Adopting cloud video surveillance systems is one of the major trends within the field of business security. In fact, according to one recent study, 71% of medium to large UK firms in the private sector are planning to move their CCTV systems to the cloud in the near future, while 43% of public sector UK businesses are planning to do the same.

Given the growth of cloud-based CCTV services and the ever-growing interest in them, it is important to consider some of their benefits. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at some of the advantages of cloud storage and the main reasons businesses of all kinds are demonstrating such high levels of interest.

1. Consolidate CCTV Footage

One of the biggest reasons for moving CCTV storage to the cloud is the ability to consolidate footage from multiple CCTV cameras in one single location. This can be especially important for businesses that have multiple locations spread across different sites, but is also useful for single-location businesses too.

Some video surveillance systems, for example, allow you to capture, store and manage visual data from all of your CCTV systems in one place, so you can easily access the footage you need. This kind of consolidation makes management of security footage—as well as retrieval of data—significantly easier than more traditional setups.

2. Remote Access to Your CCTV Images

Another major benefit of moving to a cloud video surveillance system is the ability to remotely access visual data whenever you need it virtually. Crucially, this means that you do not need to be physically present at the location where the footage is captured, saving time, effort, and money.

In the past, with traditional security systems, it may have been necessary to physically travel to a particular store, office, or off-site location in order to access the images you need. With cloud-based systems, however, this travel is eradicated, making the entire process of obtaining footage much more efficient and cost-effective.

3. Fulfill Legal Obligations

In order to use CCTV to protect your property, you are required to adhere to specific data protection laws and all other relevant legislation. For example, you may need to provide images to anyone you have recorded within one month (upon request), and you may need to be able to share images with law enforcement if they ask for them as well.

Note: Check with your local, state, and federal laws and regulations for more information on these legal obligations.

Beyond this, some industries may also have requirements for CCTV data to be stored off-site. Cloud hosting allows you to fulfil these obligations, so you can avoid negative consequences associated with accidental non-compliance.

4. Align CCTV With Other Processes

Many businesses are moving many of their processes and applications to the cloud to take advantage of the benefits associated with cloud hosting. Of course, this need accelerated for many organizations due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased need for remote access to data.

Logically, it makes sense to migrate CCTV to the cloud, too, so that security footage is aligned with other aspects of your business. This alignment then makes all other aspects of your business easier to manage in the long run.

5. Data Managed by Experts

One of the more overlooked aspects of CCTV data storage is the fact that most businesses do not specialize in this area. This can cause potential problems when it comes to managing CCTV data in-house.

By moving your CCTV to the cloud, you can work with third-party cloud storage providers that specializes in keeping data safe and secure. As a result, you can have greater confidence that the CCTV data is being managed in the best possible way, in compliance with both industry standards, best practices, and the law.

6. Eliminate Hard Drive Issues

Moving your CCTV storage to the cloud also has the benefit of eliminating issues that are commonly associated with setups that rely on hard drives, making storage much more reliable in general.

As an article from Comparitech highlights, hard drive failure is unpredictable by its very nature, and it is not uncommon for failure to occur after just a few years of use. Beyond this, hard drives can also be damaged by floods, fires, and other unexpected events that may affect your business.

By moving to the cloud, CCTV images are stored away from your business, avoiding problems linked to site failure.

7. Reduce Your Storage Costs

Finally, moving CCTV data storage to the cloud has the potential to save your business money, for several reasons. For one, cloud storage eliminates the need to have an in-house data center, and it helps avoid the various maintenance costs associated with storing data yourself.

Beyond this, cloud hosting allows CCTV systems to be managed remotely, without the need for specialist software and employing experts in the field. The subscription-style model associated with cloud CCTV services also means your costs become predictable and manageable, with no unexpected or unwanted surprises along the way.

The Last Word

A growing number of businesses are either in the process of moving their CCTV systems to the cloud or are planning to do so in the near future. The reasons for this are compelling; in particular, cloud-based services have the potential to make data storage more reliable, secure, and cost-effective, all while allowing data to be accessed remotely.