If a picture is worth a thousand words, then an enterprise video system is like an encyclopedia. Live video from multiple buildings in the same city or in different countries provides an enterprise security team with detailed information it needs to maintain the safety of people and property.
Cameras are force-multipliers adding extra sets of “eyes” to protect interior and exterior settings. There are many challenges in setting up a video system, but one of the biggest is making sense of the vast amount of data network-enabled cameras provide.
This is where a video management system (VMS) is invaluable. A VMS system is sophisticated software able to support potentially thousands of cameras from virtually anywhere on the enterprise network. One area where it excels is in helping security officers see the video they need, when they need it.
A VMS can be programmed to act on alarms. For example, the software can notify security personnel by email or text messages when embedded analytics detect motion or other pre-defined alarm situations. In conjunction with an access control system, VMS software can activate other security system components such as lighting or vehicular gates. A VMS can record sound from audio-enabled cameras and in many cases have cameras act as intercoms enabling two-way voice communication between a remote site and the security operations center.
Many enterprise organizations use a VMS as a central platform for monitoring and controlling video and other unified security and building systems. Device firmware and software is kept current as the VMS automatically locates and installs updates. VMS software can run network and system device health checks and warn users of any failures. And it can offer data encryption, providing higher levels of network security while reducing the need and expense of third-party software.
Video cameras are a well-known hog of enterprise network bandwidth. VMS software can help by monitoring cameras and only transmitting and recording video when motion is detected within a camera’s field of view.
This is only a slice of the capabilities a VMS has to offer. Talk to your integrator about the ways VMS software can help your enterprise organization tame its volumes of video.