is being combined with sensors and smart technology to improve the quality of life in major cities. Retail is another example. Retailers have used video surveillance for loss prevention for years. But with advanced analytics, they are also able to derive valu- able insight for business intelligence and operations. Video helps retailers monitor shopper behavior. They can track movement through the stores and measure dwell time (the amount of time a shopper interacts with displays or kiosks), and then make decisions about store layouts, product placement, and push- targeted in-store advertising to improve their results. As these examples show, there is an opportunity in harnessing unstructured data. In fact, according to a study by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), 71 percent of respondents said their organization has the poten- tial to leverage its unstructured data to create new revenue opportunities or increase value. These examples also illustrate another point: video is becoming an important source of data in the ongo- ing development of big data analytics applications. Multi-Tier Storage Lowers Cost Today's focus on data emphasizes the importance of storage and data management. A multi- tier approach is a great way to get the capacity you need at a lower cost. What is multi-tier storage? It's an approach to deliv- ering storage capacity where different storage media— disk, object storage, tape, and cloud—are configured into tiers and managed in a way that balances perfor- mance, capacity, and access. How does it work? Video is ingested into high-per- formance disk with additional copies written to tape and/or cloud. When a pre-defined day of retention is met on the disk-based tier, the expiring day's blocks become available for new footage. Unlike other archi- tectures, since there was a backup copy already on tape or cloud, a day's worth of data does not have to be moved across the network and be managed by the VMS application, positively impacting both network and application server performance. Files can also be moved between tiers based on user-defined policies. When the policies are met, the files are moved to a less expensive tier, which reduces the long-term cost of retaining files. The policy-based tiering gives users the flexibility to choose which files reside on high-performance disk and which ones are moved to tape or cloud. How do you design a multi-tier configuration for video surveillance storage? Multi-tier solutions strike a balance between performance and long-term reten- tion. In a multi-tier configuration, high-performance media (disk or flash) is sized based on the ingest requirements, which is determined by the number of cameras and channel counts in the system. Once the ingest capacity is met, the rest of the capacity is split between a combination of object storage, tape, and cloud. This provides a less expen- sive way of storing video for a long period of time. In most configurations, the ingest capacity is relatively small compared to the combined capacity of the other About the Author: Wayne Arvidson is V ice President for Intelligence, Sur veillance & Securit y Solutions for Quant um Corporation. A seasoned global marketing , product management, and business development executive, He has over 25 years senior management experience in companies ranging from start-ups to Fort une 500 firms and drives Quant um's strategy in the intelligence and securit y market. He is an expert on best storage practices for v ideo sur veillance, and is helping to drive industry transformation by educating the market on the role storage can play as the foundation of a securit y infrastruct ur e. Video is also playing a major role in helping transform cities into "smart" cities.

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