Video management in the age of the mobile Internet

CCTV Handbook 2016 Surveillance, Integrated Solutions, Infrastructure, Editor's Choice

Mobility – the rise of Internet-enabled smartphones and tablets – is radically changing the way that business systems operate: enhancing the value of video and providing visual awareness at the edge of the network where it can have the most powerful and immediate impact.

Anders Johansson, director, Milestone Eastern Europe.
Anders Johansson, director, Milestone Eastern Europe.

The Internet, we can probably all agree, is pretty great. Not only can we share our photos with far-flung family and friends, we can also do some pretty nifty things with it in our working lives too. It continues to provide a seemingly endless set of possibilities for companies to help them work harder, better and smarter. And now mobility adds another range of opportunities into the mix.

The mobile Internet enables huge swathes of the world’s population to more rapidly access information and engage with others on a scale never seen before. For businesses, this goes beyond traditional systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software: video-enhanced business systems used for securing people and assets are the next in line to be given the mobile device treatment.

And this trend doesn’t stop there.

Next up is the concept of the Internet of Safety Things. The IoST is concerned with connected smart assets and sensors which are able to collect and share data, enabling new insights that can transform a standard company into a data driven business. It’s a specialised Internet of Things, with safety and security-centric devices communicating to deliver enhanced functionality and powerful, actionable information.

Beyond the IoST lies Managed Visual Services: the capability of effectively and meaningfully using video from hundreds or thousands of connected sensors.

Can you handle it?

With mobile devices becoming so commonplace, and with the trends mentioned above rapidly developing, the systems that handle them also need to evolve. They can’t be the same systems designed for a non-mobile, stationary world, where cameras are only ever mounted on walls and all networks are wired. They need to be built with the understanding that the notion of a ‘system’ is flexible and expandable, according to the way technology and applications develop.

We’re talking, of course, about concepts like open platform technology – platforms that can provide organisations with the necessary adaptability to ensure that they can implement changes when and where they are needed, according to their business requirements.

So while the IoST might be in its early stages, where standards, privacy issues and administration have yet to cohere into a more mature and corporate-ready, implementable concept, mobility is clearly alive and very present today in the form of smartphones and tablet computers.

Consumer adoption of both categories is, we know, widespread – and now mobility is broadening its reach into the corporate world as well. Tablet computers, a category that barely existed three years ago, is estimated to grow by almost 50% per year in enterprise use, according to a recent IBM study.

Data from the same study indicates that individuals are using both mobile phones and tablet computers to accomplish a wide range of work activities that were previously restricted to desktops. These activities range from accessing email (62% via phone, 38% via tablet) to collaboration and project management (25% via phone, 34% via tablet) to videoconferences (30% by phone, 33% via tablet). The study concludes: “The ability to perform these and access other enterprise applications from non-traditional office settings holds the possibility to reinvent at a fundamental level how companies execute a range of activities – from sales and customer service to logistics and maintenance.”

Video business systems also benefit from this focus on mobility: “Mobile strategy leaders have also seen clear benefits in their mobile investments to date: 73% of leaders have seen measurable ROI from their mobile initiatives versus 34% of all other companies in our study. Further, 81 percent stated that mobile capabilities are fundamentally changing the way their organisations do business,” the study says.

Mobile video: a radical departure

When smartphones or tablets are used as clients, they enable a radical shift in how the VMS (video management system) is used. They allow a decentralised workflow where video feeds can be used everywhere, not just in front of a smart wall.

Push alerts to mobile devices effectively break the monitor-wall restriction, removing the last barriers for true mobile video systems. It’s no longer a single operator handling an alarm and using video feeds to investigate the incident further, manually setting in motion the proper actions for resolving the incident. Push alerts now mean the person responsible for resolving the incident gets all the information they need to do so, directly.

Using the mobile video client, the responder can access the VMS and get the full story without delay or the filter of interpretation. This not only improves the quality of the response, it’s also much more convenient for the responder.

One example of this is the system at Copenhagen zoo. The zoo has numerous gates for receiving supplies. All of these gates are unmanned, meaning that, previously, an employee had to leave the zoo administration building when access was requested and walk to the gate to verify the identity of the visitor and allow them entry. But now, by using a mobile client integrated with the zoo’s VMS, any authorised employee can access the video feed from the camera covering the gate in question, verify the identity of the delivery and open the gate remotely. The use of mobile clients saves the zoo 180 man-days a year, improves handling of deliveries due to reduced waiting times, and heightens security.

Mobile clients can also benefit more traditional video security installations. The Skult chain of hairdressers in Sweden use their video installation for security and improving salon efficiency. But in their new video infrastructure no traditional clients are used. They operate with mobile clients only.

