Western Digital: 6 smart security trends to have on your radar

Smart security is moving beyond static security video recording to real-time video analytics – thanks to new AI-enabled capabilities. With the rolling-out of always-on systems, edge computing will play an essential role in capturing, collecting, and analyzing high resolution data. Here are some key trends one can expect to see as a result of this evolution.

Moving beyond the standard security camera

Standard security cameras focus on streaming a video feed from a fixed location. This footage is either observed in real-time or recorded for future reference. Today, we see an evolution of smart cameras through the emergence of AI with static lenses, pattern matching, and a focus on specific zones or movements.

However, these smart security cameras require in-built storage and intelligence Additionally, many other types of cameras, such as body cameras, dashboard cameras, new IoT devices and sensors, are used today to make video data so productive that one can analyze and deduce a lot of valuable information in real-time, instead of post-event.

Edge computing and smart security

With cloud adoption now becoming mainstream, organizations are considering the platform as a centralized location to store big data. However, now data is being processed at the edge, rather than in the cloud. The main reason for this change in preference is latency, which is essential when trying to carry out real-time pattern recognition.

Data processing becomes difficult when 4K surveillance video, recorded 24/7, is stored on a centralized data center hundreds of miles away. This data analysis needs to happen quickly to ensure timeliness during dynamic situations, such as public safety. By storing relevant data at the edge using Western Digital’s WD Purple microSD card, AI inferencing can happen faster, leading to safer communities, effective operations, and smarter infrastructure.

Smart surveillance in the smart factory

Factories, which previously used to function as a disconnected unit, are now becoming a more inter-connected, well-oiled unit. From the design stage to the assembly line, and smart video security – AI & IoT are taking center stage.

The modern factory business requires a high-definition, 360 smart video security that can monitor all activity. Besides, smart cameras can be deployed to help analyze the efficiency of warehouse processes and the functioning of the product line. These extra technological demands require a large amount of data to operate 24/7 and the storage of this footage is of paramount importance. This can be stored on Western Digital’s surveillance-grade WD Purple HDD which is coupled with supported workload rate of up to 180 TB/year and support for up to 64 cameras. WD Purple drives are optimized for surveillance systems and designed to support Deep Learning analytics in AI capable NVRs and feature an enhanced workload rating of up to 360TB/year.

UHD and storage 

AI-enabled applications and capabilities, such as pattern recognition, depend on high-definition resolutions such as 4K – also known as Ultra High Definition (UHD). This detailed data has a significant impact on storage – the capacity and speeds at which it needs to be written, and the network it utilizes. Compared to HD, 4K video has much higher storage requirements and with 8K on the horizon, ramping up storage capabilities has become the need of the hour.

Larger video files place new demands on data infrastructure, which means investments must become a key consideration when looking into smarter security solutions.

Always-on connectivity

Most smart-security solutions with limited connectivity or ultra-fast 5G capabilities need to operate 24/7, regardless of the environment. Yet, on occasion, the underlying hardware and software systems fail. In the event of this, it is vital to establish a failover process to restore data and ensure continued operations, including everything from traffic control to sensors to camera feeds.

For this reason, embedded storage in the form of WD Purple microSD^TM cards are used in cameras to enable continuous recording. Software tools – powered by AI – can then “patch” missing data streams with the content captured on the card to ensure the video stream can be viewed chronologically with no content gaps.

Sophisticated device analytics

Self-monitoring has become a critical tool in enabling better uptime, proactive support, and efficiency for many systems. Whether in smart factories or enterprise settings, an entire system can fail simply due to one component malfunctioning. As a solution, companies need to look at investing in hard drives that can monitor a variety of parameters, including temperature, to help administrators take immediate action before reliability is compromised. 

In the end…

Today, smart security is about utilizing AI and edge computing to deliver an always-on, high-resolution security provision that can keep people safe 24/7. These trends increase the demands and importance of security monitoring, which means the supporting data infrastructure improves to match existing processes, including the ability to manage the infrastructure to ensure reliable operation proactively. Companies need to make sure they have the requisite storage capabilities to enable this.