Security Featured Article

Cisco (News - Alert) has introduced a new line of video solutions for physical security. These new products use the Internet Protocol (IP) network as a platform for managing applications such as video surveillance, physical access control, and communications and notification to help safety and security professionals better integrate and manage complex video systems.

 

The new, standards-based video servers and IP video surveillance cameras, with application enhancements, improve interoperability, user experience, storage and overall performance of the Cisco Connected Physical Security system.

 

The safety and security industry is undergoing a major technology transition from closed, proprietary systems to open, interoperable solutions. Cisco is taking an active role in advancing open standards and recently announced its support for a new open IP Media Device application programming interface (API) introduced by the Physical Security Interoperability Alliance (PSIA (News - Alert)).

 

This specification marks the beginning of a set of standards that will help define uniform methods for how IP devices communicate with the network, including discovery, configuration, and command and control.

 

Cisco is taking a first step in promoting open standards by embedding the recently introduced open IP Media Device API within its IP surveillance cameras, supported by Cisco's video surveillance applications and multiservices platforms.

 

"The underlying technologies that are the framework of today's safety and security operations are in a state of transition as security professionals and emergency responders look to integrate these critical tools to better communicate with each other and speed information sharing," said Bill Stuntz, vice president and general manager of Cisco's Physical Security business unit, in a statement.

 

Stuntz continued: "The development of open, interoperable solutions, based on industry standards, will help Cisco advance the industry's standardization on an IT-based, network-centric architecture."

 

Cisco is a worldwide player in networking solutions designed to transform how people connect, communicate and collaborate.

 

"Cisco's network-centric approach to physical security gives us the ability to help distribute live and archived video from our surveillance cameras to security professionals in real time, helping us react and respond to incidents immediately," said Mark Bell, director of security for Westgate City Center in Glendale, Arizona. "By delivering solutions based on an open architecture, Cisco has helped us utilize our existing IT investments to deliver an integrated, state-of-the-art safety and security system."

 

Cisco is also providing support for H.264 standards within devices and software. This will result in streaming video surveillance with higher quality, reduced bandwidth and lower storage costs. The new system will also enable simplified motion configuration, Cisco PTZ video encoders and decoders, and legacy DVR integration.

 

Cisco video surveillance solutions work in unison with the advanced features and functions of the IP network infrastructure (switches, routers, and other network security devices) to help enable maximum security, policy-based access to live or recorded video.