Survey reveals IT's changing attitudes about IP video

Jan. 21, 2015
Despite initial reluctance, most IT pros now onboard with supporting network camera deployments

Just like Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) moved telephony into the domain of IT, IP video is beginning to blur the lines between IT and physical security. How has this impacted IT’s prevailing attitudes towards sharing its network resources? Is physical security experiencing pushback or is IT accepting its new responsibilities with open arms?

It’s been interesting to observe a significant shift in the way of thinking of IT professionals over the last three or four years. In 2010, when IP video was just beginning to overtake analog, the reaction of many IT departments was “not on my backbone.” Needless to say, IT wasn’t overly receptive to running video cameras for physical security and loss prevention over their network and providing server and storage infrastructure. Keynote speakers at IT channel events addressing the potential convergence of IT and physical security were adamant that the video traffic would overrun IT’s existing networks, monopolizing bandwidth and digital resources (servers and storage).

We saw that position soften over the next few years as network hardware began supporting greater bandwidth (Gigabit Ethernet, 10 Gigabit and up) and greater network traffic control through Virtual Local Area Networks (VLANs), Enhanced Quality of Service (QoS) and Access Control List (ACLs). The ability to make evermore granular traffic decisions helped to reduce concerns that adding IP video on to the existing network infrastructures would overwhelm resources.  It was clear that attendees at IT channel and end-user events were becoming more aware of major IP camera brands and associated applications such as Video Management Software (VMS.) 

During those intervening years we also saw many IT technology providers begin to market their products, services and goods – such as wired and wireless network switches and routers, large scale storage, media conversion and extenders and Network Video Recorders (servers preloaded with VMS or recording software and storage) – to IT channels. IT vendors partnering with IP camera and VMS vendors provided a convergence platform for more open dialog between IT-centric channels and end users and the physical security world.

Seeing these events and changing attitudes unfold, it’s clear that IT will have to play some role in providing the infrastructure support for physical security systems. The questions that remain to be answered are: How soon and how extensive will that involvement be?

To find out, Axis Communications commissioned ESG to perform an independent study of IT end users to gauge their current and planned support of IP video and its associated technologies.

ESG IT Survey: Opinions from a Cross-Section of IT Professionals

The parameters of the ESG survey were as follows:

  • 150 participants completed the online survey. All participants were IT professionals who identified they are personally involved with their organization’s video surveillance technology implementation. None had physical security or facilities roles.
  • All respondent organizations currently using video surveillance technology and the IT organization is involved with supporting video surveillance infrastructure.
  • Thirty-nine percent of the participants represent mid-market organizations (defined as organizations with 100 to 999 employees) and 61 percent represent enterprise organizations (defined as organizations with 1,000 employees or more) in North America (U.S. and Canada).
  • Multiple industry verticals participated in the survey, including retail, financial and healthcare.

As is typical with an independent study, some findings were expected, others were not. As expected, IT is already involved, or planning to be involved, in supporting network video under its infrastructure and support umbrella. Considering that dedicated physical security network and networked resources are going to have to come out of the corporate budgets, it makes sense not to dilute resources by creating redundant or parallel infrastructure.

Another expected finding was that those organizations using IP video also had a mix of legacy analog technology operating alongside the native IP cameras. This has become commonplace in the physical security world as companies migrate to more IP-centric or hybrid technologies.

What was surprising was the extent to which IT was already supporting video on existing networks and providing video servers, storage and even backup storage. Storage backup was probably the most significant commitment made by IT as, depending on the video output settings and the large number of connected IP cameras, the sheer volume of video storage can be daunting.

The first major statistic that stood out was that 71 percent of respondents stated that their organization currently uses video surveillance technology and IT provides support. While the survey was not detailed enough to define to what extent this 71 percent provides resources, at a bare minimum it does illustrate an absolute awareness and cooperation with the safety and security and/or loss prevention departments within their organizations.

