“Cloud” has become one of the biggest buzzwords in business today. It’s no wonder that many companies are attaching the term “cloud” to their products and services. However, this is a disservice to the community as people are wondering exactly what is “cloud.” Cloud video surveillance is one such area where the definition of cloud has been stretched to mean many different things.
In this article, we go through all the different definitions given to cloud and introduce what is needed in a true cloud video surveillance system.
Learn how Solink’s cloud video surveillance system can help your business.
The fact is that cloud has become a catchall term for anything that isn’t local. In cloud video security, that means a range of definitions.
Wikipedia defines cloud computing broadly as “the on-demand availability of computer system resources, especially data storage (cloud storage) and computing power, without direct active management by the user.”
This definition is more geared towards cloud computing companies, including Amazon Web Services. These services represent an important backbone for all software as a service (SaaS) companies, including video surveillance as a service (VSaaS) companies like Solink.
Let’s consider the definition of cloud video surveillance specifically.
What does cloud video surveillance mean?
Narrowing down the definition of cloud video surveillance is, again, not an easy task. Many companies will define any surveillance or security service that is enabled by the cloud as being cloud video surveillance or security.
This could mean that simply offering cloud video storage is enough to be labeled cloud video surveillance. Cloud video storage is using the Internet to offload some or all local video storage to the cloud.
Cloud video security is always operational
While cloud video storage is certainly part of a cloud video security system, there are some further principles that need to be met to truly be considered cloud video surveillance. Here are four of the things that should always be available from a cloud surveillance system:
- Always on: Cloud computing should enable your local surveillance system to have zero downtime. This includes alerting you to problems with individual security cameras or other connected systems.
- Always compatible: The cloud is fundamentally an interconnected network of different systems and services. If your video surveillance system does not function within this greater network of services, then is it truly part of the cloud? Solink has a technology agnostic approach to development. The Solink platform can work with most security cameras on the market, as well as all of your other systems, from access control to POS systems, to provide new insights for business management.
- Always available: Cloud systems should be available at any time of the day, from anywhere. For cloud video surveillance, this means being able to perform remote monitoring of your premises and any key metrics.
- Always up to date: Cloud video security systems keep themselves up to date with the latest patches. This protects your business from cybersecurity threats, without any user input.
See how Solink’s cloud video surveillance system can help your business.
Cloud video surveillance summary
In summary, many security companies define “cloud” around one or two simple features, but true cloud security solutions are more than just cloud video storage.
In fact, cloud video storage might not always be the best idea. Storing video on the cloud can be expensive, slow, result in lower quality video, and slow down your Internet connection. That’s why using a network attached storage (NAS) device locally as part of a local–cloud hybrid video storage system is usually a better option.
Conversely, many cloud video surveillance users are focused on a single point when they think about cloud security: remote access.
Remote access means that you can monitor all of your locations on any device from anywhere. This is a core tenet of cloud video security, and it should be part of any system being referred to as cloud video surveillance.
This leads to our next question:
Why should companies upgrade to Solink’s cloud video surveillance?
Solink business security offers the cost savings of hybrid storage and camera compatibility combined with the performance of an intuitive integrated cloud-based platform. The results are higher returns on investment (ROI) and smarter business security.
Give old hardware new capabilities
Previously, if you wanted new features, you would need to buy new cameras. Solink is a camera agnostic security solution that is compatible with most cameras on the market. The warrantied network-attached storage (NAS) device is included with your monthly subscription, making it a cost effective option that delivers ROI faster. Take advantage of Solink’s cloud video surveillance platform without having to replace existing hardware. You can connect your existing cameras to Solink, transforming your outdated hardware into effective and proactive business security with low capital expenditure.
Unified platform across multiple locations
Solink takes your siloed cameras, recording devices, and logins and combines them under one pane of glass. Organize all of your locations and devices in one easy to use platform accessible remotely. Managing multiple locations remotely is easy and fast with Solink. Moreover, Solink is scalable to an unlimited number of sites and available on desktop, android, iOS, and Apple TV.
“We really were trying to find that one vendor that we could use to go ahead and aggregate all of our video feeds together for all of our restaurants. One simplified database for us to be able to log into [and] seamless go between restaurants”
Jay Hafemeister,
Partner of JH Foods, Carl’s Jr.
“Solink was able to upgrade existing systems with improved performance and speed, connectivity and intelligent features. Sixty systems were upgraded in just 30 days and now play an integral role in shrink reduction at existing sites.”
