Video Surveillance Checklist

Video surveillance has evolved from what was once an analog physical security monitoring tool to a powerful platform for safety, security and operational analytics. Use this checklist to ensure your organization is prepared to modernize its video surveillance infrastructure to bolster its hindsight, insight and foresight by getting more value from video.

Key Considerations for Deploying Enhanced Video Surveillance

Have I identified all potential requirements for expanding video surveillance?

Do I have a clear understanding of current and future threats to people and property? How much time and money gets consumed by security investigations? Do we need faster detection and response to incidents? Could we could reduce the OpEx used on outsourced security services? Does our current physical security infrastructure need to be modernized?

Will my current infrastructure support expanded use of video?

Do I already have the network and hardware components necessary to successfully support enhanced digital video surveillance? Do my switches have available Power over Ethernet (PoE) ports for new cameras? How will adding many hi-res IP video streams impact network performance? Do I have sufficient internet bandwidth to send video data to the cloud?

What kind of cameras do I need? Where do I need to place them?

Determining how many and what kind of cameras will be needed across the organization is critical to ensuring physical security. Ask yourself: Where do I need to place security cameras and sensors for maximum effectiveness? Are there extraordinary conditions – low light, high contrast, low visibility, extreme weather – that might impact visibility and camera performance?

What type of architecture and video management system (VMS) will I need?

It’s important to consider whether an on-premises solution, a cloud-based system or a hybrid approach will work best for you. Also ask: Am I planning to integrate IP video management with access control, visitor management or other systems? Does the VMS need to support facial and license plate recognition capabilities?

Have I considered the impact on data storage?

Do I have a defined retention policy for security video? Are there legal or compliance requirements I must adhere to? How quickly will video data grow based on camera count, frame rate and resolution?

Are there opportunities for video analytics to create business value?

Can video surveillance support strategic initiatives beyond safety and security? Are there business processes that are hard to measure but could be monitored visually? Can we correlate metadata from video analytics with other business data to gain new insights?