Bridging the gap

Digital technology is now well and truly the dominant force of the security sector. Sales of digital systems and interfaces are increasing year on year and look set to carry on doing so. It is easy to see why they became so popular. Digital systems offer far higher quality, are more user friendly and bring functionality that was unheard of in analogue systems.

The extent of top-level industry buy-in to digital technology has reached the point where the British Security Industry Association has recently drawn up a code of practice for handling digital security footage, ending any lingering doubts about whether the footage produced by digital cameras would be capable of leading to convictions in court. By following BSIA guidelines about the integrity and traceability of footage, security professionals can be 100 per cent confident in the footage at their fingertips.

However, as well as revolutionising the industry, the progress has so far come at a cost, as systems that may have been installed just three to five years ago are already being rendered obsolete by the arrival of NVRs that are expected to outsell DVR systems in the next six years. These internet-based solutions allow the use of a central point of management to monitor footage from anywhere in the world. NVRs are fully compatible with office PCs, so should start to bring the best possible security within the reach of smaller businesses that are already likely to have an IT network installed.

Despite the rapid growth and the speed at which technology is moving at the moment, the industry has been left at an interesting and unusual crossroads because the existing installed user base is still dominated by analogue cameras – around 85 per cent of all cameras are still analogue. The rush to embrace cutting-edge NVR technology is hamstrung by an understandable reluctance to upgrade cameras that may have been installed relatively recently.

Of course the news isn't all bad for those aiming for tight security on an even tighter budget – the industry is learning lessons quickly. There are ways both to bridge the gap between analogue and digital and also to prepare fully for the arrival of systems that embrace IP and graphical user interface technology. There are systems available that are compatible with existing analogue cameras, but are also future-proof enough to allow security networks to evolve along with current technology and – more importantly – the needs of individual organisations or companies.

Adopting this approach will allow gradual upgrading – replacing the infrastructure and operating system separately without any massive capital outlay on entire new systems. Yes, pure NVR systems aren't far away but it is possible to bridge the gap in the meantime. A good example is the DigitalSENTRY Network Video Solutions Suite from Integral (see below).

What is obvious is that the industry needs to be realistic in its expectations about how the market wants to embrace new technology. While IP systems are clearly the future, security providers need to be sympathetic to the fact that people are attached to their current systems and therefore offer the market solutions that bridge the gap not only between analogue and digital but also from analogue to NVR.