Smart camera planning starts with a sound camera inventory that includes all the necessary data to support physical security operations and IT requirements.
Q: Our IT Department asked for our camera inventory data. What information are they looking for?
A: They are likely to seek details about the make and model of each camera, as well as warranty and support life information. However, only part of the data should be readily available to IT and security teams.
Historically, documentation for medium- and large-scale physical security systems has often been incomplete. However, with rapid advancements in physical security technology, particularly AI-enabled products—documentation practices are improving across the industry. This shift is occurring in two key areas:
- Within organizations, security practitioners become more adept at maintaining accurate records.
- Within the security industry, manufacturers and integrators recognize the need to embed better customer support into their business models.
Comprehensive Camera Planning
Smart camera planning means systematically capturing all relevant data related to camera deployment. This ensures:
- Cameras can be properly maintained over time.
- Configuration and use case information do not rely on individual memory.
- Budgeting for end-of-support-life camera replacements can be based on accurate estimates rather than guesswork.
At the same time, IT departments in large enterprises are evolving to manage the growing complexities of cloud platforms, networking infrastructure, and cybersecurity risks across IT, IoT, and OT environments.
For security teams, an IT request for camera inventory data is often just the beginning of an ongoing collaboration. Historically—before physical security technology’s watershed moment—IT departments made exceptions for security technologies due to their IT-related shortcomings. Today, however, corporate IT rigorously reviews any device connected to the network. Getting a physical security system approved is no longer a simple one-week process—it requires thorough IT validation.
IT Approvals and Review Boards
In many organizations, IT approval now involves multiple governance steps, including:
- Submitting a security technology roadmap
- Providing system architecture diagrams
- Outlining a network utilization plan
- Documenting data governance compliance
See my recent article on Data Literacy for physical security functions for details about data governance.
Before deploying a security product on the corporate network, approvals may be required from various review boards, such as:
- Architecture Review Board (ARB)
- Security Review Board (SRB)
- Data Governance Board
- Cloud Review Board (CRB)
- AI Review Committee
- Product Steering Committee
While some of these boards have existed for decades, their influence has grown significantly in the 21st century. IT governance has matured, driven by the need for:
- Stronger alignment between IT and business objectives
- Standardization of IT practices
- Reduced complexity for better infrastructure management at scale
While some forms of review boards have existed for decades, their formalization and widespread adoption in large enterprises, especially for IT governance, has primarily occurred since the turn of the 21st century. Today, the maturation of IT practices has accelerated, driven by the need for:
- Stronger alignment between IT and business objectives
- Standardization of IT practices
- Reduced complexity for better infrastructure management at scale
Security practitioners responsible for technology planning and implementation must stay informed about their organization’s IT governance trends. Large enterprises often have regional and global governance frameworks.
Following the established physical security practice of maintaining global security technology standards that account for product availability in different countries and service provider support in various regions is beneficial.
Key Camera Data for IT
There are about a dozen categories of security camera data that are relevant to IT. While some data can be extracted from a Video Management System (VMS), much is scattered across proposals, as-built drawings, and documentation. Consolidating this information simplifies planning, maintenance, and system evaluations.
Additionally, IT teams, particularly those focused on data governance—have a vested interest in privacy controls for video and metadata, especially when personally identifiable information (PII) is involved.
For new camera projects, this data should be included in as-built documentation. For existing systems, it should be gathered before planning any surveillance upgrades.
Typical Camera Data of Interest to IT
The camera-specific information of interest to IT typically includes:
- Camera Make (Brand and country location of the manufacturer)
- Camera Model (Full model identifier)
- Lifecycle Information
- Date Installed
- End-of-Life Date
- Manufacturer Warranty Expiration
- Installer Warranty Expiration
- Maintenance Program Expiration
- Network Information
- Wired or Wireless LAN or Cellular Cloud Connection
- DHCP or static IP Address Assignment
- Bandwidth Requirement
- Network Port Requirements
- Network Protocol Requirements
- Power Requirements
- Total Power Draw (Including accessories like fans for outdoor cameras)
- Power Type (PoE, Non-PoE)
- Firmware Management (Policies, practices, tools, documentation and responsibilities)
- Password Management (Policies, practices, tools and responsibilities)
- Digital Certificates (Used for encrypted network data transmission and network device authentication)
- Privacy controls
- Video data protections
- Metadata protections for Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
- Compliance with regulations like GDPR, which require video surveillance signage and notification of AI-driven automated decisions affecting individuals
- Facial Recognition or Authentication
- For jurisdictions that ban facial recognition, facial authentication is legally permitted because it does not involve PII (e.g., Alcatraz AI’s facial biometrics)
- Data Transformation Objectives
- Applicable for organizations with data transformation initiatives, which may also support funding for security technology upgrades involving automation or AI
These data points provide a solid foundation for IT and security collaboration.
What’s Next?
The next column in this series will include a detailed breakdown of 175 specific camera-related data items that should be tracked in large-scale deployments. These include new considerations for AI-powered scene and activity characterizations and anonymized people tracking across multiple facility areas.
