Enterprise IP Surveillance

IP surveillance scores over CCTV on account of the cost-savings and flexibility that it provides. By Manjari Juneja

Physical security is an essential investment that no enterprise can afford to disregard. Surveillance is an essential aspect of this and the system should also be able to address everything from pilferage to theft and nowadays even terrorism. Enterprises have the responsibility of safeguarding the personal information, financial resources, and physical/emotional well-being of their employees, customers and shareholders.

The surveillance requirements of corporate environments are driven by the need to protect employee and company assets and IP-based network cameras can help here. As more companies in industries such as banking, retail, healthcare, manufacturing and education realize the benefits of this technology, they are incorporating network video into their enterprise IT security plans.

Additionally, surveillance can serve business objectives as well. For example, retail outlets can use network surveillance for footfall measurement. In airports, an intelligent video system could measure the queue time between entering and exiting a check-in point, helping direct staff and minimizing waiting time for travelers. In banking, remote surveillance and monitoring has obvious benefits be it in an ATM or at a branch. It can help prevent theft, fraud or—in case an incident occurs due to whatever reason—facilitate investigations.

Abhimanyu Gupta, Director, Actis Technologies, said, “The need for IP surveillance as a managed service is heating up among large enterprises, especially those with lots of dispersed locations such as retail chains. IP surveillance satisfies the need to protect employees as well as physical assets through a manageable platform. The live feeds help an administrator or security professional respond immediately, if required. Many a times, video cameras are deployed to monitor the performance of employees. However, it also contributes in keeping a tab on other issues such as physical theft.”

Murali Venkatesh, Product Specialist, Enterprise Solutions, Sify Technologies, said, “Some level of intruder detection can be managed using surveillance. For e.g., if you witness a moving body in an area where no motion is expected, with some intelligence the system can trigger alerts for ratification and help prevent a security exploit.” ATMs are under such surveillance and this has helped the police nab the bad guys who would otherwise have got away with it.

State of the mart

India is a frequent target of terrorists and has borne the maximum number of attacks in the world. Following the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai, all quarters of society, including the government, businesses and individuals are investing significant amounts in installing, as well as upgrading, existing security infrastructure. This heightened awareness is providing an added boost to the security and surveillance systems industry, which has historically grown at 20-30% annually.

According to ASSOCHAM, corporates are likely to increase their security budgets by 35-40%. According to recent news reports, demand for security equipment has increased by 10-15% and the private security industry in India is expected to touch Rs. 50,000 crore by 2012 (125% growth as opposed to the 25% that's been the norm for the past five years).

The Indian surveillance market, which is about 30% of the security industry, predominantly consists of analog installations. There is, however, a shift taking place from analog to IP-based surveillance. The IP-based surveillance market in India is valued at about $50-60 million today and it is expected to grow at 45% YoY for the next four to five years. The adoption of better compression techniques, multi platform integration and HDTV for improved image quality has helped surveillance video to be used for alternative applications beyond security.

Prakash Prabhu, Country Manager, Axis Communications, India, said, “The market for IP surveillance is being boosted by factors such as the requirement for network video across multiple applications and improvements in connectivity thanks to the new technologies that are being adopted by service providers.”

The market outlook suggests that high import duties and taxes may be reduced in the wake of rising security concerns while IP and video analytics technologies will see greater adoption. The participation of private equity in the broader security systems and services market is an indicator of growing interest in this area.

Suprabhat Chatterjee, Vice President, Infrastructure & Physical Safety & Security, Cisco - India & SAARC, said, “While the global market for analog video surveillance equipment was flat in 2009, the growth rate of global IP video surveillance equipment exceeded 15%. According to the 2009 edition of an IMS Research report, the global growth of network video products will be approximately 30% over the next five years. Nascent markets for physical security equipment that have embraced network-based equipment are expected to significantly outperform global market growth in the coming years. According a report by International Fire and Security Exhibition and Conference (IFSEC), physical security in India is likely to grow into a $3.5 billion market; this is expected to grow by up to 30% YoY. Further, as IT equipment prices continue to fall faster than that of analog CCTV equipment, the comparison will continue to move in favor of IP-based systems.”

Growth can be seen coming from various sectors including urban security, public transport, hospitality, airport security, BFSI and education. The government remains the biggest spender on physical security or surveillance solutions. With enhanced features such as video analytics and systems interoperability, there is also scope for the sector to move into newer realms such as business intelligence besides the core function of safety and security.

The difference

In the past, the security and surveillance market has been dominated by analog technology, better known as closed-circuit television (CCTV). However, a technology shift is taking place and analog closed circuit systems are giving way to IP-based (digital), integrated systems.

IP-based surveillance cameras are gaining popularity thanks to their superior technology features and affordability [See box: Cost comparison: Digital vs. Analog surveillance]. With the advent of network video, it is possible to remotely access real-time information from anywhere in the world. Network video facilitates proactive monitoring. Today's IP cameras can handle motion detection, tampering detection etc. Surveillance is no longer simply about gathering information 24x7; rather it's about getting relevant information at the right time. These cameras have in-built intelligence that enables them to alert security personnel or to activate recording if an event or activity takes place in a camera's surveillance area unlike earlier when the camera used to record endless reels of information whether or not it was of any relevance. Therefore, less storage space is used up and only relevant information is stored.

