How Storage Designed for Surveillance Improves the Entire System

When the first event music, “Video Killed the Radio Star” premiered on MTV in 1981, it started a video revolution. A lot has changed since then, but video’s relevance in our culture, has increased, and our lives and security have come to depend on it. Market research firm IHS estimates that one surveillance camera has been installed for every eight people (about 40M) in the U.S. alone. Stats from 2014 certainly back that up – according to the IHS Video Surveillance Intelligence Service Market Insight report from August 2015, the U.S. was ranked as the second largest market for video surveillance equipment, worth $2.8 billion dollars.


With our obsession over video and corresponding camera capabilities such as HD and 4K, it’s easy to miss an equally crucial component that can make or break the effectiveness of an entire surveillance system: storage. Unfortunately, many surveillance professionals are using the wrong drive. Rather than being designed for continuous capture of HD or FHD video from multiple cameras, a drive that is not optimized for surveillance systems can drop frames, or even consume more power, generating more heat to create a major reliability issue. This could drastically reduce the life of a drive, adversely affecting the read and write operations in a surveillance system. These solution may cost the customer less upfront, but eventually could affect your business when performance, reliability and even your reputation.

The right surveillance storage solution offer high performance, efficiency and capacity that has been tested in harsh surveillance environments. But how to tell the difference?

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: What to Look for in Surveillance Storage



There are several specific things to look for when evaluating whether a drive has been designed with surveillance in mind:

• Always on: A surveillance system works 24x7. If the storage drive hasn’t been designed for constant, never-ending read/write operations, it won’t be able to keep up.
• Performance Reliability: Some drives, like WD’s Purple surveillance-class hard drive family, include special technology (called AllFrame in this case) that improves playback performance and works with ATA streaming to reduce errors and frame loss.
• RAID-enabled: To increase peace-of-mind for your customer, you may also want to look for a drive with RAID or Redundant Array of Inexpensive Disk capabilities. A drive with this capability can use two or more hard disks to create a safety net for failed hardware by ensuring that the image is still being captured even if one drive isn’t working. This lessens interruptions in productivity and decreases the chance of data loss.
• Low power consumption: While “low power consumption” might not be first on your list of things to look for in a hard drive, the need for always-on capability makes this crucial. Having a drive that calculates the optimum seek speeds won’t generate as much heat, even in passively-cooled storage enclosures, making it more reliable and friendlier to your customer’s wallet.
• High camera count support: A high number of cameras, an NVR system or a longer retention period will require higher storage use and an even greater need to ensure you have chosen a drive that will meet the customer’s needs. Look for one with up to 6 TB of capacity on a single drive.
• High system bay count support: The right drive will include hardware vibration sensors to enable higher drive-count systems as well as higher system and hard drive workloads.
• Extensive compatibility with cameras: Needless to say, the drive you select needs to work with the cameras you are planning to install. One that works with most of the different cameras you could install will make it even easier to keep the right drive on-hand, regardless of your current installation scenario.
• Rugged exterior: In some cases the drive may need to live, and perform continuously in harsh environments. In this case, you’ll want one with tarnish-resistant PCBA protection.
• Easily upgradable: In an ideal world, your customer occasionally asks to upgrade or expand their existing surveillance system. A drive that scales with a system when the need to expand arises and makes your job easier.


Considering the importance of storage in surveillance systems, you may also find it helpful to use a capacity calculator to help determine how much storage is needed for the length of time data is to be maintained for a particular surveillance system. Vendors like WD (www.wd.com) offer calculators and drive selection tools to help find the right drive and capacity that best suits your needs.

4 Steps to Setting Up a Secure, Collaborative File Storage System

Small businesses often operate in lean teams, with each staff member behaving as a “jack of all trades.” This attitude can be useful for acquiring customers and putting in the extra effort SMBs sometimes need, but it doesn’t work for data management and security. Cyberattacks are not only a risk to large companies like Target or Sony, but are a costly danger to small businesses as well. According to a report by the National Small Business Association, 50 percent of small businesses experienced a cyberattack in 2014, costing an average of more than $20,750.

Storing, managing and protecting sensitive company and customer data is a cumbersome process that can become even more daunting with an expanding team. With tight budgets and an often non-existent IT department, implementing a strong system becomes even more challenging. Small businesses need a storage solution that is secure, offers cloud access with local back-up abilities and is scalable (that is, robust enough to meet their current needs, but also able to grow and adapt to future demands). Here are four steps a small business should take to set up and maintain a strong, fast and adaptable file management system:

1. Identify needs and create a plan. Work with your key decision makers to determine what kind of file access and management the business needs. Does your sales team need access to documents outside of the office, or does your customer service team need to be able to review complete customer records at any given time? Identify who in the organization needs access to which data, and develop a written plan. The file management plan should include who will manage the content and be responsible for data backups and who has access to the most sensitive information. The plan will also help determine what storage hardware solutions best fit your needs.


2. Set up a scalable storage server. A network attached storage (NAS) device is an easy and affordable solution that allows designated users to share and access files, media and more from multiple computers and devices. Instead of being tethered by USB cables, users can access data across the business’ personal cloud, via your Wi-Fi network, and still back up data locally. At a minimum, you’ll want to choose storage that gives you the ability to manage permissions and folder privileges. But to maximize your investment, you should look for a drive that can scale. Some storage drives, like Western Digital’s Red Drive, are built from the ground up to combine easily, so that as your business grows, it’s easy to increase the number of users needing access. With the WD Red drive, your employees are able to quickly share their files and back up folders reliably. It also comes with software that enables seamless integration with your existing network infrastructure.


