American Security Today September Digital Magazine September 2016 | Page 88

Volume 7

September 2016 Edition

Regarding the impact cameras are having, consider this example: One two megapixel 1080p 30
fps (frame per second) camera generates approximately 10 gigabytes of data every day (assuming
H.264 compression at 1024 kbps). An installation of
fifty of those cameras would generate roughly 183
terabytes of data per year. Upgrading those fifty
cameras to Ultra HD 4K would produce about 730
terabytes of data per year.
Another factor contributing to the need for more
storage capacity is retention policy. Like other industry sectors, retention policies in education are
changing, requiring video data to be kept longer in
order to protect against litigation and to aid in prevention and prosecution efforts.

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In fact, administrators at a university in Texas recently changed their retention policy from thirty
days to two years, which forced their IT department
to evaluate a new storage strategy to accommodate the expected increase in storage capacity that
will be needed.

In addition, a tiered architecture is flexible and scal-

More storage with fewer trade-offs

In a typical video surveillance configuration, the
cost of storage makes up a large part of the budget.
Adding more storage leaves less money available
for cameras and other tools such as advanced analytics. Because trade-offs are made to stay within
the budget, the potential of the system often is limited unless more funding is secured.
However, there are alternatives. For example, a
multi-tiered storage architecture is a cost-effective
approach to addressing the storage challenge in
campus environments. Tiered storage combines
high-performance disk for real-time monitoring and
analysis with lower cost options like cloud storage
and tape for archival and retention.

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able, and can grow incrementally over time when
more capacity is needed. Beyond that, centralizing
storage through a tiered implementation simplifies
integration with access control systems, improves
monitoring capabilities, and enables more effective
video analytics.
Improving the safety and security on campus is not
only the right thing to do; it’s critical to a school’s
image, reputation, and marketability. New video
surveillance technology is helping campus security
professionals to protect the people and property under their care. However, more high quality cameras
are pushing the limits of existing architectures and
driving the need for a different storage strategy.
A multi-tiered storage architecture is the best approach to deliver the capacity and performance
needed without making significant trade-offs due to
storage costs.
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