In the “old days” — five years ago in technology time — security and particularly CCTV were implemented using traditional architectures. If an end user wanted IP video, the integrator would connect the cameras to the IT back plane with CAT5 or CAT6 cabling, and run the images through the server to a storage unit. The customer had to pay for not only the cameras, but the server, upkeep to the server, encryption algorithms and usually an IT specialist to maintain it all.
Meanwhile, recurring monthly revenue (RMR) models on the dealer and integrator side were mostly derived from alarm monitoring, with a growing end-user interest in outsourcing access control. Video, however, required such a large storage capacity that most companies could not remotely provide that service for multiple customers.