The advent of cloud technology has facilitated faster, easier physical security deployments. As businesses rationalize their costs, concerns and approach to migrating to the cloud, hybrid-cloud deployments are gaining traction across the physical security industry. Recent research conducted by Genetec shows that 60% of organizations are moving towards a blend of on-premises (on-prem) and cloud-based solutions. Such deployments offer organizations the benefits of the cloud while enabling them to keep some infrastructure on-premises.

Becoming more agile 

A hybrid approach gives organizations freedom and flexibility when implementing solutions. Businesses with numerous locations can consider each site’s unique requirements. For instance, they might run some larger density sites on local infrastructure, monitor global deployments in a fully hosted environment, and set up smaller remote sites with direct-to-cloud devices.

No matter how many systems are running on local devices or connected to the cloud, organizations can bring them all back to a central head end. This allows them to streamline monitoring, response and maintenance tasks across their operations to boost efficiencies. To the user, it’s a seamless experience.

Simplifying maintenance and cybersecurity tasks 

With hybrid-cloud solutions, security teams no longer need to travel to various locations to manage infrastructure or check system health. Cloud-based physical security software providers invest significant time and resources in cybersecurity, upholding various standards and certifications around the world. They monitor the latest threats and initiate regular third-party penetration testing and auditing. Thus, operators get immediate access to the latest updates and benefit from continuous innovation. This helps teams quickly address issues and strengthen their organization’s cyber posture.

When is hybrid-cloud the right solution?

Here are some of the most common scenarios when an organization might want to consider a hybrid-cloud deployment model.

Long-term retention

Cloud computing resources and capabilities have surged in the last few years. Many organizations are now taking advantage of the cloud for long-term video retention while keeping short-term, high-resolution archives on local infrastructure. It can provide added layers of redundancy or simply allow them to keep video for longer periods.

Visibility and control over independent sites

Cloud technology is highly scalable, making it easier for businesses to extend security across multiple sites. Organizations can connect their on-prem system to the cloud and manage security across their independent sites with more control. For example, they can easily add cameras or access control readers to remote locations using cloud services, simplifying the set-up process.

Manage heavy in-office traffic

Larger organizations may combine an on-prem video management system (VMS) and cloud-based access control as a service (ACaaS) to lessen the load on their servers and reduce costs.

With this strategy, on-premises infrastructure does the heavy lifting required for video management, while less demanding access control applications are hosted in the cloud.

Busting long-held myths about the cloud

For many businesses, migrating to the cloud can seem unnecessarily risky or just not the right fit. There are a few long-held beliefs about cloud services that may be holding them back. However, hybrid-cloud solutions have progressed significantly, and these beliefs are often no longer true.

The cloud isn’t optimized for larger organizations

The larger the deployment, the more bandwidth throughput you need to stream to the cloud. Adding cloud-connected appliances can help alleviate this challenge by customizing how and when you store information or stream video.

Moving to the cloud will require a total technology replacement

Transitioning to the cloud doesn’t have to happen all at once. Moving one site at a time or using a cloud-connected appliance to get existing infrastructure cloud-ready can happen in a phased approach.

Migration means re-training the entire security team

With hybrid-cloud infrastructure, organizations can manage all of their on-prem, edge computing, and cloud systems using one single unified platform. This simplifies setup, training, and operations.

The cloud isn’t as secure

Cloud solutions come with myriad built-in cybersecurity features and tools that help automate processes and stay on top of threats.

Hybrid-cloud systems allow organizations to leverage their investment in on-prem security devices and infrastructure, while adopting cloud technology such as video and access control as-a-service at their own pace, and to accommodate specific sites or use cases. They provide a cost-effective way to leverage the benefits of both technologies and stay flexible to changing requirements across an organization.