Last edited 10 Jan 2019

Smart surveillance, video surveillance and VSaaS

Video surveillance enables the monitoring of activity, behavioural patterns, or any other change in environmental conditions. This involves surveillance from a distance by means of electronic equipment (such as CCTV cameras). Video surveillance can be performed in real time, or data can be collected and stored for the purpose of evaluation when required.

A video surveillance system (VSS) typically comprises; cameras, a recording/control unit and an output interface such as a monitor. The systems requirements for video surveillance include; storage, encoders, interfaces, and management software.

In the video surveillance-as-a-service (VSaaS) delivery model, the storage, video management, and analytics solutions are hosted centrally in a cloud environment and are accessed over the Internet. The advantages of such systems include; cost efficiency, access to value-added services, a wide array of products for hosted video, easy conversion of analog systems to IP, and increased system performance. The services provided under VSaaS can be hosted, managed, or hybrid.

Continued investments in infrastructure such as railways, roads, airports, and communication networks are driving the demand for video surveillance systems. Advancement in high definition (HD) and megapixel cameras is also driving the video surveillance market globally. Furthermore, the increasing popularity of do-it-yourself (DIY) video surveillance for home security is contributing to the market's growth.

Centralized data and application management which reduces IT costs and enables easy and cost-effective data recovery is also a major factor responsible for the growth of the VSaaS market globally, along with the declining cost of storage systems and high-speed internet access.

However, challenges such as privacy concerns, the high cost of IP video surveillance systems, high bandwidth requirements, corporate protocols for network security, and low adoption by the small office/home office (SOHO) contingent and small retailers hinder this market's growth .

Mobile video surveillance, which enables the streaming of video wirelessly from a mobile video surveillance camera to a control centre, represents a major growth opportunity for this market in the coming years. The ability of multimedia and social media surveillance in video surveillance systems is also anticipated to broaden the market's growth in the near future, along with technological advancements in high-resolution imaging and video analytics.

On the basis of type, the video surveillance and VSaaS market is categorised as analog and IP-based systems. IP-based surveillance systems have rapidly gained a significant market share in recent years due to their inherent advantages of quality, scalability, better resolution, and built-in analytics engines, as compared to analog video surveillance.

On the basis of components, the video surveillance and VSaaS market is categorised into hardware, software, and services (VSaaS):

Video surveillance hardware includes surveillance cameras for capturing video footage, recorders and storage, encoders, and monitors.
The software segment includes video management software (VMS) and video analytics software.
Based on the service delivery architecture, the VSaaS types include hosted, managed, and hybrid services.

The increasing demand for IP cameras has led to the significant growth of the video surveillance hardware market. However, the VSaaS market is expected to grow the fastest due to rising demand for the storage of large volumes of data generated through IP cameras.