❓ 🏻 🎅🏻 Six smart security trends to watch out for 🤴🏿 🥒 🙍🏽

The functionality of artificial intelligence (AI) is constantly expanding, and now smart security systems have learned to analyze real-time video data, expanding the familiar video surveillance framework using stationary means. It seems that the development of AI and video surveillance will allow for even deeper extraction of unique information from video recordings of security systems. As the number of constantly switched on systems increases in the world, calculations directly on the primary video capture device - the camera - will play an increasingly important role in the selection, collection and analysis of high-resolution data. Therefore, it seems possible to identify a number of major trends, the appearance of which is caused by such changes.

Standard CCTV cameras will be a thing of the past

When it comes to security technologies, there is hardly any doubt that soon the conversation will switch to surveillance cameras. First of all, such systems were used for streaming video from a stationary surveillance camera to a central security point where this video was either viewed in real time or recorded for future use. This is how most people understand the functioning of a standard security system, but now, thanks to the development of AI, the evolution of smart cameras also does not stand still.

With the support of AI, the camera has ceased to be a simple stationary device with lenses, something more is required of it - pattern recognition and focusing on certain zones or movements. Cameras that used to catch store thieves after they committed an illegal act can now recognize store theft in real time. These devices can also be used to analyze customer habits, for example, what types of customers go to the outlet, and what departments do they go to? Getting new insights about customer habits, stores form an array of information on the basis of which they can make the shopping process even more enjoyable and profitable.

However, to implement this function, smart surveillance cameras must be equipped with the functions of intelligent processing and storage of data on the device itself. In addition, the world of cameras is not limited to the already mentioned CCTV cameras, there are many other varieties: wearable cameras, car DVRs, new IoT devices and sensors. Modern video data is so rich in information that in its analysis a lot of valuable information can be extracted in real time, and not after the events.

Camera-based computing and smart security

As the adoption of cloud technologies, companies and organizations saw the platform as a place for centralized storage of big data. Recently, however, this trend has been called into question. The data processing function is transferred from the cloud directly to the primary video capture devices. There is only one reason for such a change in preferences - delayed network response.

In real-time pattern recognition, delay plays a huge role. It is very difficult for cameras to independently process video for security systems, recorded around the clock in 4K format, it has to be sent to a centralized data center, located at a distance of several hundred kilometers. If we are talking, for example, about ensuring public safety, data analysis must keep pace with the high dynamics of the development of the situation, and therefore it must be carried out promptly and in a timely manner. When storing relevant data directly on cameras, AI can generate logical conclusions much faster. Due to this, life in our communities can become safer, operations are carried out more efficiently, and the infrastructure becomes smarter.

Smart Surveillance in a Smart Enterprise

The enterprises are always in full swing. This used to mean that many different components work separately from each other. Now, thanks to the development of the technology of the Internet of things, the elements are interconnected and often work together. From the development stage to the conveyor line, including all the intermediate links, all the components of a smart enterprise are built on the basis of AI and IoT. And this means that the security system too.

In modern production, there should be a video surveillance system that sees everything around in high resolution and can monitor all work processes. In addition to the quite classic security tasks, smart cameras can help analyze warehouse performance and production line performance. But the implementation of these additional technological tasks requires access to data 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, in connection with which the most important task is to ensure the storage of such a volume of information.

Ultra HD and storage

The effectiveness of applications and functions with AI elements, such as pattern recognition, depends on the ability to provide ultra-high definition images, for example, in 4K resolution, which is also called Ultra High Definition (UHD). Data with such a high level of detail seriously affects the functionality of the storage - its capacity, recording speed and network bandwidth. Compared to HD, 4K requires much more storage space, not to mention the 8K format, whose arrival is just around the corner.

It's no secret that 4K video has four times more pixels than HD. Moreover, 4K-compliant video supports 8, 10 and 12 bits per channel, which means that the color depth is 24-, 30- or 36-bits per pixel. The same principle works for HD - more colors with 24 bits or fewer colors with a color quality of 10 or 12 bits per pixel. In total, the difference in the number of bits between video in 4K and 1080 can be up to 5.7 times in favor of 4K. Heavier video files obtained both in the production of video products and from video surveillance systems pose new challenges for the storage infrastructure. Therefore, when switching to smart security systems, investments in data storage infrastructure become one of the key issues that need to be addressed.

Permanent access to the network

Regardless of which type of connection is laid down at the design stage, a weak channel or an ultrafast 5G connection, most solutions for smart security systems should work around the clock and every day (24/7 principle), regardless of the environment. Of course, basic equipment and software failures from time to time. In such cases, it is very important to have a fault-tolerant system that will ensure continued operations or data recovery after a failure, including all components: traffic control, sensors, camera data and the like.

Imagine a hospital equipped with dozens, maybe hundreds, of cameras connected to a central recording device via IP. If Ethernet drops, the video signal will disappear with it. Then the safety and security of patients and hospital staff will be at serious risk. For this reason, microSD memory cards are used in the cameras, providing continuous recording. AI-based software subsequently “pastes” the missing video clips into the database by copying them from memory cards, and the material will be presented in the correct chronological order and without spaces.

Advanced device analytics

Built-in control has become an essential tool to ensure a longer period of uptime, transfer maintenance from elimination to prevention and increase the efficiency of many systems. Any system, from a smart enterprise to a corporate application, can completely fail due to the failure of just one component. So, for example, due to a faulty fan, the hard drive may break down, because the temperature inside it has exceeded any allowable limits. The development of a smart platform for monitoring the health of the device will allow you to create systems that can not respond to events, but to prevent them. In this regard, companies should consider investing in hard drives with the function of offline monitoring of certain parameters, including temperature,this will help administrators respond instantly - before reliability is compromised.

Traditional stationary surveillance cameras have served us well, but they have their drawbacks. Modern smart security systems are inseparable from AI and computing directly on the primary video capture device, and this synergy will help to ensure high-resolution video recording in a continuous mode, guaranteeing the safety of people 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The trends discussed raise the bar of requirements and the importance of monitoring security status, which in turn means a similar increase in requirements for supporting the storage infrastructure, including the ability to proactively manage it to maintain smooth operation. Companies will only have to make sure that their storage systems are suitable for implementing such solutions.