The continued emergence of AI and the cloud, plus evolving camera technologies such as thermal and multi-sensor imaging, is reshaping surveillance, says Aaron Saks, Director of Sales Enablement, Hanwha Vision America.
With an increasing array of surveillance options, security professionals in nearly every market are carefully considering the path that makes the most sense for their long-term success.
Security and surveillance devices now being tasked to do more than just “monitor and protect,” as comprehensive, AI-powered intelligent technologies are becoming total business solutions.
New cameras combining AI with on-board audio and video analytics are resulting in highly accurate object detection and classification.
In addition to fewer false alarms, customers can also receive actionable data that can drive intelligent monitoring to enhance operational efficiency and generate data-driven business insights.
How an AI-based system is deployed is an organizational decision.
Some will prefer to minimize network bandwidth and lower total costs by configuring an edge-based surveillance system, an effective method for efficiently gathering, managing, processing and storing security data.
Edge computing involves processing data closer to the source, with the potential to reduce latency and alleviate bandwidth constraints, among many other benefits.
Others prefer a centralized cloud-based operation. Still others may opt for a hybrid approach, giving them the best of both worlds.
Looking across markets and applications, it’s clear that organizations are getting more creative with their surveillance deployments to meet customer demand, generate new revenue and enhance their competitive advantages.
Stadiums, amphitheaters, festival grounds and parks are ramping up efforts to secure not only interior areas where fans and performers gather, but also exteriors and physical perimeters, extending their surveillance coverage to surrounding sidewalks, parking lots and high-traffic areas.
In addition to creating a safer environment for attendees, staff and performers, upgraded systems improve a venue’s competitiveness when bidding to host large-scale events.
Global organizations producing major events, such as the World Cup or Olympics, now prioritize venues with enhanced security systems.
The primary stadium tenant, often a professional sports team, is not always what brings in the highest annual revenue.
Aside from the home games by that team, a venue could otherwise sit vacant unless management gets creative.
The rest of the calendar year can be filled with national touring and local events which, when combined, can generate a significant source of revenue.
An upgraded surveillance system becomes a major asset in attracting and securing those bookings.
Modern outdoor venue surveillance requires both wide coverage and tack-sharp detail.
High-resolution cameras – often with 4K or greater capabilities – are now the standard, with multisensor models providing panoramic views enabling operators to zoom in on a specific area without losing detail or visibility of the larger scene, essential for monitoring large crowds and pinpointing potential risks.
Flexibility is key for outdoor venues that frequently change configurations for different types of events.
Using a combination of analytics and pan-tilt-rotate-zoom (PTRZ) functionality, operators can reposition cameras remotely when views are obstructed by temporary stages, installations or changes in crowd size or flow.
This eliminates the need for scaffolding or on-site technicians, saving time and money while reducing blind spots.
By investing in the right thermal and AI-enabled video surveillance solutions, manufacturing facilities can significantly improve plant floor productivity, workplace safety, compliance reporting and supply chain efficiency.
Thermal imaging and AI-powered cameras can identify workplace safety violations, detect when equipment is overheating and find potential fire hazards like damaged electrical faults, enabling facilities to implement proactive safety and maintenance measures.
By identifying these issues early, manufacturers can prevent accidents and ensure compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) safety standards.
AI can be used in conjunction with thermal imaging to identify patterns and trends, such as temperature fluctuation patterns that could indicate the risk of equipment failures.
Plant managers can extrapolate this AI-driven data from the thermal cameras to understand if there are recurring temperature patterns that warrant closer attention.
Typically, in hazardous or chemical manufacturing environments, people must remain a certain distance from known danger zones and facilities can better enforce work zone safety by identifying persons within restricted zones.
Thermal cameras can detect if someone is too close, another type of monitoring that supports OSHA safety standards.
Thermal imaging facilitates infrared scanning, which is widely used for preventive maintenance, identifying hot spots in electrical and mechanical systems to prevent failure and safety incidents.
AI-based “smart” capabilities like object detection and boundary crossing can complement the features of thermal cameras.
An added benefit of these technologies is the ability to generate automated reports, adding new levels of transparency and accountability.
Data center managers are turning to advanced surveillance technologies to bolster their surveillance posture and minimize threat surfaces.
Thermal imaging, AI-driven analytics and embedded active fence line monitoring are creating smarter, adaptive and scalable surveillance ecosystems, essential for an industry where downtime costs thousands per minute and the costs of reputational damage can be even greater.
There has been a drastic shift in how data centers are protecting themselves, with many focusing on building integrated, intelligent security architectures.
This ensures a center is fully protected, from server racks to the perimeter fence line.
Unauthorized physical access remains a major issue, especially “tailgating”, when an unauthorized person follows an authorized user through a secured door.
AI-powered surveillance cameras can detect if more than one person gains access on a single credential swipe, alerting staff to a potential tailgating incident.
With thousands of high-resolution streams running simultaneously, bandwidth overload and storage costs can become unmanageable without intelligent compression and accurate classification tools.
Some cameras can use AI and deep learning algorithms to detect and classify distinct objects (people, vehicles, faces and license plates) while clearly distinguishing them from their environmental surroundings.
By focusing only on relevant activity and filtering out visual noise, data centers can significantly reduce their number of false alarms and lower bandwidth usage by as much as 80% while maintaining, or even improving, situational awareness.
Thermal imaging is now a core component of modern data center security, used to visually represent heat flow, or detect environmental anomalies, hotspots or leaks in liquid cooling systems.
Bi-spectrum thermal surveillance cameras can secure high-risk zones like loading docks, staff ingress/egress points, fuel storage systems or rooftops as a non-intrusive method of detecting escaping heat.
Radiometric thermal cameras with dual-spectrum capabilities can detect subtle temperature anomalies over time, ideal for preventative maintenance applications.
Thermal surveillance also helps confirm proper air and fluid flow in high-density, liquid-cooled environments.
Physical perimeters are the first lines of defense for data centers, but fewer than 10% of data centers currently employ live “active” perimeter protection.
To secure these critical access points, AI analytics can be used to recognize a person walking along a fence line, triggering alerts well before a potential breach occurs instead of relying on post-event responses.
More data centers are enhancing their physical perimeter security, either due to stricter Service Level Agreement (SLA) requirements from enterprise customers or to make their facilities eligible for government contracts.
For example, Department of Defense bids emphasize that data centers must have an installed and active perimeter monitoring system.
Surveillance solutions are no longer just about capturing footage, they’re delivering intelligence, efficiency and measurable value across diverse environments with AI, thermal imaging and advanced camera capabilities redefining what’s possible.
This article was originally published in the September edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.