Micron Edge Storage: Optimizing Storage Costs for Video Surveillance Systems

Innovative technology adoptions—such as artificial intelligence/deep learning, machine vision, edge and cloud computing, and the internet of things (IoT) —are transforming the surveillance industry.

The industry forecast for worldwide network surveillance camera shipments is expected to grow from 66 million units to approximately 200 million units, with 20% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), from 2016-2021¹. This is a growing market with new innovations that are not only able to protect our property and improve commercial insights, but also significantly improve the ease of system deployment and management at much lower cost structures—broadening the use case for professional video surveillance.
Within the professional/commercial sector, small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are a rapid growth driver. SMB use cases include retail stores like restaurants and shops, small/medium-size offices, health care clinics, school campuses, small hotels and apartment communities, etc.  

Video storage is a critical element in today’s surveillance systems. Choosing the right video storage solution requires a detailed understanding of the requirements, tradeoffs and options available for SMBs. This brief discusses the total cost of ownership (TCO) implications of different storage solutions currently promoted in the SMB market.

Storage Solutions for Small- and Medium-Sized Businesses (SMBs)
Generally, there are five types of storage solutions for an SMB:
1. Standalone Network Video Recorder (NVR)
The video stream generated by an IP camera is transmitted and stored in an onsite standalone NVR system, which consists of dedicated embedded hardware with built-in surveillance-specific software and storage media, typically hard disk drives (HDDs).
2. Network Attached Storage (NAS)
The video stream generated by an IP camera is transmitted and stored in an onsite NAS system, which is a file-level computer data storage system with add-on surveillance software, typically using HDDs as storage media.
3. PC-based Recorder
The video stream generated by an IP camera is transmitted and stored in an onsite PC-based recorder. This recorder typically uses off-the-shelf PC hardware with built-in or customer-installed video management software and hard disk drives as storage media.
4. Cloud Storage
The video stream generated by IP camera will be transmitted and stored onto a remote cloud storage space, typically available as a subscription service from various public or private cloud vendors.
5. Edge Storage
The video stream generated by an IP camera is stored in the IP camera itself, using a flash-based microSD memory card. This minimizes the need for continuous use of the network to transmit data to central on-site or offsite/cloud locations.

Typically, the location of the video management software (VMS) indicates the management architecture of the system. As shown in Figure 1, with standalone NVR, NAS or PC-based recorders, there is usually a physical on-premise appliance that acts as the primary way to manage cameras and the entire system, and it requires software upgrades and associated IT management. With cloud and edge storage solutions, the VMS typically runs in the cloud; therefore, the overall architecture is designed from the ground up for ease of remote management, eliminating the need for dedicated, local management and storage appliances and associated IT management overhead.

While the above five scenarios are typical system designs, they are not the only system designs. Project-specific requirements can lead to many hybrid approaches that span multiple types of storage and management options.

Storage Requirements for SMB
To simulate a TCO model for an SMB use case, we analyzed three scenarios:
Scenario 1: Convenience Store
Typically, a small retail shop can require up to 4 IP camera units to cover critical areas (checkout counter, storage, entry, goods) with at least 2-4 weeks of recorded video archives.
Configuration: 4 channels of 1080p IP camera connections with 30 days storage capacity (1TB storage capacity required).

Scenario 2: Gas Station
Generally, a gas station can require up to 8 IP camera units to cover critical areas (fuel dispensers, office, shop, checkout counter, etc.) with at least 2-4 weeks of recorded video archives.
Configuration: 8 channels of 1080p IP camera connections with 30 days storage capacity (2TB storage capacity required).

Scenario 3: Small/Medium-Sized Office Buildings
In certain cases, up to 16 IP camera units may be needed to cover critical areas (reception desk, warehouse, public office area, parking lot, etc.) with at least 2-4 weeks of recorded video archives.
Configuration: 16 channels of 1080p IP camera connections with 30 days storage capacity (4TB storage capacity required).
 
What Does “Storage Cost” Mean? Typically, when we consider the storage cost for a video surveillance system, a hard disk drive is the first item we think about. However, when considering total cost, we also need to consider the cost of the recording system and the incremental cost to install a hard-wired system. Therefore, total storage cost should include: system cost + installation cost + storage cost.
Storage Cost Analysis
Based on the requirements of the three storage requirement scenarios outlined previously (with 4/8/16 channel connections), we estimated the total storage cost for each storage solution (Figure 2). 

According to our storage cost analysis (Figure 3), edge storage is the most competitive solution from a TCO perspective, followed by standalone NVR, NAS, PC-based recorder and cloud storage.