The draft standard includes support for secure cloud connectivity, encrypted video storage and WebRTC streaming while allowing cameras behind local firewalls to connect without port forwarding or VPN configuration, according to ONVIF.
ONVIF has introduced the Release Candidate for Profile V, a draft standard for cloud-based video surveillance designed to enable interoperability among cloud video systems using products from different manufacturers.
Profile V extends the organization's standards-based approach to cloud video surveillance, giving system integrators, consultants and end users a way to build cloud video systems that are not tied to a single vendor.
Cloud-based video management systems reduce or replace on-site hardware by running video through remote servers. According to ONVIF, those systems minimize the need for local servers, simplify maintenance, support remote access through a web client and make it easier to expand storage as systems grow.
The organization noted that many existing cloud video surveillance systems are proprietary, requiring customers to use cameras, video management software and recordings from a single provider. Profile V is intended to allow conformant products from different manufacturers to work together while enabling individual components to be replaced without redesigning the entire system.
The draft specification enables a conformant cloud-based VMS to reach cameras behind a local firewall, typically without port forwarding or VPN configuration. A conformant device establishes a secure outbound connection to the cloud video management system before streaming live video and, where applicable, audio over WebRTC to an ONVIF client or an authorized standard web client. Devices can also send event notifications to the cloud video management system for action.
Video and audio are encrypted before being transmitted to cloud storage platforms, including Amazon S3 and Microsoft Azure Blob Storage. ONVIF said Profile V can also be combined with its existing video and access control profiles for integrated or hybrid systems.
Profile V conformant products are required to implement the ONVIF Profile V Security Add-on, which uses the OAuth 2.0 framework to authenticate authorized devices, clients and cloud services and encrypts recordings before they are stored. ONVIF said the security requirements were placed in an add-on rather than the profile itself so they can be updated as security requirements evolve without requiring changes to the full Profile V specification.
A technical FAQ about the Profile V Release Candidate is available here. The organization said it expects to finalize the specification by the end of the year.