QNAP Video Surveillance software

Urban populations are expanding rapidly around the globe, with an expected growth of 1.56 billion by 2040. As the number of people living and working in cities continues to grow, the ability to keep everyone safe is an increasing challenge. However, technology companies are developing products and solutions with these futuristic cities in mind, as the reality is closer than you may think. Solutions that can help to watch over public places and share data insights with city workers and officials are increasingly enabling smart cities to improve the experience and safety of the people who reside there. Rising scope of 5G, AI, IoT and the Cloud The main foundations that underpin smart cities are 5G, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT) and the Cloud. Each is equally important, and together, these technologies enable city officials to gather and analyze more detailed insights than ever before. For public safety in particular, having IoT and cloud systems in place will be one of the biggest factors to improving the quality of life for citizens. Smart cities have come a long way in the last few decades, but to truly make a smart city safe, real-time situational awareness and cross-agency collaboration are key areas which must be developed as a priority. Innovative surveillance cameras with integrated IoT Public places need to be safe, whether that is an open park, shopping center, or the main roads through towns Public places need to be safe, whether that is an open park, shopping center, or the main roads through towns. From dangerous drivers to terrorist attacks, petty crime on the streets to high profile bank robberies, innovative surveillance cameras with integrated IoT and cloud technologies can go some way to helping respond quickly to, and in some cases even prevent, the most serious incidents. Many existing safety systems in cities rely on aging and in some places legacy technology, such as video surveillance cameras. Many of these also use on-premises systems rather than utilising the benefits of the cloud. Smart programming to deliver greater insights These issues, though not creating a major problem today, do make it more challenging for governments and councils to update their security. Changing every camera in a city is a huge undertaking, but in turn, doing so would enable all cameras to be connected to the cloud, and provide more detailed information which can be analyzed by smart programming to deliver greater insights. The physical technologies that are currently present in most urban areas lack the intelligent connectivity, interoperability and integration interfaces that smart cities need. Adopting digital technologies isn’t a luxury, but a necessity. Smart surveillance systems It enables teams to gather data from multiple sources throughout the city in real-time, and be alerted to incidents as soon as they occur. Increased connectivity and collaboration ensures that all teams that need to be aware of a situation are informed instantly. For example, a smart surveillance system can identify when a road accident has occurred. It can not only alert the nearest ambulance to attend the scene, but also the local police force to dispatch officers. An advanced system that can implement road diversions could also close roads around the incident immediately and divert traffic to other routes, keeping everyone moving and avoiding a build-up of vehicles. This is just one example: without digital systems, analyzing patterns of vehicle movements to address congestion issues could be compromised, as would the ability to build real-time crime maps and deploy data analytics which make predictive policing and more effective crowd management possible. Cloud-based technologies Cloud-based technologies provide the interoperability, scalability and automation Cloud-based technologies provide the interoperability, scalability and automation that is needed to overcome the limitations of traditional security systems. Using these, smart cities can develop a fully open systems architecture that delivers interoperation with both local and other remote open systems. The intelligence of cloud systems can not only continue to allow for greater insights as technology develops over time, but it can do so with minimal additional infrastructure investment. Smart surveillance in the real world Mexico City has a population of almost 9 million people, but if you include the whole metropolitan area, this number rises sharply to over 21 million in total, making it one of the largest cities on the planet. Seven years ago, the city first introduced its Safe City initiative, and ever since has been developing newer and smarter ways to keep its citizens safe. In particular, its cloud-based security initiative is making a huge impact. Over the past three years, Mexico City has installed 58,000 new video surveillance cameras throughout the city, in public spaces and on transport, all of which are connected to the City’s C5 (Command, Control, Computers, Communications and Citizen Contact) facility. Smart Cities operations The solution enables officers as well as the general public to upload videos via a mobile app to share information quickly, fixed, body-worn and vehicle cameras can also be integrated to provide exceptional insight into the city’s operations. The cloud-based platform can easily be upgraded to include the latest technology innovations such as license plate reading, behavioral analysis software, video analytics and facial recognition software, which will all continue to bring down crime rates and boost response times to incidents. The right cloud approach Making the shift to cloud-based systems enables smart cities to eliminate dependence on fiber-optic connectivity and take advantage of a variety of Internet and wireless connectivity options that can significantly reduce application and communication infrastructure costs. Smart cities need to be effective in years to come, not just in the present day, or else officials have missed one of the key aspects of a truly smart city. System designers must build technology foundations now that can be easily adapted in the future to support new infrastructure as it becomes available. Open system architecture An open system architecture will also be vital for smart cities to enhance their operations For example, this could include opting for a true cloud application that can support cloud-managed local devices and automate their management. An open system architecture will also be vital for smart cities to enhance their operations and deliver additional value-add services to citizens as greater capabilities become possible in the years to come. The advances today in cloud and IoT technologies are rapid, and city officials and authorities have more options now to develop their smart cities than ever before and crucially, to use these innovations to improve public safety. New safety features Though implementing these cloud-based systems now requires investment, as new safety features are designed, there will be lower costs and challenges associated with introducing these because the basic infrastructure will already exist. Whether that’s gunshot detection or enabling the sharing of video infrastructure and data across multiple agencies in real time, smart video surveillance on cloud-based systems can bring a wealth of the new opportunities.

