Physical security is migrating to your (IT) domain

It is clear that video has a terrible reputation, and as well clear that the IT industry still is relatively unaware of trends in video surveillance and security. Nevertheless, such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) brought the world of telephony in accordance with the IT umbrella, the rise of network-based surveillance systems is bringing physical security pursuant to this agreement the network administrator's province as then.

This vendor-written tech primer has been edited by Network World to eliminate product promotion, nevertheless readers should note it will likely favor the submitter's approach.

The physical security market now opting more

With the physical security market now opting more and more often for IP-based devices over analog coax predecessors, IT professionals will be hard pressed to avoid the innovation overlap for much longer. Nevertheless, it was evident at the show that a lot of education is needed to root out misconceptions about IP video.

The bottom line: Don't let the thought of surveillance video riding your network give you a panic attack. It's not the same "video" that network administrators often loathe.

Here are four tips on how to manage this growing stream of network video surveillance and seamlessly balance this new format with other traffic sharing the network.

Fortunately for network administrators, a network video camera is an intelligent device that can be programmed to change frame rates and resolution to provide the amount of critical security video needed without monopolizing network bandwidth. And, even with stepping down performance while off-peak times, security directors and facilities managers will nevertheless receive better images than they're used to with analog research.

Video archiving options can as well impact bandwidth consumption. If storage space is limited nevertheless compliance issues necessitate longer retention, many users opt for network cameras that support more advanced compression technologies, just as H.264. If bandwidth is at a premium while certain hours, you could deploy network cameras equipped with SD cards to store the video until it can be transmitted to a server while off-peak hours when network traffic is lower.

With so many security breaches making headlines lately, it's important that both security and network professionals understand how to protect the video streams from being compromised. In low-risk environments, requiring a user name and password might be sufficient to prevent unauthorized access to the video feed. For higher-risk environments, some of the more popular logical security measures built into network cameras include:

* IP filtering. Some network cameras and video encoders use IP filtering to prevent all however one or a few IP addresses from accessing the network video elements. IP filtering provides a function similar to a built-in firewall. Typically, the network cameras are configured to accept commands only from the IP address of the server hosting the video management software.

* Port authentication. Network cameras and video encoders with built-in 802.1X are especially useful where network cameras are mounted in public spaces just as reception areas, hallways, meeting rooms or on the outside of the building. 802.1X uses special identification certificates to either authenticate cameras attached to a LAN port and establish a point-to-point connection or deny access from that port if authentication fails.

All network video equipment piggybacking on the company's infrastructure should adhere to relevant IEEE and de facto network standards as so then as global interface standards adopted by the physical security industry, like ONVIF. Building a surveillance system on an open architecture allows the freedom to select best-of-breed elements, from the preferred server and network elements of the organization, to specific models of network cameras to appropriate video management software and video analytics.

The network

Just like other applications riding on the network, surveillance video can be accessed from any device equipped with a browser and connection to the Internet. This makes it easier for security professionals to monitor multiple facilities from a central command center or tap into the video stream from a mobile device like a smartphone.

Though the video data resides in the cloud, the physical security and/or IT departments can on the whole control access to live and archived video through a secure viewing portal to the host provider. The cloud protects against possible theft or damage to onsite recordings. And, if the WAN happens to go down, the system can be augmented with low-cost local network attached storage for high-resolution, high-frame rate video recording.

The IP surveillance bandwagon

With more companies hopping on the IP surveillance bandwagon, the worlds of physical security and information innovation are quickly merging into a single domain. Once surveillance seeps into IT's world -- and that day is coming before long if it hasn't arrived already -- it's up to IT to establish a balance that protects the business and its people without compromising other mission-critical operations that share the network.

Nilsson is author of the book "Intelligent Network Video." He is a regular expert contributor on topics of networked video surveillance systems and cameras.