Report: Remote solutions set to take on analog CCTV

WELLINGBOROUGH, UK--Remote video monitoring and surveillance solutions (RVMaS) are poised to take increasing market share from the low-end analog CCTV market, though migration will likely occur slowly over many years, according to a new report from IMS Research.

IMS puts the global RVMaS market for product sales and recurring service revenues at some USD 300mln in 2008.

While home and small business owners have traditionally installed analog cameras and DVRs for video surveillance, the range of features and benefits of RVMaS, which IMS defines as a network camera-based solution that allows end users to remotely view live or recently recorded video in security and monitoring applications, typically via a monthly subscription service, will increasingly draw business away from analog-based solutions.

The advantages of RVMaS are clear. IMS notes that while DVR-based systems are constrained by storage issues, RVMaS can use remotely hosted storage, which also lessens the threats to local storage such as theft or tampering.

RVMaS also give end users the ability to view live or recorded footage remotely, allowing clients to use their cameras for more than security and therefore improving return on investment, according to IMS.

At the same time, IMS said, there are several factors that will limit the initial uptake of RVMaS. First and foremost is that the cost of network cameras is relatively high compared to an analog alternative. "A typical RVMaS solution is therefore likely to cost three to four times more than a comparable analog solution," said IMS.

A second limiting factor is that RVMaS solutions are often more complex to install than traditional analog systems. At the same time, there are still relatively few companies that offer subscription-based RVMaS services similar to the monthly service packages offered by alarm monitoring companies, according to IMS.

"Telcos, ISPs and cable companies are potentially disruptive players in this market and have the ability to bring RVMaS to the mass market," said IMS analyst Gary Wong. Despite the synergy of RVMaS with their core businesses, however, Wong said only a limited number have released such services and they have "yet to make any significant impact on the remote video monitoring market."

With all that in mind, IMS sees the move to RVMaS solutions as a "gradual, evolutionary process rather than a rapid and revolutionary one."