Securing Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in the transportation industry is multi-faceted for a multitude of reasons. Pressures build for transit industry players to modernise their security systems, while also mitigating the vulnerabilities, risks, and growth-restrictions associated with proprietary as well as integrated solutions. There are the usual physical security obstacles when it comes to increasingly integrated solutions and retrofitting updated technologies into legacy systems. Starting with edge devices like cameras and intelligent sensors acquiring video, analytics and beyond, these edge devices are now found in almost all public transportation like buses, trains, subways, airplanes, cruise lines, and so much more. You can even find them in the world’s last manually operated cable car systems in San Francisco. The next layer to consider is the infrastructure and networks that support these edge devices and connect them to centralized monitoring stations or a VMS. Without this layer, all efforts at the edge or stations are in vain as you lose the connection between the two. And the final layer to consider when building a comprehensive transit solution is the software, recording devices, or viewing stations themselves that capture and report the video. The challenge of mobility However, the transportation industry in particular has a very unique challenge that many others do not – mobility. As other industries become more connected and integrated, they don’t usually have to consider going in and out or bouncing between networks as edge devices physically move. Obviously in the nature of transportation, this is key. Have you ever had a bad experience with your cellular, broadband or Wi-Fi at your home or office? You are not alone. The transportation industry in particular has a very unique challenge that many others do not – mobility Can you trust these same environments to record your surveillance video to the Cloud without losing any frames, non-stop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year? To add to the complexity – how do you not only provide a reliable and secure solution when it’s mobile, traveling at varying speeds, and can be in/out of coverage using various wireless technologies? Waiting to upload video from a transport vehicle when it comes into port, the station, or any centralized location is a reactive approach that simply will not do any longer. Transit operations require a more proactive approach today and the ability to constantly know what is going on at any given time on their mobile vehicles, and escalate that information to headquarters, authorities, or law enforcement if needed; which can only occur with real-time monitoring. This is the ultimate question when it comes to collecting, analyzing, and sharing data from mobile vehicles – how to get the video from public transportation vehicles alike to headquarters in real time! Managing video data In order to answer this question, let’s get back to basics. The management and nature of video data differs greatly from conventional (IT) data. Not only is video conducted of large frames, but there are specific and important relationships among the frames and the timing between them. This relationship can easily get lost in translation if not handled properly. This is why it’s critical to consider the proper way to transmit large frames while under unstable or variable networks. The Internet and its protocols were designed more than two decades ago and purposed for conventional data. Although the Internet itself has not changed, today’s network environments run a lot faster, expand to further ranges, and support a variety of different types of data. Because the internet is more reliable and affordable than in the past some might think it can handle anything. However, it is good for data, but not for video. This combination makes it the perfect time to convert video recording to the Cloud! Video transmission protocol One of the main issues with today’s technology is the degradation of video quality when transmitting video over the Internet. ITS are in dire need for reliable transmission of real-time video recording. To address this need a radical, yet proven, video transmission protocol has recently been introduced to the market. It uses AI technology and to adapt to different environments in order to always deliver high quality, complete video frames. This protocol, when equipped with encryption and authentication, enables video to be transmitted reliably and securely over the Internet in a cloud environment. One of the main issues with today’s technology is the degradation of video quality when transmitting video over the Internet Finally, transportation industry has a video recording Cloud solution that is designed for (massive) video that can handle networks that might be experiencing high error rate. Such a protocol will not only answer the current challenges of the transportation industry, but also make the previously risky Cloud environment safe for even the most reserved environments and entities. With revolutionary transmission protocols, the time is now to consider adopting private Cloud for your transportation operations.

