The future of surveillance in UK plc

In both economic and political terms, the security sector is a vitally important industry. Even more so now, perhaps, given the tragic events in London on 7 July and the subsequent (thankfully thwarted) attempt to attack the Capital once again two weeks later.

The London suicide bombings inevitably led to national and worldwide concern, not to mention lengthy debates focusing on ways in which we might improve safety and security by enhancing protection regimes for people, buildings and property alike.

Without doubt, the security ‘package’ is an important and essential component for today’s business. As a result, UK-based client organisations are now beginning to select more intelligent, ‘smarter’ systems as they come to terms with the importance of CCTV image quality. This last point is vital, as those images will reveal the final movements or actions leading up to a security incident.

Subsequent to the London bombings, of course, even mobile telephone camera footage was used for evidential purposes. An extremely interesting development, it must be said.

The UK’s surveillance market is a mature and healthy one. By and large, installers and end users employ conventional hardware and/or analogue-type systems that were installed at some point in the past. It’s an infrastructure that differs somewhat from other European nations. Now, though, great change lies ahead.

Integrated surveillance and IP

Integrated systems based on Internet Protocol (IP) technologies are coming to the fore right across Europe. On home shores, we are starting to deploy integrated, network-based IP systems such that they might play an increasingly important role in the future. Developments in biometrics are also continuing at a rapid rate. It is nothing less than an exciting period of great change for us all, and one that will necessitate a steep learning curve in the months and years ahead.

Increasingly, surveillance is playing an ever-more important role as it has the potential to offer a degree of distributed intelligence, remote access, wireless communication and the integration of services under one umbrella – the advent, if you like, of a single, fully-integrated, enterprise-wide system. This will not materialise right away, but the camera technology and software is just about ready to go. Voice and image transmission over IP is already possible, of course.

Computer storage capabilities are enhanced almost on a weekly basis, it seems, with consumers increasingly exposed to the Internet. All of the necessary components for a truly integrated monitoring and surveillance solution are available now. As more and more products are introduced there will be a choice for end users when it comes to constituent elements. Wireless systems, for example, have been around for some time now, and are becoming more and more secure.

When end users are purchasing their surveillance equipment, considerations for the future should not be solely focused on long-term performance. New European legislation must also be brought into view – for instance the Restriction on the Use of Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Act and the Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. If manufacturers and suppliers are not taking into consideration the costs that such legislation will add to the bottom line, it will be the end user who picks up the bill.

The aim for security managers, then, is to keep costs down while at the same time maintaining system flexibility. Given the degree of new technology and systems, the knowledge and education of those dealing with these systems – and the standard of the systems themselves – must also be increased.

Feedback from end users

In the UK market, analogue products are well accepted. That is not necessarily the case with IP-based systems, where more understanding is needed in relation to the technology and its potential. Practitioners will need a background in IT. It would be marvellous if, somehow, we could engage more young people and installers in training to use security products to their full potential, particularly in relation to the next generation IP systems.

Leading installers are already taking up the challenge, engaging with holistic building management systems and using them as required. More and more, installers are coming to us for advice on how they might make their clients’ surveillance systems more intelligent, and how they can integrate them with existing analogue infrastructures.

At the end of the day, installers will have no choice but to learn these elements of the new security equation or their services will be somewhat limited. Consequently, business will slowly begin to migrate from their order books.

By way of analogy, the blacksmith used to be a fundamental and necessary part of every community. However, as the horse was gradually eased out of service by the internal combustion engine, so the blacksmith’s skills and abilities were no longer in demand. Given that blacksmiths have been eradicated by motor mechanics, it follows that traditional security installers will have to modify their skills and broaden their outlook or they too will disappear. Unless they want to make ornamental wrought-iron gates for a living, that is! One suspects that isn’t their desire!

Saving time and resources

By working alongside partners such as Milestone Systems and Verint, we have been able to offer security managers and their installers complete IP-based video systems. The integration of these security products in a converged environment will support both analogue systems and IP-based networks.

The goal here is to save time, money and resources while also protecting investment in traditional analogue systems. For instance, on several projects Milestone Systems software will be used for the management of our products, encompassing application control, recording and monitoring with the security system. Meantime, secure wireless units delivered by Verint enable the networking of remote JVC cameras where physical cabling might otherwise have been tricky.

At the moment, JVC Professional (Europe) is moving into a new UK headquarters building that will incorporate both the professional and consumer divisions. I only mention this because what we are planning here is a microcosm of the trends I have mentioned.

The new building (an artist’s impression of which is reproduced below) will incorporate multiple services on an IT backbone. We will be installing Voice-over-IP telephone systems and a mixture of analogue and IP security cameras integrated with IP-centric access control systems. For remote monitoring of distant parts of the site we now have the possibility of using both analogue and IP signals over digital wireless links provided by Verint.

All of the monitoring and systems control will be conducted from a central computer using Milestone Systems software geared specifically to IP security applications where recording, storage and analysis are all part of the end user package. This system will also integrate with the access set-up such that video and management data will monitor and review anyone entering secure locations.

The fact that we have selected a comprehensive IP infrastructure will enable the easy and fast integration of future services should we decide to implement them. To paraphrase an old television commercial starring Victor Kiam of Remington: “We liked the technology so much we bought it!”

Configuring network services

Security installers will be required to install not just cables, wireless points and connectors but also configure the network services that run them. On the positive side, our eyes and ears are fundamentally analogue. An installer boasting a CCTV background will possess the ‘analogue skills’ involved in understanding contrast, colour, resolution and frequency. If the pictures don’t look good, or the stereo image is poor and ill-defined, those are exactly the kind of issues that security managers will be the first to complain about. How the signals were conveyed is of secondary importance. Current skills will remain valid, but will be added to with knowledge of the configuration of network-based services.

One area that hasn’t really been addressed thus far is the fact that network and IP-based systems must be bullet-proof. They have to be totally secure, and demonstrably so to the security manager. Traditional CCTV has been a safe option. Now, ‘open circuit television’ is more liable to hacking from outside (although levels of security similar to those applied to credit card systems may be employed).

Adding value to systems

Slowly but surely, manufacturers are now beginning to use people and technology in more innovative ways, developing strategic alliances with third parties and encouraging a greater degree of professionalism. Being able to change and adapt their products will be advantageous for any manufacturer and their clients. Only recently, we worked with the Security Department of a major company and the chosen installer – while also liaising with our factory in Japan – to produce bespoke cameras featuring specific protocols for operational control.

The general business concept behind any security installation should be to add value to systems – both analogue and digital – as well as provide specialist hardware-driven end user solutions that enable security and IT managers with different operating systems to efficiently, reliably and securely monitor surveillance data.

From my perspective, I do not foresee that the DVR market will enjoy such longevity as the VHS market has done to date. Network video recorders will gradually begin to steal a march on their cousins. In this case, all image recording will be completed via the PC and hard disk as part of a ubiquitous PC recording scene.

As time moves on, end users will also witness great developments in mega-pixel cameras offering high resolution solutions for network-driven systems. Developments in projectors and LCD TFT monitors will also improve image viewing for the client.

These are indeed very exciting times.