Sudhindra Holla, Country Manager, Axis Communications India, talked to KTP Radhika about technology trends in the surveillance sector and how the market was shaping up in India
Tell us about the video surveillance market in India.
The security and surveillance market in India is shifting from closed circuit analog systems to digital surveillance systems. The Indian market for network video surveillance equipment was estimated to be worth $37.4 million in 2011 and is predicted to grow to $223.8 million in 2016. With the advent of embedded applications in security products, surveillance is now emerging as a tool for gathering business intelligence and other applications. Also, with the addition of video analytics software to the surveillance solutions, enterprises are adopting the same in order to gain a fresh perspective. Intelligent applications are incorporated in these systems such as face recognition, people counting, vehicle license plate recognition etc that allow users across segments like city surveillance, retail and banking to benefit.
Earlier, the security market was largely dominated by analog solutions. Today, it is undergoing a radical shift and IP-based (digital) video surveillance cameras are gaining momentum because of their superior technology features, flexibility and affordability. A digital video surveillance system provides a host of benefits and advanced functionality as compared to an analog system. The advantages include remote accessibility, better image quality, built-in intelligence, scalability, flexibility etc.
In what way are you working to enhance the technology?
Today, the technology trend is that of IP video surveillance. Going forward, our focus will be on building intelligence on the edge into all of our solutions. Currently, efforts are underway to launch cameras that have the capability to intelligently process images and send only the relevant information to the security control room or personnel. IP video Surveillance as a Service is another trend.
Is Cloud computing having an impact upon video surveillance?
Video SaaS enables a number of applications including integrated security systems and remote video monitoring by a centralized network. Apart from that, Cloud-based surveillance will also help vendors sell to SMBs. As of now, SMBs are using more of analog solutions.
Will Surveillance as a Service take off soon?
With benefits like cost savings, business efficiency and other operational benefits, Video SaaS or VSaaS is going to revolutionize this category. We are observing enormous demand and acceptance for Cloud-based surveillance in overseas markets due to the advantages and cost-effectiveness offered by this solution. In the APAC region, especially in the Indian market, this trend is slowly but steadily sinking its roots. We anticipate high demand for Cloud-based video surveillance in the future.