Scott Sanford,
Director of Loss Prevention, goPuff
Cloud video security systems make collaboration easy
Add an unlimited number of users under one subscription without paying for additional seats. Assign each user permission levels based on their role and get unlimited training to ensure you get what you need out of your Solink system. Centralized IT teams save time on investigations, while regional managers can access the video and data they need to make fast operational improvements. Any member of your team can use Solink to investigate incidents, find supporting video evidence, and save important clips to the cloud indefinitely. Video can be shared with authorities and external parties via email directly from Solink, saving you time on resolving cases.
“From a staffing perspective, Solink is saving us at least $150k per year because you’d traditionally need to have one person managing the case management, and another managing the audit and exception-based reporting. Not only does it save us financially, but it also saves us easily 20 hours a week in unnecessary work,”
Ian Dill,
VP of Asset Protection, Centric Brands
“It takes me just minutes a day to go through and see what our trends are, know if something doesn’t look right, and prioritize how to handle[…] Getting everyone set up with the right daily Solink reports and in the habit of using them makes such a difference to keep our fingers on the pulse of the business.”
Executive Vice President,
Roy Rogers
Integrate video with data for better business insights
Easily sync video with POS, labor management systems, access control, and more to identify issues faster. Solink has over 200 data integration partners available and is adding more all the time. Search through data using product keywords, staff names, entry codes, dates, and times—almost anything. Pull up the associated video to understand the full context of the situation and collect video evidence in record time. The customizable reports and dashboards allow you to view metrics that matter most to your business quickly, giving you the information you need to make operations improvements faster than ever.
“When we first started with Solink, we were about three percent of sales lower than the system average for Jack’s locations. We were definitely lagging the Jack in the Box brand. Right now we’re about six to seven percent positive versus the system. I feel like Solink has helped us just knock it out of the park”
Paul Urbina,
Franchise operator for PARS group and Northwest Foods, Jack in the box
“Being able to search voids, refunds, excessive returns, easily identifying that stuff is such a time saver for our location and store managers. The benefits are not just from a technical standpoint. There is loss prevention, there’s managing the staff, and being able to easily identify property theft.”
Drew Malsbury,
Director of IT, Bottle King
It keeps getting better
When you log into Solink, you are always on the latest version of the platform. Ongoing improvements mean the system is always updated to protect from security threats automatically, and new features are immediately available to the end-user at the click of a button.
Tools and features are constantly being created and optimized to work better for your business. Solink evolves to what your business needs. For high-security enterprises, such as banks, having an evolving cloud video surveillance system is even more important.
Get access to new features like Camera Linking immediately. Solink’s Camera Linking AI automatically creates associations between cameras by detecting motion patterns across adjacent cameras. When reviewing footage in Solink’s video player, you can navigate from one camera to another intuitively without prior knowledge of the site’s layout.
“It’s a high quality product that continues to improve every day. Solink doesn’t just sit idle—they move their product forward and that’s something we like to see. That brings us a lot of benefits. The service quality is next level, and we look forward to working with Solink more in the future.”
Brandon Nicholson,
Safety and Security Manager, Spinx
Solink is always up
24/7 customer support
Our support team is available at any time of the day to help you resolve issues.
To upgrade to cloud video security with Solink, sign up for a demo today.
What are the advantages of cloud video surveillance?
Cloud video security brings a lot of advantages over traditional surveillance systems. It completely changes the value of every type of security camera. Here are just a few reasons you should upgrade to the cloud today.
Save and share
Once your video is stored in the cloud, it can be easily shared across your organization or with law enforcement when necessary. All you need to do is send the URL to anyone who needs access to the video clip. The Solink platform does this automatically with a simple save and share system.
Remote monitoring
No matter how many locations are under your management, being able to access your data from anywhere is helpful. For larger organizations, remote monitoring becomes essential. Solink allows you to access your data in real time. You can view video footage of what is happening, along with all the data sourced from connected systems.
Everything in one place
Data collection has become a necessary part of business. However, many companies are drowning in their data. They know that it can help make their organization more efficient, but how to interpret and implement data isn’t always simple.
One way to make your data processes easier is to bring as much data as possible into a single platform. Solink’s cloud video security platform does just that. We connect video with data from your other systems to not just improve your security level but also unlock insights about your business.
To see how Solink is a business intelligence system, sign up for a demo today.
