Five things to Consider While Choosing a Storage Solution for CCTV

by Mr. Khalid Wani, Senior Director - Sales, India, Western Digital

The Indian CCTV market has experienced tremendous growth over the last few years. According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, it is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 20.9% by 2028. The market’s rapid expansion is partly due to the government’s focus on smart cities as well as the need for efficient governance to manage and tackle various societal issues.

Today, we have best practices and guidelines, which help ensure that businesses and public sector departments deploy CCTV effectively to manage and control their operations. However, they can often face challenges of inefficiency of the systems. In large number of instances, the reason can be due to choosing the wrong storage platform.

For example, CCTV has proven to be extremely useful in e-policing. The presence of surveillance systems acts as a deterrent to criminal activities, enhances public safety by monitoring public spaces, and helps manage traffic flow and reduces congestion on roads and highways. However, surveillance systems can be extremely demanding, requiring uninterrupted multi-stream capture, and have the needed endurance and reliability for a wide range of weather fluctuations. Therefore, it is pivotal to consider the below factors before choosing a storage option for these CCTV systems:

Continuous monitoring: The storage solutions – hard disk drives (HDDs) for central storage and SD/microSD™ cards for edge or on camera storage) – should be designed for systems that operate 24x7, in multi-stream, multi-camera environments. For instance, dozens or even hundreds of CCTV cameras are vital in 24/7 road network management as continuous monitoring of traffic helps in identifying congested areas, bottlenecks, and accidents, enabling authorities to take corrective measures to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.

High capacity: Smart video surveillance solutions should have the highest capacity for storing more high-resolution video and data longer. This also helps in doing better analysis, thereby producing sharper insights. Higher resolution cameras can capture more detailed images that can be analysed over a period of days/weeks. This helps in providing a more accurate representation of traffic conditions and behaviour, thereby facilitating traffic authorities to make informed decisions.

Improved ATA streaming: The whole purpose of installing CCTV cameras is to be able to clearly record what is happening and to go back and check the footage whenever needed. The storage device for a security camera system should be able to record, store and re-play videos non-stop from multiple feeds, or streams. In case of any technical glitch that can cause lags, the hard drive, for example, should have features to help move on to capture the next frame, or risk losing crucial footage.

With improved ATA streaming, traffic authorities can store high-quality footage with a reduced risk of data loss or corruption and ensure they don’t miss out on any vehicles that are either over-speeding or have faulty license plates.

Higher endurance:. When it comes to choosing a storage option for CCTV systems, higher endurance is crucial. By selecting a storage solution with higher endurance, CCTV cameras can withstand extreme weather conditions and operate for longer periods, ultimately reducing downtime and maintenance costs. Retail grade microSD cards lack endurance specifications and may require maintenance service. It is important to know in advance if a microSD card requires maintenance, particularly if it is a critical part of the security system. WD Purple microSD cards come with a Card Health Monitor capability that checks on the card health and alerts the operator when maintenance is needed.

24*7 support: It is important that the microSD cards deliver high endurance, reliability, and extended temperature range for smart video and different types of surveillance CCTV cameras like wireless, Wi-Fi, IP, DVR and NVR based systems. In the event of a power-cut or a similar event that disrupts the connection between the camera & DVR, the microSD cards should be capable of allowing uninterrupted storage of security video.

Continuous support can ensure that traffic surveillance cameras continue to operate even in the event of a component failure or outage or at the time when the city is at its most vulnerable state.

The growth of the Indian CCTV market is expected to continue at a rapid pace, driven by the government's focus on smart cities and efficient governance. However, the efficiency of the systems can be impacted if the wrong storage solution is chosen. It is crucial to consider factors such as continuous monitoring, high capacity, improved ATA streaming, higher endurance, and failover support when selecting a storage option for CCTV systems. By choosing the right storage solution, businesses and public sector departments can ensure that their surveillance systems operate effectively and efficiently, thereby enhancing public safety.