The time for cloud-first video security is now

Sam Lancia, July 29 2021

Combine cloud and existing video surveillance systems with Ava Cloud Connector™.

3 mins

Sam Lancia

Head of Software Engineering (Video)

Since the beginning of the year, we have been making significant progress in simplifying the transition to a cloud-first video security deployment. Our vision is built on a simple idea: whether you are a small organization that needs one single deployment, a franchise with satellite sites, or an enterprise with multiple large-scale sites, you should be able to get the benefits delivered from the cloud and reap its cost-saving and operational efficiencies. 

I’m excited to announce that the Ava Cloud Video Security 4.0 software release turns our vision into reality. You can now configure your deployment as a cloud-managed video management system. By using the Ava Cloud Connector™ to link your on-premise cameras to your Ava Aware Cloud™ deployment, you have the ability to add third-party security cameras and on-premise Ava Cameras, as well as Ava Cloud Cameras.

Keep on reading to find out what this means for you and your organization.

Video security as a service adoption on the rise

The hospitality and retail sectors are leading the way, accelerating VSaaS migration as a route to upgrading their existing video security system. The security as a service market is expected to grow from $11.1bn to $26.4bn by 2025, and video security as a service (VSaaS) to grow 25% annually. Moreover, in a recent market survey, we uncovered an acceleration in cloud migration of IT services which looks set to increase VSaaS adoption. Nearly four out of every five US firms (79%) have already accelerated their cloud migration plans. More than half of those have already secured an increased IT budget in the financial year 2020/21 for moving additional services into the cloud. 

But we’re not just riding the wave of the transition to the cloud. Our video security has cloud at its core, allowing us to create better products suited for the needs of today with tomorrow in mind. The cloud also delivers simpler installation, management, and use, lowers the operational costs for our customers, and, ultimately, keeps the system up to date, secure, and improved over time. 

We’re able to do this through three key areas of development:

  1. the most scalable cloud with a friction-free transition
  2. analytics for all the cameras, with high-velocity
  3. the most open cloud platform to leverage existing infrastructure

Ava Cloud Connector extends the Ava Aware video analytics intelligence to third-party security cameras and systems

Unlike some other Video Security as a Service (VSaaS) providers, we don’t expect you to rip and replace your existing security cameras and systems and keep you locked in. For third-party cameras, the video analytics performed by the Cloud Connectors uses the same analytics models used by the Ava Cameras. Thus, you will be able to detect the presence of people and vehicles and trigger alarms without needing to send video to any external device. 

To keep our commitment to enabling existing devices to be leveraged, we support the use of ONVIF-compliant security cameras from a wide range of manufacturers, as well as other manufacturer-specific protocols.

The Cloud Connectors perform real-time analytics on the video streams from third-party cameras and provide the on-site storage needed by both existing cameras and on-premises Ava cameras. The Cloud Connectors also provide cloud-connectivity between the cameras and your Aware Cloud deployment.

We realize that not all deployments are alike, so you can select the Cloud Connector that best meets your current and future needs from our several models. Depending on the model, Cloud Connectors can accommodate up to 200 cameras with the A3000 and feature a scalable architecture that allows additional Cloud Connectors to be added to your network to handle either multiple sites or larger numbers of cameras within a site.

Thus, Ava Cloud Cameras and Cloud Connectors together allow us to cater to small customers and large corporations alike, even if their deployments are consolidated or widely distributed. The cloud works for everyone. It allows customers with existing installations of any size to seamlessly transition from on-premises to the cloud and from their existing solution to Aware Cloud with no stress and low friction. Limitless.

Sensor Integration Architecture v2-BG

A unified view for all your video feeds

By using the Cloud Connector, your third-party cameras become first-class citizens within your Aware Cloud. Take the feeds from your existing security cameras, as well as the feeds from your on-premises Ava Cameras, and view them in the same interface as your Ava Cloud Cameras, in a “single pane of glass.” You have a Single View™ of all your cameras, irrespective of how they are connected to your Aware Cloud deployment.

Access the most open VSaaS solution to leverage existing infrastructure

Moving to a cloud video surveillance solution isn’t a hard-line decision. You shouldn’t feel like you need to throw away existing investment, not now, not ever. First, through the Cloud Connectors, Ava Cloud Video Security allows inputs from other systems, like cameras, sensors, and APIs. Next, it integrates with other processing tools, like access control systems, external archives, and other APIs. Last but not least, it allows for outputs to other third-party integrations, via webhooks and RTSP or RTSPS, to communication systems for real-time alerts & notifications, and stream video to external viewers and PSIM solutions.

In consequence, customers don’t have to fear being vendor locked-in and will get a higher return on investment from both Ava and systems already deployed. 

The Ava Cloud Video Security 4.0 release also includes:

  • the ability to convert your existing Ava Appliances to Ava Cloud Connectors
  • a new local user interface for Ava Cloud Connectors
  • new workflows for adding devices to Ava Cloud deployments
  • search for sounds using the variable confidence levels

Discover all the new features from our release notes.

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