Video surveillance has evolved dramatically during the past decade. The adoption of edge and data-driven technologies has repositioned it from merely serving security use cases to becoming a valuable tool for business intelligence and operations. Globally, rising security requirements and digital infrastructure expansion are fuelling demand for solutions deployed across residential, commercial and industrial settings.[1]
In South Africa, video surveillance is a powerful tool for critical infrastructure operators, particularly as they grapple with always-on risks such as vandalism and theft. But using that tool also creates the need for video data storage. As operators capture higher-quality footage in increasing volumes, storing and managing that footage becomes more critical for both security and enterprise applications.
Now more than ever, storage is a strategic consideration in the case of critical infrastructure security. Central to that consideration is how operators meet their storage requirements without getting stuck in a quagmire of having to constantly purchase more capacity. Therein lies the opportunity for optimisation. With the right approach and use of tech, storage can help operators become more resilient, efficient and effective with their physical security systems.
The need for video surveillance is greater than ever
With efforts like a reform of its public-private partnership (PPP) framework to fast-track the delivery of key infrastructure[2], South Africa is on a mission to address shortcomings in the systems and sectors that are essential for public services and socioeconomic activity.
At the same time, it must protect those systems and sectors. Transportation and logistics operators report that theft remains one of the most prevalent and damaging crimes they face.[3] The destruction and vandalism of public road infrastructure leads to human lives being endangered and economic activity being disrupted.[4] Recent industry reporting has highlighted the substantial financial and operational impact of theft and vandalism on South Africa’s telecommunications infrastructure, including disruption to nationwide connectivity.[5]
These examples demonstrate how smart surveillance is an important part of any new infrastructure rollout or upgrade initiative, resulting in networks that can include up to hundreds or even thousands of video cameras. And that’s just for security purposes. Industry research, including surveys conducted among Axis customers, indicates growing interest in using video systems to support business intelligence and operational efficiency.[6]
But with those networks comes the need for storage, either on premises, in cloud environments, at the edge, or through a hybrid architecture, depending on the use case, security requirements, data-governance policies, and applicable regulations. And the question that operators are asking themselves is: “How much storage do I need now, and how much will I need in the future?”
Quantity versus quality
What gives the video storage question its prevalence is that, thanks to continuous innovation and key advancements in camera technology, today’s solutions offer a high level of image usability. Camera devices offer high frame rates and pixel densities, larger fields of view, illumination options such as infrared, and integrated analytics and specific object capture (e.g., license plates).[7]
Video footage can be extremely useful in security and safety applications, and there is an incentive among organisations to leverage solutions as much as possible. But with that incentive, and subsequent deployments, comes tension. Organisations record more high-quality footage intended to support investigations and evidentiary processes. They want to minimise their storage requirements but retain video forensic detail. And the assumption goes that with each new camera you add to your network, your storage requirements go up.
That doesn’t have to be the case. State-of-the-art video compression methods enable operators to maintain the image usability of video footage while reducing their storage needs.[8] They do this through encoding techniques that reduce bitrate and preserve more detail in regions of interest, while avoiding unnecessary data in less important parts of the scene. In short, camera systems make the best use of the bandwidth they have.
This proves valuable across critical sectors. Whether a camera is monitoring the base of a radio tower, a section of a railyard, or the entrance to a power plant, operators can help retain the image detail needed for defined investigative purposes, like a person gaining unauthorised access or tampering with equipment, while reducing unnecessary data and enabling operators to scale systems efficiently. With appropriate recording and retention policies, organisations can balance video quality, storage capacity, and operational requirements more effectively.
The era of intelligent storage
When it comes to video storage, it’s not just a question of how much storage an organisation’s system needs, but where that storage is located. Traditionally, organisations have relied on centralised storage and management with video cameras transferring their footage to a single server location. Many infrastructure operators still rely on that kind of system architecture and, while it remains a valid one, they stand to benefit from distributed architectures that place storage capabilities where they deliver the most value.
Cameras equipped with edge storage, taking the form of purpose-built SD cards, lets organisations store video data directly on the device.[9] Depending on the deployment and retention requirements, edge storage can reduce reliance on central recording capacity and provide temporary local recording or a recovery option if communication with primary storage is interrupted. That should be evaluated as part of their overall resilience and backup strategies.
It also offers benefits for analytics. Edge processing enables cameras to analyse events locally and trigger configured actions, while edge storage can help retain footage at the point of capture and support recording continuity.
Having to consider storage options goes hand-in-hand with the overall consideration of how infrastructure operators build out their video surveillance systems. Case in point, choosing which SD card to use depends on the camera resolution. Choosing which camera resolution to use depends on what the footage will be used for. Storage is no longer just another part of IT infrastructure; it is a strategic component of intelligent physical-security system design.
By working closely with vendors and system integrators, operators can help South Africa’s critical infrastructure benefit from a rethink of the role of video data storage, which the country then benefits from through protected and resilient services.
