As any CCTV owner will know, the footage isn’t just valuable at the time at which it’s been captured. You may need to review the footage later down the line for a variety of reasons. However, unless the footage has been backed up and protected this won’t be possible.
In the most serious of cases, the footage can be deliberately erased to cover up a crime. While such instances are rare they do happen. Likewise, if a criminal targets a residential address, they may steal or destroy any computers which could contain your CCTV footage.
To protect your commercial CCTV footage from such acts, here are some of the options you have at your disposal, along with their advantages and any pitfalls you need to consider.
Hardware Storage
The first port of call would be to back the footage up onto your computer’s drive or an external hard drive. This will require someone to remember to do this regularly since most of us forget to back our important files up. The memory capability of the drive also needs to be generous, since video footage (especially 4K) can be quite taxing on your machine.
Be aware though that in case of a fire, flood or theft, the footage could easily be destroyed if it’s only stored on a physical machine. Also, the footage should be stored in a password protected folder especially if it’s commercial CCTV, since anyone could technically get in and edit or delete it.
Network Area Storage (NAS)
NAS devices are essentially a combination of a mini PC and a cloud system all rolled into one. They bypass the issue of needing a high amount of memory since they have incredible storage capabilities. Also, they can be accessed from anywhere so long as the user has the right credentials. So if you have a NAS device for your office and you get broken into, you can access the footage from home.
The downsides of a NAS is that they require constant power and a lot of bandwidth to work properly. They also need encryption to stop any unwanted eyes from being able to access the footage. In addition, it can be difficult to manage the costs of a NAS. So, they are only really ideal for buildings with an excellent internet connection, and businesses that also have a flexible budget.
Online Storage
Online storage usually comes in the form of the cloud. Even HSBC have recently moved their blockchain technology to the cloud, making it trusted in a wide number of circles. The advantages of online storage are that even if your device is totally destroyed, the footage will remain intact. This could provide vital evidence if your building was subjected to arson or major damage, that otherwise would render the CCTV cameras and footage unusable.
Something you do have to keep in mind is that cloud storage must be paid for, and you do need to monitor who has access to the account. Poorly monitored cloud accounts can be hacked or the footage can be accidentally wiped, so they do require careful attention.
What do the pros say?
We even asked another CCTV professional about the most common storage options: “There are many ways to back up and store commercial CCTV footage ranging from USB sticks to Cloud storage. The most common form is raid storage, which is additional hard drives within the NVR/Server which keeps storage across several hard drives in case of failure.” – Chris Noble, Colne Valley Security
Install CCTV For Your Home Or Business
Are you interested in remote CCTV monitoring, or do you need further help with anything we’ve mentioned above relating to protecting your commercial CCTV footage?
Here at RE:SURE, our CCTV systems have state of the art technology. We can also provide remote CCTV monitoring to keep your home and business safe at all times.
Get in touch on IRE 01 691 7100 | UK 028 8676 1183 and our friendly team will be more than happy to help.