6 Ways a Cloud-Managed Video Solution can Reduce Your Operations and IT Overhead

Cloud-Managed Video Reduces the Burden for IT and Operations

Technology is supposed to save us time and make things easier, not require more staff and time to manage. Video surveillance technology is no different and has become an essential part of our businesses giving users valuable insight into operations, improving security, and allowing monitoring from virtually anywhere. However, yesterday’s “cutting edge” IP video solutions require specialized personnel and significant time dedicated to tasks like supporting users, keeping systems working properly and troubleshooting connection problems. A cloud-managed video solution can help Operations and IT minimize this overhead by reducing on-site support calls and eliminating recursive tasks like updating forgotten user passwords or entering remote connection settings. A cloud-managed system is also designed to be managed entirely remotely, saving time-consuming travel between remote sites.

How many of the issues described below, which cloud-managed video can help you solve, are problems that your IT or Operations deal with on a regular basis?

Resetting lost or forgotten passwords

With the average person maintaining 90 or more accounts that require a password, it is not unusual for people to forget passwords. But for the IT person who has to constantly reset passwords, it’s not only a hassle but a significant time sink. When a user account has access to more than one recorder, the password must be changed on each recorder, logging in to each system remotely or actually driving to the location to reset the password. Doing this every time a user needs to change or update a password can eat up precious time that IT employees could be spending on other more important tasks. A cloud-managed video solution can automate password updates making it fast and easy for a user to reset a forgotten password and completely eliminate the need for help from IT.

Managing and troubleshooting remote clients and connection settings

A video surveillance system isn’t just a recorder connected to cameras. It is an IoT device allowing users to conveniently access video from anywhere. But updating the settings on remote clients, creating service tickets every time a manager gets a new phone, and troubleshooting connection issues can be a major burden on IT. Cloud-managed systems use Single sign-on and roaming user profiles to make the process of managing access quick, easy, and painless for both the user and the IT department. Users can connect through any client using their username and password without any set up by IT. A roaming profile ensures that each user has access to video from anywhere and that new cameras and recorders are available automatically, without the need to manually update settings on users’ remote clients.

Continual user and permissions management

Software innovation constantly delivers new features and functionality, enabling video surveillance systems to deliver value in more departments generating valuable business intelligence. Increasing numbers of users on a system normally means more permissions to configure and more time to manage! Using user groups and device groups streamlines this process allowing IT to set up groups of users by role or location and configure access and permissions one time for multiple people. Groups of users and devices configured in a cloud-managed system are valid for all of the devices connected to the account so it’s easy to add a new user to a device or a new device to a group of users without having to open and configure multiple accounts at multiple locations.

Installing and updating software at multiple sites

Being able to connect to video remotely is a big advantage of today’s video surveillance systems. But with an average of eight networked devices per person in the United States, it means we are connecting from more locations and using more devices every day. Installing and updating remote software installed on all these devices can be an IT and compliance nightmare. Modern cloud-managed systems offer users a more feature-rich remote experience with no need to install proprietary software or specialized plugins like ActiveX in order for them to work properly. By connecting to video through the cloud in a web browser there is no remote software to install, or update on each users’ PC and devices. A cloud-managed solution makes it easy and secure for users to reliably connect remotely, without the assistance or oversight of the IT or the burden of long-term software maintenance. 

Monitoring system health

Making sure systems are online and working properly can be a full-time job on its own. Often IT resorts to using costly 3rd party software solutions or gets a surprise call when an incident has occurred but users can’t connect to the system to view the video. Spend less time managing a crisis or running manual checks on your systems. Automated health monitoring on a cloud-managed video surveillance system will send alert notifications to let you know in real-time when a camera experiences video loss, when a recorder isn’t responding or when a hard drive needs attention. Schedule daily, weekly or monthly rollup reports so that you can see if everything is working properly at a glance and address issues before a critical incident is missed.

Visiting remote sites

Driving between remote sites or paying contracted service providers to do it for you can cost significant time and money. Instead of spending time driving around, a cloud-managed video system lets you manage and troubleshoot it all remotely. Thanks to features like groups and roaming profiles, you don’t even have to log in to the individual recorders to change settings. Use camera and recorder inventory reports to check on settings for all connected devices and if you find one that needs a software or firmware update you can do the update without leaving your chair. In the event that a camera isn’t working properly, sometimes you need to try the classic troubleshooting technique of turning it off and then back on again. But even that doesn’t require a site visit anymore with the option to remotely power-cycle the camera.

Reduce Costs and Get the Most out of Your Video Surveillance

With all of the benefits and ease of use that video surveillance technology can provide, we still need people to set up and maintain the systems that support it. Cloud-managed video solutions can eliminate recursive and repetitive maintenance tasks that would otherwise cost precious time and money. Make sure your video surveillance is as efficient as your other business systems and reduce the burden on Operations and IT with a cloud-managed solution. Centralized management, roaming profiles, automation, health monitoring, and real-time alert notifications are important tools to reduce costs and get the most out of your video surveillance.