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Regional Director, Northern Europe, Axis Communications

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Atul is the regional director in Northern Europe for Axis Communications. He has recently authored a whitepaper detailing the security and business benefits network video can offer end-users in the retail sector. He is one of the most experienced network video professionals in the security sector, having focused on this subject area for over 15 years. Acknowledged among his peers for a well defined understanding of the network video market, he has also been involved in some of the UK's most high-profile video deployments (including those for a number of Tier 1 retailers). With a diverse background spanning business development, account management, pre-sales, and training disciplines, as well as being a regular speaker at numerous industry events, over the years Atul has played an active role in articulating the benefits of network video to security buyers. He was also instrumental in designing and launching the Axis Academy in the UK, one of the most comprehensive training initiatives in the market supporting the ongoing migration from analog to network video systems.
June 18, 2013

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Video Surveillance & the Rise of Smartphones

I’ve worked at Axis for more than 15 years. In that time, I’ve frequently been asked what the difference is between analogue and IP surveillance.

Trying to come up with an elevator pitch for IP cameras is difficult because of the breadth of application use cases available, from conventional security and surveillance to a more recent trend toward business optimization. In fact, the use cases would likely vary wildly, depending on whom I’m pitching. An installer would want something different from the end user, and a retailer would want something different from a security manager responsible for critical infrastructure.

For this reason, I often use the analogy of mobile phone technology. Today’s mobile phones aren’t really phones, and the tablet revolution started long before the iPad. It started when we all began carrying smartphones.

Consumer demand
The exponential growth in the use of these devices reflects customer demand shifting from analogue to digital technology. There are uncanny parallels to be drawn with the rapid growth of the IP surveillance market. Customers are readily embracing the shift from analogue to digital network cameras.

Just as smartphone users experience HD-quality video and share content seamlessly with friends, end users are becoming more tech savvy and demanding that surveillance keep pace with the rest of consumer technology. Why can they get HD images on a phone camera but not on a surveillance camera? And why can they make live video calls on a smartphone but not get live video feeds from a security system anytime, anywhere?

In a recent Centre for Retail Research survey, 57 percent of retailers in Northern Europe expressed a desire to access in-store video surveillance from a smart mobile device. This suggests trends in the smartphone market are impacting the professional security industry. Just as a sleek design influences smartphone purchasing decisions, the survey also revealed that 60 percent of retailers viewed aesthetics as an important factor in security camera selection.

Click here to view Figure 1.

Third-party apps
One parallel with the smartphone industry that I find particularly interesting is that, in an industry driven by intense competition, a huge driver of customer attraction to smartphone devices is the availability of applications. But a lot of the innovation on smartphones wasn’t done by manufacturers like Apple or Samsung, but by the hordes of developers using their technology to create clever applications that no one else had ever considered.

With more third-party analytic applications now available in the network video market, customers are increasingly exploring the possibility of deploying network cameras with applications that embed and run on board network camera. A few years ago, the prospect of running license plate recognition on board a network camera was considered a pipe dream, but today it is a reality. Embedded audio analytics that detect aggression and automatically generate a video-verified alarm can help companies strengthen health and safety compliance for lone workers. Applications such as people counting and heat maps can generate useful business intelligence that optimizes business processes and ultimately impacts the bottom line.

Surveillance as management tool
These represent just a few examples of how the network video surveillance market is mirroring the trend of embedding applications in smartphones. People are increasingly seeing IP cameras not just as surveillance tools, but also as all-around digital business solutions. Like mobile phones, it’s a technology that continues to develop out of a blend of technical innovation and revolutionary software design.

Phones are no longer seen as devices for making calls. They are now more rounded devices that help users to manage their lives and get things done. I’d predict that attitudes toward surveillance cameras will shift to a point where they are seen as tools that help businesses manage risk, improve their efficiency, and deliver real business value.

We can see plenty of evidence that consumer innovations are driving the camera market, but as much as this is true, manufacturers are also pushing the boundaries of what’s possible.

At Axis, we’re innovating for a smarter and safer world, and our aim is to be constantly striving to do more with camera technology. As each new generation of our network cameras allow more advanced applications to run on board the camera, our global network of 1,000-plus application development partners have a platform to drive innovation and the trend toward smarter video surveillance. As with mobile phones, businesses will want to get more out of this technology than just basic features.

