A unified cloud platform paired with an experienced integrator can make security more proactive, easier to manage, and more valuable to the business
For years, cloud in the security industry meant little more than an offsite place to store video. Today, it's becoming the foundation of the security system itself. Security leaders are taking a hard look at on-premises systems that are costly to maintain, difficult to reach remotely, and hard to connect with the rest of the business.
"Customers are looking at their legacy on-prem systems and saying, 'This system is old, it's hard to connect to other systems, it's hard to access remotely, and I have to do all these things to keep it running,'" said Aaron Barbe, senior product manager at Everon. "Server upgrades, SQL license upgrades. It's just not working for them anymore in terms of how they run their business."
Barbe said adoption picked up speed after the COVID-19 pandemic changed how people work, and it has kept growing as businesses move more daily operations to cloud applications. Security leaders now expect the same remote access, open APIs, and automatic updates from their physical security platform that they get from the rest of their technology.
A single, unified platform
Avigilon Alta from Motorola Solutions is built around that expectation. Alta brings video security, access control, intrusion detection, and visitor management together in a single cloud security system that teams can manage from a web browser or mobile app. Rather than switching among separate systems to piece together what happened, operators see events, alarms, and activity in one place, with access, video, and intrusion events linked to give them context.
Because Alta is managed in the cloud, firmware and security updates are delivered automatically, and devices at any number of sites can be managed remotely. Customers can store video in the cloud, on-premises with cloud management, or in a combination of both. Alta Access continues to operate during an internet outage, storing configurations and logged events locally for up to 60 days and syncing them to the cloud once the connection is restored. Alta also works with Motorola Solutions' Halo smart sensors, which monitor air quality, vaping, and audio events where cameras aren't appropriate.
From reactive to proactive
Traditional video security relied on operators watching monitors, then searching through video data after an event. AI-powered security changes that approach. Alta runs analytics both on the cameras and in the cloud, classifying objects, vehicles, and details such as clothing and vehicle color, and making it all searchable.
"You can use an intelligent search engine to say, 'Over the last four hours, show me all the times a black truck drove by my facility,'" Barbe said. "It's really come a long way in the last three or four years."
Access control is changing in the same way. Instead of running a report every 30 days and combing through a spreadsheet, a security team can be alerted to unusual activity as it happens, such as an employee with access to the IT closet who has never used it suddenly badging in. Barbe described analytics and machine learning as a force multiplier for teams that have limited staff and resources to manage their security systems.
The value reaches well beyond the security team. Heat maps and people counting show retailers which areas of a store draw customers and help facilities managers see how office space is used. With more than 100 available integrations, Alta can also send alerts to Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Outlook, putting information in the tools employees already use every day.
"You don't have to go down to the basement and log into the Windows XP computer that's the only one that works for the access system," Barbe said. "Those days are behind us. Now the security system is seen as a valuable technology stack that can talk to the other platforms businesses use day in and day out."
A practical path to the cloud
For organizations that have invested heavily in controllers, readers, and cameras, replacing everything at once isn't realistic, and Alta is designed to bring much of that equipment along. Its Mercury takeover capability lets existing Mercury access-control hardware run on the Alta platform, and Alta cloud connectors bring third-party ONVIF-compliant IP cameras into the cloud, so a customer can retire an aging NVR while keeping the cameras. For large, multi-site organizations, Barbe said migration usually happens in phases, starting with the biggest pain point. If cameras going offline and missing video are the main concern, video upgrades and real-time health monitoring may come first, with access control following as budget allows.
Planning and managing that kind of transition is where the integrator comes in. Everon, an authorized Motorola Solutions and Avigilon integrator, provides design, installation, integration, monitoring and ongoing support for Alta deployments, along with two monitoring centers of its own.
"We don't just go in, hang the panels, turn it on and walk away," Barbe said. "We want to be the turnkey provider, whether it's a local customer or a national account with locations all over the country."
For multi-site customers, that means a dedicated account team, one call when something needs attention, and a consistent experience coast to coast, across customers’ security, fire, and life safety systems.
What to look for
For security and operations leaders evaluating enterprise security solutions, Barbe suggests starting with a few questions:
- Does the cloud fit the business? Organizations with many locations and limited IT resources to maintain on-premises servers often benefit most.
- What does the platform need to connect with? Consider communications tools, ticketing systems, and industry-specific applications.
- Does the integrator know the product? Look for a partner that sells and installs the platform every day and can recommend the right fit.
"You want someone at your site who's familiar with the product, not learning on the job as they install it," Barbe said.
As security becomes part of how organizations run, not just how they protect themselves, a unified cloud platform and an experienced integrator offer a clearer path forward.
To learn more about Motorola Solutions' Avigilon Alta, visit everonsolutions.com/motorola.
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