In a world forever changed by the coronavirus pandemic, companies worldwide are now expanding their concept of physical security to best safeguard their facilities and employees. Few incidents have had as much of an impact on businesses globally as the COVID-19 pandemic; much of the world is still struggling to contain COVID-19, navigating the lasting effects and exploring what the “new normal” looks like. While some organizations are still engaged primarily in “anywhere operations”, i.e. remote work, many organizations are implementing strategic physical security solutions that better protect everyone through the use of video surveillance technology and advanced intelligence capabilities. As this new normal takes hold within the business environment, security strategies will largely be centered around several key initiatives like access control, people counting, occupancy controls, temperature screening, contact tracing, and reducing office touch points. With the use of a video management system (VMS) in the shadow of COVID-19, occupancy data from a VMS can trigger a lockdown and not permit new entrants until the occupancy drops below a certain threshold; this is significantly useful for organizations that have returned to in-person work.  But there’s a caveat: though many legacy security systems are being re-evaluated to allow for touchless or frictionless access control — a move designed to eliminate the need for employees and visitors to physically touch a surface when using an access control system — upgrading the outdated technologies can be cumbersome and expensive, especially for organizations that had not planned for an interruption like the pandemic. Security contractors will be vital So, what is the solution? Security contractors will play a vital role in helping end-users across a range of vertical markets — large and small — to achieve their goals in the new paradigm. For some, this may mean leveraging existing access control and video surveillance systems with upgrades where needed. For others, an entire overhaul is made possible with budget friendly solutions for businesses to migrate to integrated access control through end-to-end security solutions that tie into existing infrastructures without major disruptions (meaning the organization will never be left vulnerable). Cybersecurity is becoming even more intertwined with physical security There is massive transformation occurring in the security industry, most notably the movement to digitise physical access and integrate it with video management systems and surveillance. This shift means that cybersecurity is becoming even more intertwined with physical security, allowing organizations the ability to correlate the metadata of people’s behaviors and activities — a plus point for those looking to remain vigilant against future pandemic-esque business interruptions. Access, video, and audio are converging into consolidated platforms. Due to lower costs and pairings with IP-based, wireless infrastructure, there are infinite solution configurations. IT security requirements are beginning to apply to physical security because of this integrated infrastructure. Multi-factor authentication The security industry is also beginning to see a trend of multi-factor authentication, which is going to dominate in the days to come as it makes solutions more reliable. Most people carry smartphones these days, which have green check communication capabilities that allow easy multi-factor authentication. Costs are going down, and algorithms are getting better, making more people willing to try it. Some new solutions have both the fingerprint reader and a camera for facial biometrics Some new solutions have both the fingerprint reader and a camera for facial biometrics. Cameras and CCD modules cost almost nothing, and they do not have to be super high-end anymore, especially if organizations are doing one-to-one verification. It’s not just about security now; it is security, health, and safety. Access control with video, intelligent readers, and credentials is a perfect platform for next generation solutions.

