Should You Use Software-Only Video Management Systems?

by John Honovich, IP Video Market Info posted on Oct 30, 2008 About John Contact John

Software only has lots of the momentum. But should you use software only? While DVR/NVR appliances are increasingly viewed as antiquated, over 80% of end users still chose traditional appliances over software only. Are those buyers wrong?

Here are the key advantages of software only:

Lower costs and more flexible for large camera counts (32+) within a high speed LAN (1Gb/s+)
Lower costs for all IP camera deployments

However, appliances have advantages for certain scenarios:

Less expensive for low camera counts (16 and under)
Simpler and cheaper setup for Distributed stores/branches (e.g., bank branches, restaurants, convenience stores, small box retailers)
Lower costs for Analog camera deployments

Inside the Premium Section

In the premium section, we will examine:

How DVR vendor profiteering has strengthed software only
What IT does and does not object to
How appliances are improving
The downsides of deploying software only
What the future holds for software only (and appliances)

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