Customers want to invest in technology that enables them to expand their capabilities to support future needs. This is especially true in the security industry, where the development of technology, such as high megapixel cameras, have placed greater demands on bandwidth consumption, and in turn, storage devices.
It’s critical to build in storage growth, even if that exact amount of storage is not required today. The last thing one wants is for a customer to consume all of their storage space within a short amount of time. This easily can happen if the customer installs additional surveillance cameras, upgrades to higher resolution cameras, or changes how long video is archived.
Scalable storage
Not taking these factors into consideration could mean the customer would need to invest in an entirely new server to accommodate those additional storage needs, which then translates into a negative customer experience. These types of mistakes can prove costly for a security integrator, who might have to make good on a promise that a storage device would meet a customer’s storage needs for a set period.
Scalability is the key and when investing in a storage device it’s important to ensure there is room for growth. One must consider if the server has the space to handle additional cameras. Also consider if the server can accommodate changes in storage requirements where video that was once stored for three months now needs to be retained for six months or longer.
Capacity of servers
Another consideration is future system growth. A customer may find they suddenly have the budget to invest in more cameras, only to learn that the recently installed servers do not have the storage capacity required. No one wants to have to invest in another server, especially after just paying for one.
An error in the storage calculation, when taking into consideration today’s and future needs, becomes the responsibility of the security integrator. When selecting a partner for one’s storage needs, it’s important to work with a systems builder like BCDVideo that offers purpose-built solutions with guaranteed calculations.