Missing video evidence due to device failure is an epidemic throughout the entire security industry. Time and again, security teams try to pull evidentiary video for investigation purposes, and it’s not there. Why is this happening? Better yet, could you be alerted when failures take place?
There are a lot of things which have to go right when an image is captured by a camera and eventually recorded to a digital storage device making it available for playback. By detecting video system issues such as signal deterioration and/or other device performance challenges, security teams can proactively prevent missing video evidence scenarios.
How exactly is this accomplished?
The ideal way is with a software solution designed to monitor performance and check the health of all the components of a video system and alert when there’s an issue. There are several solutions available ranging from IT monitoring software to built-in monitoring on some VMSs and even some purpose-built for video systems. However, for ease of use and deployment, we recommend investing in a solution which is:
• Purpose-built for security operations teams.
• Simple to use and easy to deploy.
• Primarily off-the-shelf, yet highly customizable.
• Able to automatically discover all security devices with an IP address.
• Optimizable in less than a week.
• Able to scale to the changes in your security system.
• Manufacturer agnostic.
• Able to remotely restart cameras and VMS services.
The monitoring software by Vunetrix covers all of these and more.
About Vunetrix
Vunetrix is monitoring software which:
• Discovers baseline thresholds for all components connected to a video system.
• Detects status changes with individual components.
• Alerts whenever there is a problem which may result in missing video evidence.
Solving the Missing Video Evidence Problem
Common Causes of Missing Video Evidence
01 Whenever a camera is disconnected from the network, it is unable to send video streams. For cameras with SNMP support, Vunetrix can detect offline status as well as available bandwidth. When bandwidth is abnormal and/or a camera is offline, the likelihood of missing video evidence is probable. Vunetrix detects these problems and alerts.
02 A network switch is designed to allow different devices on a network to communicate. When a network switch fails or experiences bottlenecks, video packets can be lost all together causing missing video evidence. Vunetrix can detect switch failures and bottlenecks and will send a real-time alert.
03 Every server on the network requires a network interface card (NIC) in order to access the Internet. When the Server NIC port is not functional, video streams are not available to the video management system (VMS). This is a common cause of missing video evidence. Vunetrix can detect NIC availability and bandwidth. When the NIC is disconnected or indicating limited bandwidth, Vunetrix will alert.
04 The video management system (VMS) is a component of the security camera system which collects video, records/stores that video to a storage device, and provides an interface to run the following services: view the live video and access recorded video. Vunetrix monitors these services and alerts if they stop running. Vunetrix can also restart VMS services remotely.
05 A network video recorder (NVR) is a computer system which uses a software program to record video in a digital format to a storage device. When a server’s CPU/Memory/Disk Space has been over consumed, this can lead to missing video evidence. Vunetrix can detect insufficient resources and alert.
06 An application programming Interface (API) allows applications to communicate with one another. Vunetrix has API integrations with several VMSs including Exacq Vision, Milestone, and Wavestore. We are currently working on an API with Genetec, and there are more in the works. APIs allows Vunetrix to pull detailed information about video streams at the software layer. Essentially, any manufacturer allowed alert pertaining to missing video evidence scenarios can be detected by Vunetrix. The software is designed to send these alerts directly to security operations teams via email/SMS/ticketing system/Slack/audible alarms/etc.
07 Video storage volumes are where recorded video is stored. Vunetrix can monitor the hardware disk health or RAID/Array health metrics to determine when the logical or physical disk systems are compromised. Some of the alerts can include pre-failure, failed, or disconnected. All of these scenarios can adversely affect stored video evidence.
Download Our Cheat Sheet: Solving the Missing Video Evidence Problem
At Vunetrix, our Integrator partners rely on us to alert them to video system challenges which indicate the likelihood of missing video evidence. With Vunetrix in place, Integrators know in near real-time there’s a problem and can take steps to resolve it immediately. Most of the time, our Integrators know there’s a problem before their customers. Best of all, the component can be replaced, restarted, or reset before missing video evidence becomes a problem.
Learn about our Preferred Partner Program for Integrators.
Knight Security SecurePlan™ powered by Vunetrix
If you’re interested in learning more about video system health and performance monitoring, please reach out to us. We provide FREE demos and pilots to System Integrators looking to improve their managed service program and increase RMR revenue.
Contact Vunetrix Today!