A couple days ago I linked to an Axis study that set out to prove that the cost of IP surveillance is now less expensive than its analog counterpart.

Now there is a healthy debate over at IP Video Market Info about the validity of this study.  Check it out:

Debating Axis’s IP vs Analog Cost Comparison

Some of the major sticking points are:

• The Axis’s study assumes that no surveillance equipment is currently being used (i.e., ‘greenfield’).  A majority of organizations buying surveillance systems already have some cameras and cabling installed and a large portion of that infrastructure can and regularly is reused.
• For any given feature set, IP cameras always cost significantly more than analog. While a DVR costs more than PC plus

Found some news today about Axis Communications, regarding the announcement of the company opening a new sales office in Moscow, Russia.  Moscow has had a great interest in IP Cameras, installing them in the Moscow Metro system, promoting safety for riders.  The Metro now contains over 3,000 Axis network video products with a further potential for installations.  According to the Axis website:

Axis network cameras and Axis video servers are now installed at three of the Moscow metro’s 12 lines. The network video products are part of an integrated security system aimed at improving safety and security for passengers and staff on the subway trains. Allowing remote access to video on the moving trains, the products enable visual verification of alarms and quick responses by

Increasingly police departments, such as this one in Buffalo, N.Y., are installing IP Cameras at intersections to catch those who speed through red lights.  While an annoyance to some, this could help stop thousands of accidents a year.  Think twice the next time you try to beat that light!

http://www.buffalonews.com/258/story/372303.html…

IP Cameras catch thieves at gas station pumps.

It’s important to watch what happens in the video. It is not what you would expect. For all of those gas station owners there are many advantages offered by IP camera surveillance technologies. Not only do they ensure the protection of your investment but they protect your customers. Because in the end that is all that you have…your customers. If they are not happy, and at a minimum–safe, then there is no way that they will return to your business.…

Microsoft’s sales force amping up IP surveillance pitch

Just finished reading Michael Fickes article on Microsoft’s sales force’s adjusted stance on the company’s global security department. What does that mean? Well it means the global security department is about to be put to work. It looks like Microsoft talked with local, state and federal agencies about Microsoft’s products, the G.S.O.C’s. What’s a G.S.O.C? Well its Microsoft’s Global Security Operations Centers…GSOC’s just sounds so much cooler.

What Happens at a GSOC?

They are state-of-the-art centers that manage video surveillance and access control systems. They lock and unlock doors, they can dispatch security officers and vehicles, and they can host emergency operations teams.

For more on the GSOC’s and Microsoft’s huge sales force read on……

IP Surveillance Standards just around the corner

It was recently announced that three heavyweights (Sony, Axis, and Bosch) of the IP surveillance world will be working together to standardize an interface for all network video products. As you may or may not know there is currently no such standard. With Sony’s history of being a proprietary monger I must say I am quite shocked that they would agree to this. Everything they have ever touched is SONY ONLY. “In Sony we trust,” if you will. Well this is no longer at least when it comes to interfacing standards in the IP security and surveillance world.

So, what does it mean to not have standards? Well it means that without any standards for determining how IP …