By Rudie Opperman, Regional Manager, Engineering & Training, Middle East & Africa at Axis Communications
As more businesses in the UAE turn to intelligent video surveillance systems to unlock a host of benefits, it may be time for you to do the same. As with most important decision, you have to weigh up the different options available to you and make sure you understand the consequences. On the one hand, an end-to-end solution is simpler than a multi-vendor system and an excellent all-rounder. In the past a Multi-vendor solution offered more flexability and features but was extremely difficult to roll out successfully.
Today, there is a third option to consider and that is to choose an open, scalable end-to-end solution that offers you the freedom to upexpand and therefore accomodate all of your security needs – video, audio, analytics, and access control – with components from a single supplier but not comprimising on open scalability.
If you opt for an end-to-end solution, choosing the right provider is a defining decision that will greatly impact the degree to which you achieve your security goals. This is especially true if you need to migrate from multiple providers into an end-to-end solution.
Before committing to a system or a provider, it is important to consider a few key factors.
Taking your budget into consideration is a crucial first step in the search for the right surveillance system provider. Completely upgrading your system can be a costly endeavour, so it’s best to look for providers who offer flexible solutions that will work with your existing infrastructure investments.
It is also important to have a solid idea of what the long-term cost of the solution will be. The total cost of owning and operating a video surveillance solution doesn’t end after the initial purchase. Therefore, it’s crucial to look at the entire life of the system. One way to keep costs down and ensure that your solution lasts longer is by investing in quality products as they come with solid warranties, long mean-time-between-failures (MTBF), and advanced video compression functionality.
Ensuring that your video surveillance system is well maintained is important for optimal performance and cybersecurity. From a physical maintenance perspective, you need to consider factors like the UAE’s harsh climate – look for equipment that can perform well despite the heat. Cameras are especially prone to thermal shutdown if exposed to excessively hot temperatures, and a system provider that is knowledgeable on how to maintain equipment under these conditions is essential.
A provider’s solution should include an intelligent maintenance programme that can automatically inform you and your integrator when something isn’t right. You need to be alerted to major concerns, such as when a camera goes offline or is overheating, or when you’re running low on storage. It should also notify you when new software or firmware is available to mitigate the latest cyberthreats, and provide an effortless way to update multiple devices simultaneously.
Robust systems can still offer solutions that are easy for novice or occasional users to manage. A quality end-to-end solution should strike a balance between breadth of features, customisability, ease of use, and maintenance. How you plan to use the solution will determine the functionality needed. So, think about factors such as: who will be monitoring the videos and how; how your privacy policies will affect this; and whether or not you’ll require remote accessibility to the videos.
A feature-rich video management system will allow you to bring everything seamlessly together into one intuitive, simple-to-operate solution.
Before committing to a provider, ensure that they will offer you technical support from start to finish.
This could include more practical offerings like allowing for easy swap-outs of cameras, network video recorders, and other components when they reach their end of life or as you free up budget to invest in newer, more advanced technology.
You need hands-on technical support that will streamline your surveillance system. It is imperative that you explore the quality of the technical support offered by the provider before finalising your decision. You can easily gauge this by turning to the ratings of other customers or verifying that the solution is backed by a team of support specialists with in-depth knowledge and experience of every component so they can quickly address any issues that might arise.
Finally, it’s paramount that the solutions provider offers tools that will help your integrator easily verify your design and installation. Unless you have in-house expertise, you will likely rely on an integrator to design, install, and maintain your system to your specifications. When you’re selecting an end-to-end solutions provider, consider how they can help your integrator ensure a “job well done.” A provider with a complete set of tools really takes the guesswork out of design and installation to ensure everything works seamlessly together from the start.
Above all else, your surveillance system provider should be a trusted and innovative partner for your organisation – a partner you are confident will work to ensure your investment is well-protected so you can get the most from it for years to come. They should provide you with the tools to easily perform device management tasks and guide you through the processes. With the UAE’s economy set to grow at its fastest rate in years, your business and its related systems must be able to keep up. As your needs change and security threats evolve, your provider should also be able to adapt.
When choosing a surveillance system provider, consider whether they can meet your current needs and budget, as well as any future needs you may have. This is a long-term relationship, so they should also be able to scale with your business and its changing requirements.
