Buzzwords aside, there’s no denying that the day is coming when security systems and IT/IP systems operate seamlessly as one. Because that day probably won’t come for several years, the industry is in a state of flux. Analog cameras have long been the standard-bearer for video surveillance, but this move towards IP is pushing them to the side in favor of cameras that are capable of communicating with and transferring video across IP networks, which are becoming more and more ubiquitous.
As this shift towards IP occurs, where exactly does that leave those customers who have dozens — if not hundreds — of analog cameras a lready in place? Because analog and IP cameras communicate differently within security systems — and cannot communicate with each other — many believe that the migration from analog to IP is an all-or-nothing (and therefore very expensive) proposition. So it’s understandable why end users may resist a full-scale migration from analog to IP.