This enables the owner of Skult to ensure that every salon in the chain meets her standards, and can quickly handle security incidents, no matter where she is. But it’s not just security incidents that can be monitored, as CEO and owner Maria Jörgensen explains: “If I want to, I can check up on my salons when I sit at home. Then I can call the store right away if decorations at the store need to be changed, for example. It is great to have such flexibility.”

Cameras on the move

This is impressive stuff. But mobile devices can be used for much more than just functioning as a mobile video client. Consider this: all smartphones and tablets have an integrated video camera, they have fairly accurate time services, and nearly all are GPS-enabled. The more advanced devices add a compass to the feature set. These features make mobile devices very capable cameras for use in a VMS-context. Add to this the availability of nearly omnipresent fast data connections, and the resulting practical devices enable a large number of new uses.

The ability to push video to a central VMS from mobile devices, complete with evidence class metadata like GPS position, camera direction and time of day, is a truly compelling concept. It offers the potential to report incidents at locations not covered by stationary cameras; it can provide extra, complementary angles to recordings from stationary cameras; and it could be used to provide additional video data, as smartphones have plenty of capacity for running video analytics. Of course, optimised video push capabilities demand that the VMS is adaptable and capable of handling the video metadata. If it can’t, the use of mobile devices as effective cameras is, at best, difficult.

Building for the future

It’s clear that the corporate use of mobile devices is increasing. This means that business systems, infrastructure and workflow will now all have to be designed, or adapted, to accommodate these devices.

Video business systems are no exception here. The use of mobile devices as clients can improve productivity, as they enable a ‘watch and react everywhere’ workflow. Video pushed from mobile devices is enabling both new opportunities and giving first responders to incidents ways to be more efficient.

All of this demands a VMS with a high degree of adaptability and true openness – a video management system built with an understanding of the requirements of the new era of mobility.

For more information contact Milestone Systems, +27 (0)82 377 0415, [email protected], www.milestonesys.com



Credit(s)




Share this article:
Share via emailShare via LinkedInPrint this page



Further reading:

Upgrade your PCs to improve security
Information Security Infrastructure
Truly secure technology today must be designed to detect and address unusual activity as it happens, wherever it happens, right down to the BIOS and silicon levels.

Read more...
Hikvision launches AcuSeek NVR
Surveillance Products & Solutions AI & Data Analytics
By integrating natural language interaction, Hikvision’s AcuSeek NVR enables precise video and image retrieval within seconds, marking a transformative milestone for the security industry's advance into intelligent and efficient applications.

Read more...
2025 video surveillance market set for improved fortunes
News & Events Surveillance
Novaira Insights has unveiled its latest report, World Market for Video Surveillance Hardware and Software – 2025 Edition, forecasting a healthy growth rate of 8,1% until 2029, excluding China.

Read more...
Open source code can also be open risk
Information Security Infrastructure
Software development has changed significantly over the years, and today, open-source code increasingly forms the foundation of modern applications, with surveys indicating that 60 – 90% of the average application's code base consists of open-source components.

Read more...
Dallmeier and Hexagon form a technology partnership
Surveillance
Dallmeier and Hexagon have agreed to form a technology partnership, which will see the two companies combine their expertise to develop integrated security solutions for various application areas, particularly critical infrastructures.

Read more...
Fastest PCIe Gen 5.0 NVMe SSD
Products & Solutions Infrastructure
Sandisk has unveiled the WD_BLACK SN8100 NVMe SSD with PCIe Gen 5.0 technology, an internal SSD delivering speeds up to 14 900 MB/s and capacities up to 4 TB, with 8 TB solutions available soon.

Read more...
Unified storage solution
Products & Solutions Infrastructure
CASA Software has announced the local availability of Nexsan’s upgraded unified storage solution, Unity NV4000, which is ideal for mixed workloads, from virtualisation and video surveillance to secure backup and recovery.

Read more...
Analyse, automate, and optimise logistics processes
neaMetrics Surveillance Transport (Industry) Products & Solutions Logistics (Industry)
In today’s rapidly evolving logistics sector, the pressure to improve process efficiency, optimise resource usage, and ensure seamless security is more intense than ever. Smart, proactive surveillance is no longer a luxury — it is a critical operational necessity.

Read more...
Safer spaces through smart surveillance
NEC XON Surveillance
Advances in facial recognition technology are transforming surveillance from a mere recording tool into an intelligent, integrated system that enhances real-time safety, moving beyond the traditional expansion of CCTV efforts.

Read more...
Next generation of AI-powered video telematics
IoT & Automation Surveillance Transport (Industry)
Webfleet, Bridgestone’s fleet management solution in South Africa, has launched Webfleet Video 2.0, an AI-powered solution designed to enhance fleet safety, security, compliance with local regulations and operational efficiency through real-time video insights.

Read more...










While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.




© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd. | All Rights Reserved.