Cisco, a growing player in the physical security space, has recently released new network modules for its Integrated Services Router (ISR) product line that add comprehensive video surveillance management capabilities to the popular branch office devices. For many of its existing customers – Cisco notes an installed base of over 4 million ISRs –leveraging the existing network infrastructure to deploy an IP video surveillance solution can offer significant consolidation benefits.
Video Surveillance is Going the Way of IP
As detailed in the Info-Tech Advisor research note, “IP Surveillance: Prepare for New Demands on Network Operations,” IP-based video surveillance stands as a much more flexible and powerful long term solution for new security installations than conventional closed-circuit solutions. However, this approach of leveraging the existing network infrastructure – which greatly simplifies deployment and ongoing administration – to support physical security operations is steadily moving related planning responsibilities into the domain of IT management.