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IFSEC Insider, formerly IFSEC Global, is the leading online community and news platform for security and fire safety professionals.
May 10, 2012

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Whitepaper: Multi-residential access management – The move to digital

Video migration: the road ahead

Like any industry, ours is one rife with buzzwords. While they come and go, one seems destined to stay for some time to come: migration.

And with good reason.

A recent study has revealed some telling statistics: network-based security systems are gradually replacing traditional stand-alone systems, and by 2014, nearly half of all security systems will use IP-based cameras (IMS Research).

In its recent white paper IP Convergence is Driving Change, Anixter identified a number of factors driving this trend. A key factor was cost efficiency: in particular, the cost and inefficiencies that stem from maintaining legacy, non-IP security systems. These systems are manufacturer-dependent and require multiple communication protocols, which makes on-going support costs and maintenance expensive.

Cost-effective IP solutions

Network-based security systems deliver cost savings by eliminating the need to maintain separate networks and from reducing capital, maintenance and equipment costs. With the improved image quality of IP-based cameras and better scalability for long-term organisational planning, network-based security platforms offer the most flexible, future-proof solutions. These flexible solutions are leading organisations to use their video surveillance systems for business as well as security benefits. The business advantages of a video surveillance system include a wide variety of applications from general surveillance and marketing and consumer behavior to sustainability and space-utilisation strategies.

Increasingly, companies are taking advantage of modern video surveillance by migrating their current analogue systems to an IP network. However, organizations adopting a networked-based physical security system face several challenges in upgrading from an existing system. Because migrating to an IP solution is not a one-size-fits all approach, problems can arise in migration when the path is limited to the selection of individual products or components. Typically, this “add-on” approach yields only temporary fixes for longer term issues. Addressing issues such as maintaining a legacy system and sustaining reliability while migrating to a network system, and ensuring functionality and quality after the migration are key problems to stakeholders.

Anixter advises taking a holistic view to find the right solution for a long-term strategy. Because almost every manufacturer has a migration technology, it can be difficult for customers to identify the right technologies. Anixter created ipAssured to help customers select the right technologies to create solutions that will assist their migration process. ipAssured helps customers identify their final video surveillance system and develops a migration solution to meet that goal. It also allows customers to protect their existing investment while starting to take advantage of the IP-based solutions and applications that are available.

Migration is a buzzword that won’t be going anywhere in the near future. By understanding what migration entails and how to successfully approach it, you will be able to protect your current investment while lowering future costs. Only a full analysis of current systems and current needs benchmarked against forecasted business needs and growth can safely deliver the most appropriate and workable security solution. Anixter and its ipAssured programme is a good first step in creating a solid, future-proof migration path.


Matt Powers is technical director for security solutions at Anixter and has over 11 years or sales, management and technical experience in the physical security industry. He serves as lead for security-focused testing at the Anxiter Infrastructure Solutions Lab and is a member of the Technical Services Committee for ONVIF.

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