Artificial intelligence and deep learning are poised to transform how video images are used and managed. In today’s surveillance systems, video from more and more cameras leave operators at risk of drowning in data, requiring hours of manual effort to track assets or persons of interest. They need more intelligent systems. Among the new tools is use of neural networks to create video analytics systems that are trained, not programmed. In effect, the systems have the ability to “learn” based on how they are used over time. IronYun is introducing an artificial intelligence (AI) appliance at ISC West that applies AI-based video search and video mining capabilities to enterprise applications. CityEyes deep learning video analytics are incorporated into IronYun’s CAC-AI appliance built for the surveillance market. CAC-AI combines artificial intelligence software and hardware video search capability for fast, efficient search of video objects stored in an external network video recorder or storage device. Cloud Analytics Centre Artificial Intelligence CAC-AI stands for Cloud Analytics Centre Artificial Intelligence. CityEyes is a private cloud software platform for enterprise, government and many small- and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). “Using a private cloud solution protects data from hacking and unauthorized access,” says Paul Sun, President and CEO of IronYun. “It also avoids the high bandwidth cost of continuously sending video traffic to a public cloud, and there is a lack of broadband infrastructure in many locations.” CityEyes has integrated more than 15 video analytics applications in an all-in-one video operating system CityEyes has integrated more than 15 video analytics applications in an all-in-one video operating system. The latest CityEyes AI deep-learning-based video search appliance is plug-and-play to leading DVR/NVR systems for quick and easy deployment, connecting via a LAN Ethernet cable. The appliance downloads files from the DVR/NVR and performs AI-based object detection and recognition. Extracted image metadata is then stored in the CAC-AI for fast retrieval and viewing. Video Search And Object Detection Engine A high-performance graphics processing unit (GPU) provides fast video search and mining, significantly increasing operator productivity and saving time compared to operators needing to manually inspect and identify objects of interest. The search engine allows objects of interest to be found and identified amid hours of video data; in effect, like locating the needle in a haystack. More intelligent video searches can find relevant video in seconds. They can quickly identify objects (car, bus, luggage, dog, cat, etc.) and persons (male, female, age, person with hat, etc.). IronYun’s AI object detection engine is based on natural language input. Video searching is based on intuitive, natural language and can be compared to the information that might be entered in a Google search. Inputs might include a description of a person, face, car, bus, motorcycle, a color or a time. Identifiable objects are continuously added as the deep learning engine is trained over time. In scene mode, numbers of objects (but not color) can be specified (such as a scene with four cars, or a scene with one car and two people). Video searching is based on intuitive, natural language and can be compared to the information that might be entered in a Google search Reduced Long-term Storage Costs Because video metadata takes up much less storage than unstructured video data; there is potentially an up to a 100-to-1 reduction in long-term storage costs (for longer than 30 days). Using the AI deep learning object-identifying capability, only the video metadata with relevant objects or persons will be archived for long-term storage and future forensic applications. Two series of the new appliance are available: The CAC-AI-110 series for small- to medium-sized enterprises, supporting up to 12 IP cameras; and the CAC-AI-510 series for clients needing to monitor more than 64 IP cameras. At ISC West, the IronYun AI solutions will be demonstrated at Booth #18129 and at IronYun partner booths: Jenne (distributor), NVIDIA, Promise Technology and QNAP. IronYun, founded in 2009, specializes in cloud and big data video search solutions, deployed successfully by many government and enterprise customers, providing reliability 24/7/365. Worldwide offices are in the USA, Japan, Taiwan, Korean, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia and China.

