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John Kingsley-Hefty on Video Surveillance

Security Counsel Architect John Kingsley-Hefty, formerly of the Corporate Security Services Department at 3M, answers readers' questions about video surveillance.

March 01, 2005 — CSO — John Kingsley-Hefty is a professional architect who has been involved in building security design for more than 28 years. He retired from 3M's Corporate Security Services Department where he was responsible for integrated security systems and specialized in security design. In 1997, he formed Secure Environments, which helps clients design security and integrated business systems. He answered readers' questions about video surveillance.Q: What new video surveillance technologies are on the horizon? A: Digital technology will go through improvements in speed and compression standards. Within the next two years we will see the elimination for the need of digital video recorders (DVRs). I expect that central servers will be able to service most customer sites worldwide. The key will be the customers and their willingness to invest in or upgrade their communications paths in terms of speed and bandwidth.Q: Are there any digital video solutions for small businesses?A: We are seeing the digital video industry continue to simplify its products to reduce costs and improve performance and features, following the same progression that we have all seen in the PC world over the past 10 years. For example, GE has just introduced a new product, which is a minimal four-camera device that is very well priced with basic operating features. I expect that the other players in the industry have or are about to release similar solutions.Q: I don't have the budget to redo my aging system, and I need to transition to newer hardware and technology. How do I go about that for access control, digital video and alarms?A: For access control, watch the trade shows for new Web-based systems that will offer significant savings; in many cases you will be able to reuse your readers, door wire and a bridge to the Internet. You may also avoid the ownership of software and replace that expense with a very modest user fee. For video, if you are currently using multiplexers and switchers, the new "stripped down" DVRs will give you the opportunity to upgrade your front end into the digital world, without forcing you to upgrade your entire system.Q: What are the best practices for handling and storing CCTV tapes?A: The key is building a tape swap and storage schedule that rerecords the tapes equitably. Tapes will wear, over time, to the point of failure. Color-coding by day and/or shifts, and numbering by week works well. The key is designing