4 Things to Consider When Finding the Best Enterprise Security Camera System

How do you go about finding the best enterprise video security out there?  The term enterprise can be a loaded term, but it often connotates finding a solution that satisfies the following:

1. Integrates into other software that an organization currently uses like single sign-on
2. Is highly scalable for a large organization (both in terms of the product and who within the enterprise can use it)
3. Takes security precautions that are transparent and testable if needed
4. Offers exceptional support including SLA’s when the business requires it (often for compliance)

These are key prerequisites to determine a viable enterprise solution and for video security, in particular, all of these are essential.  However, video security has often been left behind other modern software and SaaS solutions.  Traditional video security doesn’t often blend well with other enterprise systems meaning they are isolated from the organization and don’t satisfy requirement #1 up above.  These traditional systems are not scalable since they must be deployed independently making management of the system cumbersome for most organizations.

We believe that any enterprise system should satisfy all of the requirements above, especially if an organization is looking to invest in video security that can adapt to the changing needs of the business.  If a solution doesn’t satisfy the above prerequisites, then it may become quickly outdated and will not realize its full ROI before it’s obsolete.

So, what are some of the key traits to look for when determining a quality enterprise security camera system?  Here’s everything you need to know -

1. Integrations

To get the most out of a video security system, or any other software that an enterprise has purchased, we recommend that your security camera system integrates with a SSO provider for authentication, badge ID, SIEM (security information and event management), alert & notification programs (Slack, PagerDuty, etc.), and any other system that will make your video security more effective.  The more places the cameras can integrate with, the more flexible and effective the system will be to your organization.  In addition, a solid API helps ensure that it can easily be plugged into any system regardless if it has been done previously or not.

2. Scalability

Depending on the size of your organization, your video security system should be able to support thousands of cameras and have the ability to be managed by different users with different assigned roles.  Whether you have 50 to 5000 cameras, the video security UI should handle both the presentation of the cameras and the management (users and roles) with ease.  For some enterprises, the number of cameras can quickly add up and focusing on a great user experience by reducing complexity early on will net huge benefits in the future.  To make management easier, if you have an identity provider like Okta, the system should integrate with the provider to reduce the number of places an enterprise needs to manage its users and roles.

3. Security

In today’s world of regular hacks and exploits, any enterprise solution must take security very seriously.  This means that security camera vendors must conduct regular third-party security audits that are shared with its customers, demonstrate transparent security practices, and be committed to regular security updates.  The latter includes frequent firmware updates with the latest security patches and also constantly managing their own infrastructure to patch and update outdated software.  Security is an on-going commitment and something that a vendor must work to constantly improve.

4. Support

With any enterprise solution, it must be backed by great customer support that is available whenever a need arises.  This means having staff readily available at all times of the day to jump on any critical issues.  Enterprises rely on their infrastructure and vendors, so vendors must be willing to provide the same level of support that the enterprise offers to its customers.  This often includes providing SLA’s to enterprises that usually start at 99.9% uptime guarantees.

Conclusion

If you’re considering an enterprise video security system, please consider the following:

• How well it will integrate with your existing infrastructure
• How scalable the solution is both in terms of software and management
• How secure the solution is
• How good the vendor will be about supporting the solution

There is a multitude of things to consider when investing in an enterprise security camera system, but through this article, we hope you’re one step closer to finding the perfect system for your organization.