The new age Video Management Systems are truly strategic investments, sometimes with revenue generating options, for an enterprise. Although a lot of cost is associated with the deployment and maintenance of a video management system (VMS), a right VMS always pays off in terms of managing and enhancing business operations, along with innovative surveillance features.

The Video Management Systems are indispensable part of security and surveillance solutions. Every organization, across different industries, requires a robust VMS to secure their assets and ensure continuous monitoring and surveillance. Since every surveillance project is unique, the main challenge for any enterprise lies in selecting and deploying a VMS, which can complement with their business processes.

There are few prerequisites, which an enterprise must consider before investing in a Video Management System. Let us discuss them in detail:

1. Industry

The enterprises with the objective of installing a VMS in their premises should first consider the industry they belong to. The Video management System architecture greatly depends on the industry of an enterprise for which it is being designed. The layout and components of a VMS are different for different industries. For example, the cameras and connected devices which are suitable for retail surveillance may not work for in-vehicle surveillance or city surveillance projects. Industries help in broadly defining the scope of the surveillance project with the VMS system, whether it will be static as in case of retail VMS or dynamic like in Fleet VMS.

2. Size of the organization

The size of the organization is very important in defining the size of the surveillance projects. Enterprises with reference to their surveillance project sizes can be differentiated as small, medium or large sized VMS installations, which clearly helps in predicting the scalability of the project with an exact number of surveillance cameras and devices required for the system.

3. Business Requirement

Enterprises need to consider their requirements for surveillance solution – whether they want an entirely new VMS or an upgradation of their existing VMS. Both the scenarios are entirely different.

In a new VMS system, there are options to choose from hundreds of available systems in the market. There is no previous cost associated with the Video Surveillance. Since all the cameras, devices are new; their compatibility and future requirement with the system can be checked and analyzed, easily. In the latter case, where enterprises look to upgrade their VMS, the main challenge lies in migrating from the legacy systems. With the existing network of cameras and connected devices, it is very important to find such a system, which is compatible with the existing one.

It is very important to check how existing system entities are interacting with the new VMS software, storage servers, management servers, cloud etc.

4. Type of Deployment

With the size of the organization, it is required to evaluate the type of VMS systems deployment suitable for the organizations. A single site and multi-site businesses require different deployment types of VMS systems. VMS systems on the deployment front can be classified as On-premise, Cloud-based, and Hybrid VMS systems, which can be of small or medium or large-sized installation types.

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5. Types of VMS Packages

Video Management Systems can be customized as per customer’s requirements. There are many options for VMS systems available in the market, which allows the customers to choose a plug-n-play, standalone VMS or to opt for subscription-based VMS services from the service providers.

In small video surveillance projects, users can just purchase a VMS package and get it installed by the company technician. In medium or large-sized VMS projects, enterprises can consult with either system integrators or VMS service providers, who can guide them thoroughly in deploying the right VMS system. The cost of VMS system is generally fixed in the former case, whereas in case of involvement of VMS service providers, the cost of the project depends on the services acquired for the system. In this case, it is very important to select the right vendor who can understand their business and support with the right customization of the video surveillance solutions and pricing models to suit their business outcomes.

6. Types of Surveillance Cameras

Surveillance cameras are the sources of core data “Video feeds”, which are the most important assets in a Video Management System and hence, they should be chosen with extra thoughtfulness. The Video Surveillance cameras can be selected considering the types and features of the cameras, which are designed based on user-specific requirements of the surveillance sites. The various types of camera available in the market are: dome, bullet, box, PTZ, 360- degree, thermal, Wireless, dash cams, etc. Some of the parameters to consider in surveillance cameras include resolution, night vision, field view, video analytics, inside/outside use, weather protection etc.

Consider resolution, night vision, field view, #videoanalytics & inside/outside use to buy #VideoSurveillance cameras @einfochipsltd

7. Integrations with Connected Devices

Connected devices in VMS not only support advanced video surveillance, but also allows Video Management Software in generating useful data for improving business operations. Connected devices in a VMS system can include access control devices, alarms, sensors, microphones, accelerometers, GPS devices, POS in retail, traffic signals, door locks etc. Every surveillance project has different connected devices to be integrated with the VMS system, which majorly depends on industry type, size of the project and level of depth in video analytics required by the business. It is important for the management to know the potential vulnerabilities of their business operations and identify the sensors or devices to be integrated to overcome the same. They must also check the possibilities of integration of these devices with the system.

8. Video Analytics

Enterprises looking for implementing a VMS system should also consider the scope of utilizing Video analytics since it is a powerful medium to check on the fraudulent activities, analyze the effectiveness of the system, and generate intelligent data to support the business processes. Video analytics data in VMS can be a result of the functionalities of the connected entities or the algorithms specifically designed for the surveillance project. Enterprises deploying a VMS must analyze their requirement of the system in terms of notifications, responses, incident capture, or identify the impact of certain business decisions such as product placement, promotions, marketing etc., to get the right video analytics assistance.

Some of the areas where video analytics can be applied for in retail are people counting, queue management, face recognition, check the effectiveness of product placements, promotions etc. In fleet transportation, video analytics can be used in license plate recognition, monitoring driver behavior, vehicle tracking, fleet time management, harsh braking, cornering etc. Similarly, in city surveillance video analytics as a function of VMS can be used in traffic management, tolls, smart parking systems, managing intelligent transport etc.

In #retail, #VideoAnalytics is helpful for people counting, queue management, & face recognition @einfochipsltd

9. Pricing Plans

Pricing is a key component in selecting a VMS system. Enterprises must do a competitive benchmarking as per their deployment type, as well as comparing prices of the standalone VMS and VMS plans offered by the service providers. Prices of the standalone VMS systems can be compared in terms of camera types, equipment associated with them, maintenance, ease of installations, storage capacity etc. VMS plans provided by the service providers can be compared based on the surveillance area covered, number of cameras provided, maintenance cost, number of connected devices integrated, micro-services prices, scalability and flexibility with the system etc.

10.Future Scope of the Organization

The management of an enterprise while selecting a surveillance solution must consider their expansion plans. They must analyze the business forecasts and predict the possibilities of expansion of their infrastructure. Many enterprises grow with time and require a more efficient surveillance system to cater to their expanded needs.

Enterprises grow from a single site to multiple sites or locations, from one manufacturing plant to multiple plants, from 20 vehicles to 200 vehicles in a fleet. In such scenarios, enterprises should consult with their system integrators and service providers to invest in such a VMS system, which remains up-to-date with time and can be scalable as per future requirements.

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Along with the above-mentioned points, enterprises should also consider the type of software application to integrate the system entities while looking for a Video Management System. A web/ mobile application of Video Management software gives the freedom to access the entire system from anywhere, anytime and from any device.

eInfochips can help companies in assessing and providing the right and scalable video surveillance options for the enterprise. Our Cloud based Video Management Software, based on micro-services and multi-tenant federated architecture, allows enterprises to scale to any number of cameras and surveillance sites. eInfochips’ VMS provides an ideal surveillance solution for industries like retail, fleet transportation, infrastructure monitoring, city surveillance, etc. To know more about our expertise in VMS, download our brochure – Snapbricks VMS: For Advanced Video Surveillance.