Prabhu said, “Transmission of images is quicker and sharper now because of wireless technologies such as WiMAX and GPRS. Video compression technology, H.264, enables excellent image quality at significantly reduced bandwidth, fulfilling the market need for storage and bandwidth efficiency. With storage costs coming down significantly and bandwidth availability rising, digital security solutions have become more affordable. With the advent of 'intelligent' video, surveillance is not restricted to the sphere of security. Rather it is emerging as a tool for gathering business intelligence and other applications.”

Gupta said, “The major difference between CCTVs and IP cameras is that the former do not allow the captured images to go out of the building premises in most instances. This means that data is never exposed to the outside world. However, IP cameras can transmit live video images across the Internet, which makes it possible to monitor a location from anywhere in the world. IP cameras allow the user to monitor and record live video over the LAN or through the Internet. Other prominent features of IP cameras are that they allow for two-way communication and full audio-visual capabilities. They also provide remote focusing and can be moved using a Web interface. With these advantages over CCTV, IP cameras have gained importance and popularity. However, these cameras can also cause real time security blunders if they are not configured properly.”

The costing equation

Security has always been considered as a costly business, especially in Asian countries. Indian companies are warming up to the fact that a secure environment has to be provided for employees. It is clear that an investment on security hardware has business implications and a case can be made for a return on investment. When we talk of ROI, we can look at two aspects namely the true cost of ownership of the system and how the system pays back.

Another trend is that users do not like to be tied down to a particular system for too long, which was the case with analog systems. Today, they can pick and choose IP surveillance equipment according to their need and scale up with relative ease. The current gear also consumes less power. New compression standards help store large amounts of video data without increasing the cost while still maintaining decent image quality.

Other non-quantifiable advantages for IP systems include improved image quality, better maintenance and service, increased flexibility and easier troubleshooting. Additionally, the prices of IT equipment are expected to fall faster than that of analog CCTV equipment.

IP surveillance reduces shrinkage in retail outlets; it helps enhance marketing and optimize staffing. Moreover, less time is spent on investigating incidents. For retailers, network video is a big boon because, according to reports, nearly one percent of stock is lost due to theft on an average. It also helps retailers manage the inventory lifecycle more efficiently.

The cost of installing a network IP camera system starts to pay for itself after eight cameras, as you have decreased labor cost due to the fact that video cable does not have to be run; you just hook up a switch to a local area network and run your IP cameras off that.

Potential disadvantages

The absence of an open industry standard in the case of multi-vendor products had been identified as a disadvantage of IP surveillance systems. However, companies like Axis Communications in conjunction with a couple of other organizations from the industry have announced that they will create a global open forum for the development of a standard network interface for network video products called Open Network Video Interface Forum (ONVIF). ONVIF is committed to accelerating the adoption of network video in the security market through a global open interface standard. The standard will define a common protocol for the exchange of information (such as device discovery, live video, audio, metadata and control information) between network video devices.

The common apprehension among the customers is with regard to the initial cost of setting up an IP-based security system. However, this concern will be negated once they recognize the long term benefits of IP-based surveillance and how it can also add value to business decisions. The lack of standards in the case of multi-vendor products has slackened the growth of this industry. Nevertheless, the industry has identified the problem and attempts at standardization are underway.

In India, lack of awareness regarding the possibility of bringing an existing analog installation onto an IP network by connecting a video encoder, instead of making it redundant, can also be considered as a disadvantage. India is predominantly an analog driven market and it is no secret that the future of the industry lies in IP-based surveillance systems. The stakeholders have to be educated with regard to the know-how required for making the transition from analog to digital.

Another disadvantage would be that intelligent cameras will not replace people viewing the feeds; they would only complement them.

Not quite foolproof

While IP-based cameras make monitoring flexible and simpler in many ways, there is the downside that network vulnerabilities exist and it is possible to hack into an IP camera's feed. How secure an IP surveillance set-up is all depends on the security measures and patches etc. implemented on the underlying LAN or Internet link.

Therefore, it is essential for enterprises to have well-trained security professionals who can properly install IP-based cameras, implement all the security mechanisms that are required and design a network that is shielded against potential exploits.

Subhashini Prabhakar, Chief Technology Manager, Dax Networks, said, “Firewalls can secure IP-based cameras. They prevent an unrecognized IP address from entering a network. No one solution by itself is completely secure. That's why a multi-layered approach is the best solution. A combination of firewalls, routers and an intrusion prevention system (IPS), coupled with a secure remote access solution such as a virtual private network (VPN), will strengthen network security.”

Nearly all network video installations transmit sensitive information that should be kept away from the eyes of unauthorized users or potential hackers. There are several ways in which a wired or wireless network can be secured as also the conduits between networks and clients. Everything from the data itself to the use of and access to the network should be tightly controlled.

Some common methods to secure network and Internet communications include authentication, authorization, IP address filtering, VPNs and HTTPS. Some of these secure data as it travels over the network, while others secure the network path itself.

With banks and financial institutions regularly using the Internet as a medium for global money transactions, the Net has emerged as a proven medium for secure applications including surveillance and security monitoring. In stark contrast to this new digital technology, analog surveillance systems have no encryption or authentication of information whatsoever, making it extremely easy for anyone to tap into the cables and illicitly view secure video transmissions, or even feed their own false video information into the network, something that's not possible when it comes to secure IP networks.

manjari.juneja@expressindia.com