Click here to view Figure 2.

Predictive surveillance
In fact, such is the level of progress that I would predict that we’re going to see an accelerated shift away from forensic monitoring of CCTV and toward predictive surveillance — cameras that anticipate incidents before they happen. Of course, this technology could be used to prevent criminal activity, but operators and managers will also want to consider applications in areas like health and safety, where accidents could be prevented.

These two strands of innovation are pushing forward the convergence to IP. Perhaps more importantly, they are expanding our understanding of how the technology can be used and what it can achieve.

Some people view mobile phone technology as starting to plateau, but I’m a firm believer that camera innovation is just getting started.

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Joe Harris
Joe Harris
June 18, 2013 6:02 pm

An excellent article, thank you for taking the time. I love the smartphone analogy and I will promptly be making use of it myself 🙂 I strongly agree with your opinion on the potential for further disruptive innovation in the CCTV sector.  There are so many technologies, techniques and possibilities that have yet to be explored which are just now starting to come into their own. With the next decade of Graphene developments, lens free cameras and countless other ideas with huge potential for commercialisation that we haven’t even conceived of yet I am very much looking forward to seeing what… Read more »

Sheh
Sheh
June 19, 2013 3:36 am
Reply to  Joe Harris

Joe agreed. But I always think that with the pace that continues in developing the tech and accessories we might see few things surfacing ahead of their time and then wasted as time was not right for that development. I cangive example of fighter aircraft F-104. Most people considered it ahead of its time and wasted.

James Willison
James Willison
June 19, 2013 3:52 am

A great article Atul which raises some excellent points. A key issue with smartphone surveillance is the security of the device and associated apps. These “security vulnerablities can mean the streaming and images are not secure. This is also true for tablets and desktops of course. I presume however that the hacker usually chooses the weakest link. If he or she can compromise your phone then that is probably easier than accessing the network another way. Some colleagues have considerable expertise in this area but sadly many surveillance companies like those who deal with access control cannot secure smartphones. It… Read more »

Rob Ratcliff
Rob Ratcliff
June 20, 2013 6:08 am
Reply to  James Willison

I’d have thought that accessing a Windows-based desktop would still be easier for a hacker, simply because they’ve had more time to develop ways in over a long period. There’s also a higher degree of homogenous machines, wheras the mobile marketplace is still quite varied with regards to hardware and OS’. Saying that, I think we’ve all heard about many of the apps in the Android store with either huge vulnerabilities or actually designed to phish you.

Rob Ratcliff
Rob Ratcliff
June 20, 2013 6:10 am
Reply to  Joe Harris

The smartphone analogy is nice, agreed. We’re certainly reaching a point where video surveillance technology is really showing its power as a business tool. It’ll take time though for this to take root in the consciousness of the wider public, but the tech is definitely there.

James Willison
James Willison
June 21, 2013 5:09 am
Reply to  Rob Ratcliff

Rob, sure at the moment…..But as you indicate it wont be too long and the security of SMARTphones is more difficult..I hope people responsible for these new systems take the issues seriously and engage experts who know how to secure them. I suspect that most currently do not. But this media attention will help.

SunitaT
SunitaT
June 24, 2013 12:12 am

we’re going to see an accelerated shift away from forensic monitoring of CCTV and toward predictive surveillance — cameras that anticipate incidents before they happen
, thanks for the post. I never imagined that predictive surveillance will help us reduce crime one day. I am curious to know if such cameras are still under development or already some prototypes are available in market ?

Atul Rajput
Atul Rajput
July 4, 2013 6:15 pm
Reply to  SunitaT

@sunita tirlapur, In some respects predictive surveillance is here today. Tripwire applicaitons which can detect someone before they reach a critical point can alert operators to potential problem before it occurs. Sound Intelligence’s Audio aggression detection analytic which can run at the edge in network cameras, can alert a remote monitoring station to situations which may escalate and lead to violent behaviour. There are loitering applications which may be a precursor to a criminal activty and alert operators in areas surrounding ATM’s. As Moore’s law dictates, processing power will double every few years and we have seen cameras increasingly being… Read more »