Benefits of migrating to IP based systems

Thanks to new technologies, company video-surveillance systems, too, have become an integral part of network infrastructures, which must be designed to respond to specific prerequisites in terms of performance and security in order for them to be used successfully in the management of various applications. This article outlines the benefits migrating from analog to IP-based systems.

IP video cameras are comparable to full-fledged PCs to which other devices can be connected. The video camera is a PC equipped with optics and a Linux operating system, which is nowadays used in mobile phones, tablets, PCs, consoles, mainframes, supercomputers and servers.

Most IP cameras these days feature Power over Ethernet (PoE) technology or, in other words, are supplied power through the same cable in use for data transmission, with considerable saving on the installation of dedicated power supply cables, especially in locations that are difficult to reach, and simplifying the installation of continuity units (UPS) capable of guaranteeing non-stop operation, 24/ 7. PoE technology also makes it easier to move video cameras to a new position and to add new ones to the video-surveillance system. Another advantage is given by the increased security of the system, in as much as its activation can, in fact, be operated from the server room; data security is simultaneously ensured thanks to the use of Cat-5 or higher cables, according to standard IEEE 802.3af, which prevents any type of external influence.

What’s more, unlike analog systems, in which it is fairly easy to pick up the video or replace the signal of one camera with another, in IP video-surveillance systems, transmitted information is screened for authentication: the user or the device identify themselves through a username and a password, which are therefore checked before access is granted to the system. The products with Axis network video technology offer protection by means of a multilevel password. Three levels are available: administrator (access to all functions), operator (access to all functions except the pages dedicated to network configuration and login) and visitor (access limited to live video streams). This basic security system is suitable when a high level of protection is not necessary or when the video network is segmented compared to the main network.

To eliminate the possibility of unauthorised access via a physical connection to the network, many IP surveillance cameras support the standard IEEE 802.1X, which provides authentication to devices connected to a LAN port. IEEE 802.1X establishes a point-to-point connection or prevents access from the LAN port in the case of an authentication error. IEEE 802.1X prevents so-called ‘port hi-jacking’, which consists in an unauthorised access by a PC to a network by means of network connector inside or outside a building, which proves especially useful for those network video cameras installed in public areas, where a network connector can be easily accessed, creating considerable risks in terms of security. In modern company networks, IEEE 802.1X is becoming a basic requirement for any element connected to a network.

Usually, access is authenticated by a third party, like a remote authentication dial-in user service (Radius) server, which provides client authentication or the strong authentication changes and the procedure could be the following:

• A network video camera sends out a request to access the network to a switch or access point.
• The switch or access point sends the request to the authentication server.
• If authentication is successful, the server indicates to the switch or access point to open the port in order to allow the network cam data to pass through the switch, for it to be sent into the network.

If a higher security level is required, it is preferable to resort to cryptography whose most common protocols are HTTPS, also known as SSL/TLS, the VPN and WEP, or the WPA for wireless networks.

HTTPS is identical to http, but with the difference that the data are cryptographed via secure socket layer (SSL) or transport layer security (TLS).  An exclusive channel is created via VPN between two communicating devices: the data are ‘encapsulated’ in another package that contains only the addresses of the two communicating devices and therefore only the devices that have the correct key can access the VPN.

Further security advantages offered by many IP network cameras are the filtering of IP addresses, which grants or denies access rights to set IP addresses and storage onboard. Network video cameras are configured by default to grant access to the products with network video technology, only to the IP address of the server that hosts the video management software. The option to use an SD/SDHC card eliminates the risks of sabotage and problems tied to the security of the connections. As a matter of fact, if a network fault occurs, the flows of footage filmed by the video camera are saved on the card. When the network connection is restored and the system resumes normal operation, the central VMS is capable of recovering and splicing local video recordings uninterruptedly. For the user, this means having the certainty of benefiting from video recordings without interruptions.

To further enhance the security levels offered, during installation, once the IP address has been assigned, the first mandatory step with IP surveillance cameras products is to change the password. To configure the password, a standard http connection can be used or one with higher level, the https. The user asks the video camera to create an authentication certificate; once received, the user can insert it into the configuration to be able to safely change the password