Another surprise was the widespread use of video analytics. Given that the video surveillance industry has been promoting business intelligence (video analytics software) as an add-on feature and benefit of digital video, it was significant to find that 80 percent of the respondents currently leverage video surveillance footage for business intelligence purposes. While the IP video community often finds marketing at the table with loss prevention and/or safety and security departments, it was a surprise to learn that such a large percentage of those IT professionals surveyed also recognize and support analytics.

One other interesting data point from this survey was that 40 percent of the respondents currently supporting IP surveillance cameras were using some form of cloud-based storage. Post survey follow-up questions with the respondents defined this as using a cloud-based wholesale back up services that encompassed backing up all server storage, not necessarily a video-specific or optimized type of service. The significance here is two-fold. First, there is obviously an economically viable broadband and storage option to support large-scale offloading. Second, more video-specific cloud services need to deliver uninterrupted and unimpeded video streams which puts these services in a significantly higher cost range.

Shining a Light on Changing IT’s Attitudes and Roles

Given all this data, what conclusions can we draw? First, it’s important to note that this was not a huge sampling of IT departments. Even so, it’s clear that IT is getting more involved in supporting IP-based video surveillance and it’s doing so more quickly than originally anticipated.

Some concerns still remain within the IT world regarding their ability to ensure the cybersecurity of video on the common backbone. This seems to be the last of the general IT pushbacks against widespread support of this application on the network. In response, IP video vendors are working hard – both from a technology and education perspective – to dispel this concern. By incorporating standard cybersecurity client technology in the cameras and associated hardware, the camera becomes as secure as any network edge device, much the same as HIPAA- and SOX-compliant servers and storage. As with all convergent technologies it involves continual technology improvements, self-education on what is currently available on the market and what are the common best practices in deployment and support.

From an adoption standpoint, organizations that have video cameras deployed and maintained by a facilities department rather than a safety and security or loss prevention department are more likely to see IT take over complete ownership of the surveillance video systems.

K-12 school districts are a good example because in this arena a large percentage of IT departments are already taking over responsibility for assets and support. This mirrors most closely the VoIP convergence. On college campuses, for instance, where safety and security departments are already well-versed in IP video systems, are tech savvy and have very clearly-defined solutions and associated components, the collaborative partnerships with their IT counterparts are well established. IT provides the network connectivity, dedicated servers and dedicated storage based on the number of operational cameras and camera locations as well as the maintenance and technical support for all the components. 

There is a key differentiator, however, between the VoIP convergence and the physical security convergence. In the latter case, IT will not likely subsume all responsibility for all aspects of physical security. They won’t be driving security or police cruisers, providing emergency response planning and so forth.  Loss prevention and safety and security are extremely critical departments with specialized knowledge, training and certifications that, of necessity, will ensure their continued role in the corporate hierarchy.

Convergence and collaboration are inevitable as IP-based physical security technologies become more tightly integrated than ever before. We’re already seeing access control and wide area emergency broadcast systems joining IP video surveillance in a converged networked environment. With unified communications already well into play – where localized digital video, access control, business and safety video analytics and more are meshing into a cohesive security environment – IT’s domain, it’s backbone and technical expertise, become the critical framework on which all the systems reside. And that’s an enviable, power position within the organization.

IT might feel out of its comfort zone when it comes to discussing camera placement, camera lens selection, lighting factors for video and so on, but talk to them about bandwidth, throttling and device security and they’re in their element. And that’s what makes for a successful partnership. Each brings their own unique strengths and expertise to the table.

So what conclusions can we draw from the ESG IT Survey? Just this: Physical security is stronger with IT support and IT is stronger when physical security can show them how IP camera technologies can seamlessly mesh with IT best practices.

If you’d like to know more about the results of the ESG IT Survey, you can access the report online at http://www.axis.com/itvideo/. Under the “Downloads” tab, click on Download the ESG Research Brief: Video Surveillance and the IT factor.