Courtesy of IP Video: Tough Love for Open-Platform VMS

Don't Forget the SI's
Proper integration also requires the services of capable system integrators (SIs). When surveillance systems were analog, all c omponent s we re plug- andplay; installation did not require integration. The complexity of IP video and integration, on the other hand, means that SIs are crucial to putting together a functioning video surveillance system.

The migration from analog to IP requires SIs to relearn the installation process. “From an integrator's perspective, with the convergence of IP, there's been a learning curve with VMS," said Gerry Pittman, Manager of Global Security Technology – Building Efficiency, Johnson Controls. "It is more complicated than before and there are more components to know about: network cameras, storage, networking and more. The security world is moving into the IT world. There are definitely growing pains; you cannot implement these systems without IT knowledge.”

Lack of complete standards does mean that integrators need to check that hardware is not only ONVIF-compliant , but also compatible with the VMS. According to Matt Barnette, Senior VP of Sales and Marketing, AMAG Technology (a G4S Technology company), as long as the integrator chooses wisely and checks his assumptions with all involved suppliers, it is relatively easy to build and deploy an integrated security management system without the need for custom development.

However, integrators must also deal with compatibility and interoperability issues that have not been addressed. “The common issue experienced during an installation is to find that not all of the bugs have been worked out of the latest version of firmware, or that a particular manufacturer's product utilized in the installation, was not included in the final compatibility testing of the VMS platform,” said Steve Malia, VP of Engineering Services and Marketing, North American Video. “While the majority of these issues can be solved easily, having to do so uses up valuable time.”

Systems integrator Ademco had such an experience many months ago. A customer wanted to use a recommended network camera with a preferred VMS. Ademco made sure that the camera was compatible –according to the vendor, it was certified and tested. But it found that when it came to the actual installation, when video analytics were needed, other features in the VMS became disabled. Lim said, “It was a rather embarrassing experience for the manufacturer, but we managed to sort out the situation eventually.”

Installation and integration of security systems is complicated, and things inevitably go wrong. When something goes wrong, who should be called? If a VMS feature does not work, is it not compatible with a specific camera? Or has the camera been positioned or installed incorrectly? Does the problem lie with the VMS, the camera or the integrator? In the process of finding the problem, integrators and end users often contact multiple sources to, encountering much finger pointing along the way. There is currently no good procedure for solving these problems.

To add another wrinkle to the puzzle, VMS and cameras are sometimes affected by the integration process. Integration might affect the bit rate and frame rate in a system, and this is something that VMS providers need to take into account. “How will the system perform if there is a large amount of integration with significant amount of data flowing between two or more systems?” Lim asked. “Especially for VMS, where external data might be used to trigger video response, will it result in the system overloading should there be multiple events at once? VMS developers should also take into consideration the extra load of integration.”

Instead of finger pointing, Malia suggests that industry players come up with a better way of dealing with compatibility discrepancies. “As technology partnerships are formed among the vendors, VMS providers should take the lead in ensuring a more system-wide approach to support so that integrators have only one phone call to make. As seen from the customer 's perspective, issues such as troubleshooting, diagnosing and problem resolution are accomplished much faster with a single partner than when trying to work with several different manufacturers.”