Proactive monitoring
Cloud video surveillance can unload some of the mental burden of checking up on your business. By utilizing different statistical models, as well as motion search and other camera AI features, Solink can alert you to issues.
Whether you want to know when someone goes into the backroom, a store’s sales level slips, or the speed of service drops, Solink can notify you of issues before they get out of control.
Off-site cloud video storage backup
As mentioned above, cloud video storage has some disadvantages. It requires a flawless Internet connection and will consume most of your bandwidth. Cloud video storage can also be prohibitively expensive.
However, utilizing cloud video storage as a backup to your local network storage is a great option. Once placed in a secure cloud storage solution, your videos can be saved indefinitely. Videos accessible in the cloud also enable the next couple benefits of cloud video surveillance.
Constant improvements
Traditional security systems are purchased and then don’t change much over their useful life. Cloud video security solutions are constantly improving. For example, Solink recently released Camera Linking. This feature uses AI to automatically map all of the cameras across a location based on their overlapping fields of view.
You can track all of the recent updates to the Solink platform here.
Health checks
Solink’s cloud video security is always online. Importantly, it makes sure your other systems are also online. One way Solink does this is by telling you when a camera goes offline or is blocked in some way.
Solink performs regular health checks on all of your devices to make sure security vulnerabilities do not arise.
Scalability
Cloud video surveillance provides unlimited scalability. Here are three ways that cloud video security scales with your business:
- Number of sites: The cloud is limitless, so you can easily bring another site online.
- Number of users: It is easy to add new users, as well as give them a customized level of access to protect certain data from those who do not need to see it.
- Number of connected systems: The POS is the most common connected system on Solink, but we can connect to many other systems including scheduling software and access control. When you have new systems come online, Solink will work to add them to your custom dashboard.
cloud video SURVEILLANCE FAQ
Here are some frequently asked questions (FAQs) about cloud video surveillance.
What is cloud video surveillance?
Cloud can mean different things to different people. At Solink, we consider video surveillance as cloud video surveillance when you can store, access, and utilize video and all connected data from anywhere, anytime.
Are cloud security cameras safe?
Cloud security cameras are as safe as any other Internet-connected device. So long as you follow cybersecurity best practices, you should feel safe using cloud security cameras.
Can you save CCTV footage to the cloud?
Cloud video storage allows you to store your CCTV footage to the cloud.
How long do security cameras keep footage in the cloud?
Every business has its own video retention needs. Most Solink users choose 30, 60, or 90 days of video retention, but some regulated industries may be mandated to store as much as a year of video.
How often is security footage erased?
Security footage is customarily erased when it goes out of the set retention period. Solink allows companies to customize their video retention based on their personal security needs.
How much does it cost to store CCTV footage in the cloud?
Cloud video storage can be expensive. Solink reduces this cost by offering a cloud-first video surveillance system that augments cloud video storage with a hands-off, fully warrantied network-attached storage (NAS) appliance.
Can deleted CCTV footage be retrieved?
In some cases, it is possible to retrieve CCTV footage that has been deleted, overwritten, or retrieved. Here’s an explanation article by hard drive manufacturer Western Digital.
What is the best storage device for storing security camera recordings?
Generally, analog cameras store video using a digital video recorder (DVR), while Internet protocol (IP) cameras use a network video recorder (NVR). In addition to NVRs and DVRs, network-attached storage (NAS) appliances and cloud video storage can be utilized.
Which security cameras cannot be hacked?
Unfortunately, all devices connected to the Internet, sometimes collectively known as the Internet of Things (IoT), could potentially be hacked. That’s why cybersecurity must be part of physical security.
What is remote video monitoring?
Remote video monitoring refers to viewing your live security camera feeds from anywhere using a laptop or mobile device. This helps multi-location businesses audit all of their sites for company compliance, training needs, loss prevention, and more.
How does remote business monitoring work?
Cloud video surveillance platforms enable remote video monitoring. By connecting the security cameras and other data sources of all your locations on one platform, Solink gives you the ability to perform remote business monitoring.
Can CCTV cameras be controlled remotely?
Some CCTV cameras, such as turret cameras, need to be moved manually. Others, such as pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) cameras, can be controlled remotely to change the field of view.
Solink is the best cloud video security solution
Solink brings together all of the important components of a cloud video surveillance system in one safe and secure platform. We keep your data safe and in one place. We also connect the data coming from all of your systems with video evidence of what is happening.
This protects you and unlocks new business insights.
To see how you can upgrade to the cloud with Solink today, sign up for a demo.
