Best Practices for IP Video Management

My recent posts on IP Video Management turned out be 7-part series.  Who knew it was such a fascinating topic to warrant such length, right?  If you gained anything at all from this long run it should at least be that there is a lot to consider with these systems.

And that’s because IP video management is a highly important component of your IP surveillance system.  It is your window to the world in front of your cameras.  Controls, configuration, video search, and live monitoring and recording are all done from this single interface.

To sum everything up, below is a condensed list of best practices to follow to make the right selection for your application.

Best Practices

Hardware Platform:  Which do you prefer, a Network Video Recorder (NVR) or an open PC server platform?

Scalability:  Know your surveillance system and it’s purpose.  Some IP video managment systems will be easy to install and use but have limited scalability.  Others may scale up to thousands of cameras but are complex to use in a small system.

Functionality:  Again, understand what you’re trying to accomplish with your surveillance system.  Will you be happy with a basic system that allows for simple recording and viewing of a few cameras or, do you need something more advanced with event handling and mapping functionalities?

Web Based or Windows:  Ease of use should be top priority especially if you’re going to have many users / operators.  Therefore, consider if your system’s interface should be a web-based or Windows-based application?

Open Platform or Vendor Specific:  Most IP camera and video server manufacturers supply their own video management systems but oftentimes they are vendor specific and work only with that brand’s products.  Open systems from 3rd party vendors work with many brands allowing for greater flexibility for your surveillance system.

Integration:  Do you need to integrate IP video with your businesses other systems?  Sytems such as point of sale (PoS), access control, and building management can be used in conjuction with IP video to further enhance their functionality.  Check out How To Integrate IP Video Management Into Your Business for more information.