| The Source for Video Surveillance | See Plans and Prices - IP Video Pro Service |
How Should Video Management Software be Evaluated?
by John Honovich, IP Video Market Info posted on Dec 28, 2009 About John Contact John
In this report, we propose criteria to evaluate Video Management Software (VMS). Those selecting VMS software may find this useful. Moreover we plan to use this criteria for our upcoming testing series on VMS software (expands our ongoing IP Video Surveillance product testing program) .
We encourage comments, feedback and discussion on these criteria.
Goals of Our Evaluation
We believe VMS software evaluations should:
- Focus on users rather than features: The criteria should examine how well the VMS software meets the goals of real users (conduct an investigation, review an alert) rather than simply list technical features.
- Educate rather than rank: The evaluation should help users better understand how the software works rather than simply providing scores that obscure details and differences.
- Show Usability: What is most hard to judge about VMS software from marketing material is their usability (see the widespread unhappiness in our recent discussion on VMS usability). All VMS software have dozens of features (or more) but which are the most complete, are the easiest to use, etc.
- General rather than specific to an application: Since our results will be read by thousands of people around the world, we need to make it general enough so that many readers can make use of it. For a specific deployment, we would certainly supplement this with specific questions for the user's application.
The common 'trick' in evaluations designed by vendors is to take their data sheet and create a checklist that matches the VMS's proprietary implementation and to judge other systems by that criteria. By contrast it is critical that our evaluation is independent and user focused.
Criteria/Questions
We propose the following questions be used (with some notes on issues involved):
Basic Use (Live and Recorded Video)
- How do I watch live video? (There are surprising variances in the complexity and options even in watching 1 or a few cameras)
- What ways can I monitor many video feeds simultaneously?
- How can I be notified and review alarms?
- How do I search for recorded video? (The variances are tremendous amongst systems)
- What ways can I search multiple video feeds?
- How do you share images from video?
- How do you share video clips from recorded video?
- How do I know if I am in live or recorded video mode? (This is often difficult to do in VMS software which is both sad and confusing)
- How do you switch between live video, investigations and configuration? (Some systems require multiple applications, others are integrated into a single client, etc.)
Administration
- How do I add/setup a camera?
- How do you set up alarms to be displayed? (Some systems are very complex in setting up alarms)
- How do you restrict access to the system?
- How do you restrict access to certain features or functionalities?
- How can you setup the VMS to handle failures to servers/appliances?
- How can you access reports or alerts on the health status of the servers/appliances/applications?
- How can you upgrade the VMS software?
Usability
- How does the VMS handle the higher resolution of megapixel cameras?
- How does the VMS perform with low bandwidth connection (256 kb/s)? (Many VMS users are remote)
- What, if any, VMS functionalities regulary take more than 10 seconds to load? (When software is unresponsive, users are less likely to use it and be more unsatisfied)
- What happens when the VMS client cannot connect to a camera? (Since IP cameras can drop frequently, this can become a major source of frustration depending on how the VMS system handles it)
- What options does the VMS provide to reduce storage consumption?
- What help functionality does the VMS provide while using the client?
- How similiar is the use of the VMS client to a DVR? (This is important to most security operators and guards who have limited technical training and prefer simple systems)
- How similar is the configuration of the VMS server to a DVR? (This is important to traditional security integrators who often have limited IT expertise)
- How simple is it for an untrained operator? (Many systems have impressive feature offerings but are extremely difficult for untrained operators to understand without formal training)
- How powerful is it for the expert operator? (Some systems are quite limited in advanced functionality)
Scalability
- What ways can I add/setup many cameras at the same time?
- How do you do restrict access when using multiple servers/appliances? (This is a major differentiator amongst systems and a core requirement for larger, multi-site deployments)
- How can I watch live video feeds from different appliances/servers?
- How can I conduct searches from video feeds stored in different appliances/servers?
In this criteria, we omitted 3rd party support for cameras, security, business and storage systems. As a practical matter, we will unlikely be able to test these comprehensively. However, we will factor all of those into the overall report. Finally, pricing will certainly be included, allowing us to evaluate overall value comparing performance to price.
Our Tests vs Your Own Tests
We expect our tests to provide a low cost way to understand key comparative strengths and benefits of various VMS systems. Testing numerous VMS systems oneself is impractical for most, simply because of the cost and time involved (which can easily be thousands of dollars). We can provide this for a fraction of the cost. Moreover, because we focus solely on video surveillance, we can identify key issues and comparative concerns easily.
We do recommend that end users and integrators tests the systems themselves that they plan to roll out. Our tests can help you determine what the 'short list' of vendors should be and provide basis for your own testing for your finalists.
Feedback
We are happy to elaborate on proposed criteria, add additional criteria or simply discuss the key issues involved in evaluating VMS software.
Most Recent Industry Reports
Testing Cisco-Linksys Switch for IP Video (SRW208P) on Sep 01, 2010
Switch selection for IP video surveillance is a key consideration in overall design. Unfortunately, it is often less scrutinized than the 'stars' of the solution (i.e., VMS and cameras). Moreo...
Testing Milestone GO VMS (Free 8 Ch) on Aug 29, 2010
Milestone's aggressive moves targeting the smaller video surveillance systems continue. This month's release of a free 8 channel VMS, called XProtect Go, adds to their June 2010 release that droppe...
Testing the iCam VMS / iPhone App on Aug 29, 2010
Home video surveillance systems are quickly getting a lot better and a lot cheaper. A good example of this is an application called iCam that has recently been in the news for helping a homeowner d...
Training: VSaaS Hosted/Managed Basics on Aug 22, 2010
This hour long training explains the basics behind Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS). If you want to learn about the most talked about emerging trend in the industry, this is an ideal place t...
Training: Megapixel / HD Basics on Aug 18, 2010
This report provides a 95 minute video series that teaches the fundamentals of using, selecting and applying megapixel video surveillance in real world deployments. We cover 9 fundamental aspects: ...
Real World CCTV / Surveillance Success on Aug 16, 2010
In this report, we find, review and share 50+ real world success stories using video surveillance. These are actual documented examples where crimes, murders, thefts and more have been recorded and...
Testing Archerfish Solo Smart Camera / DVR / VSaas (Cernium) on Aug 09, 2010
Combining many video surveillance functionalities in a single device is a growing trend. The hope is providing a turn-key, 'all-in-one' solution simplifies deployment and provides everything one ne...
Directory of Budget / Home / SMB IP Cameras on Aug 07, 2010
We have completed a broad testing program of budget IP cameras for use in the home or SMB markets. This directory provides links to each test. Full test results including video screencasts and vid...
Testing Rogo's Managed VSaaS on Aug 04, 2010
Managed / hosted video offerings continue to expand with a variety of technical and business approaches. In this test, we examine Rogo's Managed Video offering. The system uses an on-site recordin...
Testing Lorex's IP Camera (LNE1001) on Aug 03, 2010
Simplifying remote viewing is a key element in choosing and using IP cameras for home and small business users. Doing it the 'old fashion' way can require technical skill, be cumbersome and frustra...
Topics Monitored
| Topic |
|---|
| Case Studies |
| Convergence |
| Financials |
| Hosted/Managed Video |
| IP Cameras |
| Megapixel Cameras |
| Retail |
| Standards |
| Statistics |
| Storage |
| Video Analytics |
| Video Management Systems |
| Wireless |
81 Companies Monitored
Find:
Find: