In this exclusive “first look” Q&A, Hanwha Vision America’s Senior Technical Marketing & Training Manager, Aaron Saks, highlights several of the SolidEDGE serverless camera’s key features and capabilities.

The Hanwha Vision SolidEDGE camera system is a perfect example of new technology meeting a market need, at a time when security and surveillance solutions are being pushed to do more than just monitor and protect.

The cloud-managed solution delivers multi-camera recording, remote access, on-premise security system management and ease of use at levels of efficiency, cost-effectiveness and scalability previously unavailable.

At its core, the serverless camera system combines a dome camera with an onboard ruggedized Solid State Drive (SSD) storage and an embedded WAVE video management system (VMS) server.

From that solid foundation, the possibilities are endless for any organization – especially smaller operations with multiple locations – to easily customize and grow their surveillance systems based on their specific needs.

What are the benefits of using SSD storage?

This serverless camera system is the first to truly use onboard solid state drive storage, versus available alternatives such as SD cards or hard drives.

Small-format hard drives typically use spinning drives that heavily consume power and are also not ruggedized for harsh environments.

Security professionals have been using SD cards for years and while they perform to a degree, they also have a reliability issue. In other words, if the card malfunctions, often the end user doesn’t know it happened right away and suddenly they’ve lost all their video.

We purposely chose a storage solution that is ruggedized to function as a stable security camera whether it is installed on the side of a building or in a vestibule where it’s regularly exposed to the elements and
temperature variations.

We’re using a higher throughput storage solution that delivers higher performance and greater reliability than just an SD card.

Describe how this modular system offers users the most options for growth and scalability

The system is designed to be modular to allow users to customize and scale their systems as requirements evolve. For example, SolidEDGE is currently available in a one terabyte or two terabyte drive
capacity.

With remote access and cloud connectivity, cybersecurity is often a concern. How does the serverless camera system address that?

The SolidEDGE system delivers full edge recording, remote access and cloud connectivity – all performed
with the peace of mind that comes with enhanced cybersecurity.

Traditionally, with a standard camera, users can insert a high-capacity SD card and record directly from the camera. The only way to play or view the footage would be through a web browser using procedures like port forwarding, which isn’t the most secure method.

Opening a network port on a router allows remote access to a service, which in this case, is the camera’s
web server. Remotely accessing that camera means editing a router’s firewall rules; in other words, leaving
that port open for anyone to find and connect to it. The more ports you open, the greater your risk for
network intrusions.

In this case, the SolidEDGE serverless camera makes an outbound encrypted connection to the cloud, without having to leave the service open. Now, because we’re using WAVE Sync to establish a secure cloud connection. If an attacker tries scanning the network for vulnerabilities, they’re not going to
see any ports that are always open.

What are the benefits of having full WAVE VMS capabilities at the edge?

Traditionally, multi-camera systems have required some type of client software, which was most often a thick interface. That didn’t provide the full VMS experience, wouldn’t allow global management and instead of a true “system,” it was more a group of disparate pieces.

The SolidEDGE serverless camera system runs the full capabilities of Hanwha’s WAVE VMS on the edge. A single SolidEDGE camera can connect to and record up to five additional cameras for a total number of six cameras on each EDGE system.

Also, up to 30 servers can be merged with SolidEDGE through WAVE Sync, giving users incredible flexibility.

One example of a real-world scenario is putting a primary SolidEDGE camera over the register in a coffee shop and then having another camera positioned towards the front door and building from there
with cameras at various positions.

Other systems would have to put another edge recording camera at each location. Instead, what we can do is put any of our camera form factors at that front door and be able to record back to the primary SolidEDGE camera. That’s how it easily becomes a camera system with multiple cameras attached to
one main storage location.

For more information about SolidEDGE or the full line of Hanwha Vision solutions, click here.

This article was originally published in the July edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.