Enterprise networks today are increasingly tying their security solutions together with their network infrastructure to take advantage of the benefits a network-based solution has to offer. That includes the ability to integrate security with day-to-day functions, such as risk management, human resources, asset management and IT operations.

Specific to physical security and surveillance systems, a network-based solution affords access to real-time video from anywhere and the ability to archive images and data in a central location–and monitor devices to identify potential problems, such as power failure to a camera.

Despite these advancements, networking professionals still worry about the impact of an IP surveillance system, paired with other capabilities, on the network. These concerns only increase as security professionals look to connect more devices and solutions on the network, including video analytics appliances.

Video analytics, or intelligent video management, has brought improvements in automating security surveillance. Instead of reacting to an incident minutes or, in some cases, hours, after someone breaches a secure area, video analytics enables security guards to receive an immediate pre-warning alert to an event with technology that can visually detect an intruder and then track that individual as he enters a facility.

IP-based surveillance systems and video analytics can successfully reside on an existing enterprise network with limited liabilities. Not only do these two solutions provide a surveillance solution to reduce theft, monitor perimeters and deliver proactive alerts to incidents, some systems on the market today require minimal bandwidth on the front end by operating on the edge of the network.

Today’s enterprise networks often provide access across multiple buildings and, in many instances, across several states or countries. With this increasing demand for connectivity, however, comes risk. How much bandwidth does the network have? How secure is the network and what kind of functions will slow it down?

In recent years, video surveillance systems have been removed from the siloed environments of yesterday–with their own cabling, network servers and separate dedicated management–to IP-based systems that reside on a single unified network, with shared infrastructure and connectivity to the entire IT backbone, based on standard consolidated management frameworks.

For some IT professionals, adding surveillance systems and other security capabilities onto the network can be a challenging proposition. Video often contains large streams of data, especially when security professionals demand quality video. Today, those in the security industry expect high-resolution, full-motion video and audio. Slow frame rates are no longer acceptable for applications that require video to clearly show a person’s face or other details in the footage, such as the dollar amount on a cash register.

With video surveillance a 24/7 business, what assurances are there that the network is not going to be overloaded by video? A significant amount of video recorded today does not contain any relevant or actionable data–a surveillance camera can literally record video for hours before a person of interest walks into the field of view, or a suspicious car drives into a monitored parking lot late at night.

To limit the strain on the network, there are a few methods IT professionals can deploy, such as recording video at the edge, using compression technology and tweaking the resolution and bit rate of the video stream itself. When security professionals seek incremental value from surveillance, however, they might consider video analytics.

Traditionally, video analytics has required an onsite IT expert for implementation, because a number of the systems on the market today are software-based, and require a dedicated PC to operate, as well as hours of setup time.

Such network-based surveillance and centralized video analytics solutions can choke the system, however, if not set up properly. They require that information be constantly transmitted to a central location or server for processing and storage. Then, to view that data or video, additional bandwidth is needed to retrieve the information. These solutions can require a large amount of bandwidth, both to view the content and store hundreds of hours of video for back processing.

The market is seeing the migration toward IP-based hardware edge devices with built-in video analytics, such as IP cameras and encoders. Deploying an edge device is one method to reduce the strain on the network in terms of system requirements and bandwidth. When smart cameras and encoders process images at the edge, they record or transmit only important events–for example, only when someone enters a predefined area that is under surveillance, such as a perimeter along a fence. Other video methods transmit or record all video processed, including stagnant video when no one has entered the field of view.

This distributed approach for video analytics makes surveillance easier for network administrators to adopt. It limits the risks associated with overloading the system by enabling administrators to predetermine what video is important to view and keep, and which video is not pertinent.

For some companies, a full software-based approach to video analytics might be the best way to go. Still, others will find that edge-based video analytics devices provide the full-fledged capabilities required, without potentially choking the system or calling for a complete system redesign.

Dvir Doron is vice president of marketing for ioimage, Denton, Texas.

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TRY PLUG AND PLAY

by Jennifer Cline and David Hessong

Plug-and-play outside plant (OSP) system components include a distribution trunk cable, tether attachment points (TAPs), tether assemblies and harness assemblies. The distribution trunk cable serves as the high-fiber-count backbone cable for the campus infrastructure. The tether attachment point consists of the closure, where the distribution trunk cable is accessed and spliced to a hardened connector tether assembly.

The closure utilizes overmold protection technology, yielding a flexible and small diameter access point along the distribution cable. This overmold technology allows the system to be installed aerially or in standard conduit sizes.

The tether assembly is a five-foot cable section emerging from the TAP, terminated with a pinned hardened array connector at the end. This connector is designed to meet the applicable performance criteria of GR-3152, Generic Requirements for Hardened Multi-Fiber Optical Connectors.

The harness assembly is a four-, six-, eight- or 12-fiber drop cable factory-terminated on one end with a non-pinned hardened array connector and a standard simplex connector type on the other end. In addition to discrete connectors, the harness assembly can be factory-terminated with a compact, durable, factory-terminated patch panel, which eliminates the need for rack- or wall-mountable hardware at the drop location.

Use of the plug-and-play OSP system can eliminate the need for cable-access points at several locations. Cable and closure preparation and the need for splicing are also eliminated. Additionally, the factory-terminated harness assemblies eliminate field connections at the intermediate cross-connects at each location.

The use of plug-and-play OSP systems also can reduce system deployment time by 50 percent over traditional installation methods. While the component material cost is higher for the plug-and-play system, once labor costs are considered, the total system deployment cost can offer as much as a 15 percent savings over traditional solutions. Time and material cost can vary depending on the system topology, with factors including total system length and number of drop locations.

In addition to these savings, utilizing plug-and-play OSP systems can increase workforce productivity by allowing the re-allocation of labor that would otherwise be used for the accessing and splicing of cable.

The use of these systems can result in capital avoidance by reducing or eliminating the equipment required to install a cabling infrastructure. By replacing field midspan splice points with factory-spliced TAPs, the need for splice equipment is eliminated. When utilizing harness assemblies preterminated with discrete connectors or a panel, field termination at drop locations is eliminated.

The use of factory-terminated assemblies alleviates the need for specialized fiber-optic termination tool kits. By eliminating the need for splice equipment and termination tool kits, a reduction in overhead costs is realized. Plug-and-play systems also provide factory-quality performance and reliability, as the system components are manufactured and tested in a TL 9000-certified manufacturing facility.

Jennifer Cline and David Hessong are with Corning Cable Systems, Hickory, N.C.

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