Many cloud offerings allow edge devices such as cameras and readers to autonegotiate their connections with the hosted application. "This is very valuable for both dealers and end users as it removes the necessity to configure the port forwarding and static IP addresses on the network, making it plug-and-play," said Brian Lohse, Director of Business Development for Secure-i. "Unfortunately, this requires the edge device to have proprietary connection information built into it from the manufacturer, and is thus not very open. For an MVaaS provider to add another camera model to its compatibility list, it can be time-consuming and expensive."
Indeed, many MVaaS offerings claim that they will work with multiple brands. "However, some of the vendors make their own encoders and cameras, making it difficult to use another line of product such as access and intrusion detection," said Jim Shepherd, National Account Manager for Retail, Protection One. "In addition, the newer entry-level technologies in the market may not have reached out to all the major video-monitoring service companies and provided their SDKs to work with the software and equipment."
As a result, options may be limited. "For example, older components that include analog technologies such as DVRs may have limited network functionality," said Jumbi Edulbehram, VP of Business Development, Next Level
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▲ Brian Lohse, Director of Business Development for Secure-i
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Security Systems. "If analog cameras and encoders are used, they typically have less functionality and flexibility when compared to network cameras." Newer MVaaS offerings rely on the full power of the network infrastructure to provide users with the ability to access, configure and monitor all features of their security system from anywhere and at any time through Web browsers or mobile devices. "When coupled with platforms that integrate multiple subsystems, security data is correlated across sites on a consolidated interface, offering users a comprehensive view of security operations."
"Our key strategy is to function as part of the cloud-computing network," said Stanley Mill, Technical Director of Virtual Eye. "Since many network cameras comply with M-JPEG and H.264 compression standards, video streaming is not an issue any more." For DVRs, fully integrated solutions are limited to a handful of brands; for intrusion detection, solution providers can usually work with alarm control panels that are compliant with Honeywell's Ademco or Bosch's contact ID protocols, offering automatic video recordings and text/email notifications when alarms are triggered.
In the case of iControl Networks, numerous camera OEMs were sourced to put its software into their cameras to work on the software platform. "This does not limit features," said Gregory Roberts, VP of Marketing. "Rather, it significantly increases the use cases for end users as they, as subscribers of home management/ security offerings from our deployment partners such as ADT Pulse, can not only see live video of their premises remotely, but can set their system to capture video clips and pictures when events occur, such as doors being opened or rooms being entered."