Verkada’s VP of EMEA, Ardon Anderson, explores the benefits of businesses transitioning to cloud-based solutions.
We’re reaching a tipping point: the future of physical security is squarely in the cloud, yet many organisations have yet to make that transition.
This bears out in the data from Verkada’s State of Cloud Physical Security Report. In a survey of more than 1,500 security leaders, 92% said they believe the future of physical security is in the cloud.
Despite this near-unanimous agreement on the direction of the industry, about a quarter reported that they still haven’t transitioned to the cloud.
What’s holding them back? And importantly, what needs to change?
For leaders weighing the upfront investment in a cloud transition, it’s important to project the long-term savings that can be realised with the cloud.
Cloud-based systems reduce dependence on local hardware, in turn eliminating ongoing maintenance costs.
And the hidden cost of ongoing maintenance is the time and resources of IT teams.
With the cloud, teams can focus on more strategic initiatives rather than day-to-day system maintenance. Further, with subscription-based licensing models, leaders have more predictability with long-term budgets.
For the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital, the long term cost benefit of cloud-based physical security solutions was a key driver in its decision to transition from an on-prem system.
The system needed a constant flow of engineers to patch up faults and camera failures, as well as a dedicated room filled with DVRs, a complex cabling network and a multitude of UPS units.
Even the room housing its system required a dedicated air conditioning unit to control the temperature, due to the vast amount of power units and the heat they produced.
After it transitioned to Verkada’s cloud-based system, the Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital significantly reduced its CapEx costs: the single PoE cable that powers Verkada cameras both minimised installation costs and has eliminated the need for ongoing maintenance.
Security leaders told us that the most important feature in a security solution is cybersecurity and it follows that it’s the top priority of their technology investments when they’re looking at their budgets.
With the rapid evolution of technology, cloud-based solutions now offer more protections and safeguards to organisations: from advanced encryption technology and security protocols to backup and recovery options to prevent data loss.
More than 90% of survey respondents agree that cloud systems are safer than ever before, and have confidence in continued improvements over the next five years.
Verkada’s cloud-based platform offers the latest data security and privacy protections –ensuring organisations meet regulatory requirements and also maintain an effective security program.
For YMCA Trinity Group of the UK, this was a key factor in evaluating solutions.
“Verkada passed all internal penetration testing and evaluations,” said Jon Cooper, the YMCA’s Facilities and Maintenance Manager.
“I feel confident in the solution’s ability to secure, anonymise and deliver video footage in compliance with core GDPR requirements.”
For many leaders – especially those who manage security across multiple sites and in multiple geographies – the complexity of migrating systems from on-prem into the cloud is a hurdle.
Some organisations don’t have the budget or the manpower to transition to all at once, so new solutions – like Verkada’s Command Connector – are bridging that gap to bring on-prem cameras into the cloud as leaders begin to add more cloud-native cameras over time and across sites.
Once those systems are integrated into a single cloud-based platform, teams have a tremendous amount of flexibility. Whether it’s managing or monitoring CCTV remotely – the second most important feature security leaders cited – or getting technology integrations online within minutes rather than days thanks to public APIs, leaders and teams have a world of possibility when they have a solution that integrates multiple physical security products into a single system.
In fact, 85% of security leaders said that centralising in a single system was very or extremely important to them.
For Bath Spa University, the simplicity of installation as well as the ability to manage seven campuses (and several more teaching sites) in the Bath area from one central platform – no matter where their team is – was a major unlock.
When they migrated to the cloud with Verkada, Bath Spa University was able to install and bring camera feeds into the Command platform within a matter of days.
“Verkada’s desktop experience and app are both incredibly easy to use,” said Andy Williams, Head of Facilities and Services.
“I’m able to do everything, end-to-end, from wherever I am: activate the cameras, assign permissions, find footage, archive clips, or share feeds with outside folks.”
Ultimately, the future of security in the cloud shouldn’t just be viewed as a technological upgrade – it’s a future-proofing strategy that will enable all kinds of breakthroughs in the security industry.
From AI-powered investigations and searching to advanced analytics and predictive modelling, organisations are moving from reactively responding to threats to now proactively identifying and responding to them as they emerge.
I’m placing my bet on the cloud as I think about what will make our industry more resilient and strategic in the years to come.
This article was originally published in the September Edition of Security Journal UK. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.
