4. Treat your investment like any other.
Because your video management solution is going to need consistent maintenance and potential upgrades and expansions, you need to think of it the same way you would any other big project. This is really not radically different than your infrastructure and certainly no different than your HVAC system, for example. This is a piece of your building that will be operating and fundamentally requires that level of attention.
If you’re going to spend $100,000 on a roof, what would the process be? Would you just bring in one roofer and tell them to do whatever needs to be done and write them a check for $100,000? No, you probably have an expert come out and evaluate, plan, and go through a process. People should be encouraged to do the exact same thing with security technology.
Do your homework before you purchase. When you’re looking for a VMS, you want a good company. A VMS purchase is a return on investment. It’s kind of frustrating to be in a situation where you just don’t have the capabilities to handle a situation. That one time you actually need them, it pays for itself.
Keep in mind that you’re likely going to want to expand your system and add more cameras over time. People get updated cameras and technology, and they see how easy it is to use and what you can actually do with it and then they want to add cameras everywhere. It’s never the other way around.
5. Know (or design) your organization’s policies regarding VMS.
Does your organization have a policy for how long video data is stored? How about one on how to handle data release should the need arise? If no policies exist, they need to be written, and they should always be periodically checked. Make sure that you are following your own policy because, quite frankly, nothing gets you in more trouble than if you’re not. If you don’t have a clear written policy, it gets a little bit vague when people start asking to see images, for example. You just need to all be on the same page and make sure it’s written and you’re following it. You may need to employ legal counsel for this as well.
6. Analog or IP?
Though analog has been around much longer and is generally less expensive, IP is higher quality, and the cost is consistently getting closer to that of analog systems. IP is a much more stable and flexible platform. The technology that goes with it is really on a whole different level.
Like many other organizations, at El Paso International Airport, the camera system is a combination of both analog and IP. This system has been in place for quite some time now, and there are a lot of analog cameras, but they should be switched out and go to all IP cameras. By having one of them replaced the other day, you are able to see from our terminal people walking two and a half miles away. Not crystal clear, but still, the capabilities are incredible.
Being able to add IP-based video technology to the existing analog system is important. People are at a point where IP video technology has hit a maturity where they felt comfortable investing in it, but at the same time, they aren’t ready to abandon our current analog infrastructure, and they really want to continue to get the most value out of that. The current VMS allows us do to that, and we are able to have the best of both worlds without the need for two systems.
Source: SercurityMagazine
