Traditional hard-disk only video storage solutions (even with the prices of those very hard drives continuing to decline) become extremely expensive as the amount of video retention is needed. Being able to provide six-months or one-year [or more] of video retention – with today’s larger camera count and high-resolution quality cameras – becomes cost-prohibitive.
Many of today’s larger organizations such as hospitals, airports, university campuses, and casinos find themselves needing a video surveillance system as either a replacement for an aging CCTV system or as a brand-new installation. Often, this is in response to a growing expectation that video evidence will be available in the event of a crime, accident, or other incident.
In today’s society, the first thing a law enforcement agency or legal representative of either party in a dispute will ask for is a copy of any available video footage of the incident in question. The ability to quickly and easily provide high resolution video evidence of the incident in question will be important in narrowing down suspects in case of a crime. The same video evidence can limit the liability of an organization in case of a lawsuit.
In other cases, the need for a video surveillance system may be driven by regulatory requirements, such as in the health care industry, tort liabilities, or new cannabis laws. These requirements can be national, statewide, or local.