QNAP demonstrates versatility by demonstrating full-throttle NAS innovations at CES 2017 QNAP will unleash full-throttle network-attached storage innovations at CES 2017 in Las Vegas (The Sands Expo, Level 2 – No. 41169), including industry-leading Thunderbolt 3 NAS solutions, revolutionary Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet (T2E) Converter technology, game-changing Internet of Things applications, 4K live-streaming/broadcasting, alongside the ultimate storage device that combines NAS and optical discs. This versatility demonstrates QNAP's willingness to break boundaries, and will stand out at CES across the consumer, SMB, and enterprise markets. Thunderbolt 3 NAS Technology QNAP advances its renowned Thunderbolt NAS with the latest Thunderbolt 3 technology. Supporting higher speeds than the previous generation, the pioneering Thunderbolt 3 NAS is the best companion for the latest MacBook Pro, providing compelling features, storage, and reliability for creative professionals and enthusiasts who focus more on 4K or 3D workflows. The innovative T2E Converter (available in QTS 4.3) bridges Thunderbolt and Ethernet networks, making the Thunderbolt NAS a native Thunderbolt-to-Ethernet adapter for wider application scenarios. IoT Cloud Platform - QIoT Suite Following the launch of QIoT Containers for building a private IoT cloud platform, the QIoT Suite provides additional practical modules for developers to easily adopt, accelerating development and services. CES will also mark the unveiling of QBoat (QTS IoT Server powered by the Intel AnyWAN SoC GRX750), which helps connect and manage IoT devices and applications to provide a handy solution for the great potential industrial demands of IoT. Visitors can also discover the QNAP IFTTT Agent to experience web automation service with QNAP NAS. The new 1-bay 2.5"-drive TGX-150 NAS, powered by the Intel AnyWAN SoC GRX750 and featuring a built-in gateway with wireless access point, will also be showcased. Live-stream broadcasts enable real-time audience interaction and increase engagement, providing great potential for versatile business and lifestyle applications DJ2 Live 4K Broadcasts Live-stream broadcasts enable real-time audience interaction and increase engagement, providing great potential for versatile business and lifestyle applications. QNAP's DJ2 Live is an exclusive live broadcasting platform based on a private cloud that supports up to 4K video live-stream broadcasts and stores all the videos on the private, secure, high-capacity QNAP NAS. It also supports streaming to video services such as YouTube and Facebook. QNAP will demonstrate DJ2 Live with compatible smart glasses at CES for users to experience mobile live streaming applications. Optical Disc Drive Compatibility The TVS-882BR features a 5.25" drive bay for installing optical disc drives, providing an extra method for transferring content from discs to the NAS for more convenient access and sharing. By installing a disc writer, users can also directly copy data to disc - providing an extra layer of protection for important data. Supported drives include Blu-ray Disc and BDXL-compatible disc writers. QVR Pro Surveillance Solution QVR Pro integrates QNAP's professional QVR system into the QTS operating system. Users not only can arrange a dedicated, independent storage space for surveillance data on the NAS, but also can leverage the advantages of scalability and storage manageability from QTS. Enhancements include: higher performance for video playback and exporting, a consistent management interface for cross-platform client devices, batch adding and editing cameras, advanced event management, and more. QNAP marketing and business development personnel will be on-hand to help determine product and marketing strategies for distributors and resellers QNAP Qtier Technology Powered by an Intel Xeon D processor, the powerful enterprise-class TS-1685 features twelve 3.5" bays for storage and four 2.5" bays for SSDs. Six M.2 slots and QNAP Qtier Technology provide SSD caching for around-the-clock acceleration, making the TS-1685 the ideal solution for deploying virtualization environments using Virtualization Station, Container Station, and third-party hypervisors. Three PCIe slots provide users with total flexibility for meeting the needs of demanding applications by installing 10/40 GbE adapters, graphics cards, PCIe NVMe SSD, and USB 3.1 cards. QNAP marketing and business development personnel will be on-hand to help determine product and marketing strategies for distributors and resellers to grow their business with industry-leading network appliance solutions from QNAP. Accredited members of the worldwide press are also invited to schedule product briefings and request evaluation units for review purposes.

The exFAT file system is optimized for fast and high-capacity flash memory such as SD cards and USB devices, and allows for files of up to 16EB QNAP Systems, Inc. has teamed up with Microsoft and Paragon Software Group to provide an official exFAT driver customized for QNAP NAS, allowing users to directly access the contents of exFAT-based storage. Enhanced Flash Memory Compared to the conventional FAT32 file system and its 4GB single file limit, the exFAT file system is optimized for fast and high-capacity flash memory such as SD cards and USB devices, and allows for files of up to 16EB. "We are pleased to partner with QNAP on the technology solutions in network attached storage that will meet consumer needs in the 4K era and beyond," said Micky Minhas, Microsoft Vice President and Associate General Counsel. "The exFAT file system is becoming increasingly popular for SD cards and other storage devices due to the limitations of FAT32. With the purchase and installation of the exFAT driver, our users can now directly access their exFAT-based storage using their NAS," said Ripple Wu, Product Manager of QNAP. Availability The exFAT driver is now available for purchase from the QNAP License Store for US$3.99. Save Save