More than 9 in 10 businesses are currently using cloud technology, including email, phone, backup, applications, and increasingly, video surveillance. A survey of 930 respondents using cloud infrastructure showed that 88 percent achieved savings. 60 percent were able to reduce IT support, often redeploying IT personnel to other projects. Almost half (49 percent) were able to grow their business from cloud use. Cloud technology offers businesses substantial economies of scale, all contributing to the lower total cost of ownership.

• Lower Upfront Capital Expenditures
• Fully Utilized Hardware
• Lower Power Costs
• Reduced IT Staffing Cost
• Security, Reliability & Redundancy

Cloud technology is still new enough to video surveillance that there is some confusion. A true cloud video surveillance system – or VSaaS – with its associated benefits, is very different from a traditional DVR, NVR, or video management software (VMS) solution connected to the internet for remote access or remote storage.

The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has created The NIST Definition of Cloud Computing which can help clarify some of the differences. NIST defines a cloud system as having five “essential characteristics,” as summarized below.

• On-Demand Self-Service
• Broad Network Access
• Resource Pooling
• Rapid Elasticity
• Measured Service