3. Optimize systems to maximize performance. Be sure to keep your entire technology network up to date before, during and after installation of a storage server. Ensuring a healthy ecosystem of your storage, router, and modem units is crucial to delivering services to customers in a timely manner and avoiding bottlenecks in the system.

4. Enable and manage user access. When storing sensitive company data, restrictions on security and access are your primary concern. Implement a storage system that allows you to grant file access to those that need it, and rescind it for those that don’t. User access should be described in detail in the written plan, so staff know exactly where to place and find the data they need. Small businesses typically try to grow quickly, which means shifting roles and responsibilities. When new employees come on, and old ones depart, make sure you are able to maintain control of all of your data. When an employee leaves, revoke access immediately, and when on-boarding an employee, take the time to review your policies and expectations when handling company data and information.

5. Develop a good file naming strategy and folder structure. Keeping your centralized storage system organized, makes it less likely that information will be mismanaged. “Document A” and “Spreadsheet 3” are useless filenames when you are searching through hundreds of documents for one particular file. Use names that are meaningful, but still short. To help with version control, employ a date and initial system that tells you when and who last updated the document. Descriptive folders will also help you and your team navigate media quickly. Designate folders for financial, sales and operations documents to keep everyone organized.

File storage is only one piece of the puzzle to consider when growing your business, but when properly implemented, can save you and your business thousands of dollars and countless hours. There are a lot of factors to consider, but if you take the time to determine your needs and develop an actionable plan for your company now, as well as in the future, it will give you time to explore your options and make the best choice possible.

Apple Iphone 5E & Samsung S7 Rumors

Ok, last year Apple released 3 products that will make Apple consumer go crazy. This 2016, as we all know that Apple will release their much anticipated flagship product Apple Iphone 7, out of the Blue, rumors spread across the net that they will release another product. But this time, this smartphone will cater the class C consumer. For more details, here is a video where they leaked some information about the Apple Iphone 5E, and Samsung S7


iPhone 5e Leaks and Galaxy S7 Leaked

Samsung celebrates BenCab’s 50 Creative Years

MANILA, Philippines – National Artist for Visual Arts Benedicto “BenCab” Cabrera is celebrating his 50th year as one of the country’s most renowned artists. As part of the brand’s movement to support the arts, Samsung recently opened an interactive exhibit at the Yuchengco Museum to celebrate the National Artist’s creative milestone. To coincide with the event, Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy Note5 BenCab Limited Edition, of which only 1,000 units will be made available in the market.

“BenCab in Two Movements” captures the National Artist’s transformational, collaborative spirit and his great willingness to push his craft to the next frontier. The one-of-a-kind exhibit captures how art and technology are intertwined. The show allows visitors to Yuchengco Museum to dance along to BenCab’s collaborator, Polish choreographer Paulina Wycichowska, whose movements are captured in 40 sketches in the 2006 work Studies of Dance Movements. The exhibit uses customized Samsung Smart TV and mobile apps to enhance the visitors’ interactive experience.

Samsung also unveiled the Galaxy Note5 BenCab Limited Edition—a fine marriage between art and technology. Only 1,000 units will be made available in the market. The limited-edition phablet comes in the Gold Platinum Galaxy Note5 variant with three pre-loaded Samsung art applications, exclusive BenCab artwork wallpapers, a commemorative BenCab in Two Movements micro art book, a special protective case featuring BenCab’s 2007 work Dance Interpretation, a certificate of authenticity, and unique serial number engraving at the back of the device.

The launch of the limited-edition Galaxy Note5 captures BenCab’s belief that technology can bring the arts and culture closer to the hearts and minds of Filipinos, a cause embraced by Samsung.

“As an artist, I have always dreamt of one day putting up a museum that would show not only my own work, but Philippine tribal art and contemporary works as well. In the end, all that you leave behind is your work, and I believe that the museum will be my legacy, and also my little contribution to the environment. I also recognize that this legacy would be far more meaningful if it can also be experienced, not just seen. So making my work interactive to the audience is like bringing these museums into people’s lives; with the case of the Galaxy Note5, bringing it to them via their smartphones. It is also one way of making the arts more immersive for people who are used to multimedia,” says the National Artist.

His choice of a device on which to showcase his works also reflects his appreciation of how technology can enhance art. The Galaxy Note5 offers a large 5.7” Quad HD Super AMOLED display, making it the optimal device on which to view his various works. It also comes with the powerfully-enhanced S-Pen that revolutionizes the digital handwriting & drawing experience on mobile devices, and a professional grade 16MP camera, among others.

BenCab’s artistic spirit takes flight with this initiative by Samsung Electronics Philippines, which articulates the technology leader’s commitment to the promotion of artistic expression and cultural development. By leveraging its strengths in technology, Samsung provides an ecosystem for digital art creation and presentation—something that BenCab hopes to fully explore in the future.

Log on to ZALORA (zlrph.com/samsung-bencab) or go to the select Samsung Experience Store to purchase the stunning Galaxy Note5 BenCab Limited Edition smartphone. Visit www.nextisnow.ph for more details.