Cisco Video Surveillance

This chapter covers the following topics:

• Legacy CCTV Video-Surveillance Architecture Evolution: This section covers the evolution of video surveillance from the early CCTV monitoring systems to the IP cameras in use today.
• Cisco Physical Security Solution: This section covers the hardware and software products of the Cisco video-surveillance solution.
• Cisco Video-Surveillance Components: This section provides an overview of Cisco cameras and analytics, Cisco video-surveillance management software, and the Cisco media management and storage components.

The Cisco CIVND 2 course is designed to cover Cisco video solutions. Most people assume that means video communications exclusively. However, Cisco has many products in other venues of video, like IP video surveillance and digital signage. To some degree, all three of these venues overlap. However, each can stand independently from the others as well.

This chapter offers a high-level overview of the solution Cisco offers in IP surveillance. The first section reviews legacy closed-circuit TV (CCTV) video-surveillance architecture and how it has evolved into what is available today. The subsequent sections cover Cisco’s physical security offering, the components involved with their solution, and the architectural design of how all the different elements work together.

“Do I Know This Already?” Quiz

The “Do I Know This Already?” quiz allows you to assess whether you should read this entire chapter thoroughly or jump to the “Exam Preparation Tasks” section. If you are in doubt about your answers to these questions or your own assessment of your knowledge of the topics, read the entire chapter. Table 3-1 lists the major headings in this chapter and their corresponding “Do I Know This Already?” quiz questions. You can find the answers in Appendix A, “Answers to the ‘Do I Know This Already?’ Quizzes.”

Table 3-1 “Do I Know This Already?” Section-to-Question Mapping

1. In a traditional video-surveillance solution, what product is used to allow multiple cameras feed to display on a single monitor?

   1. CCTV
   2. Multiplexer
   3. Multicast
   4. VHS recorder

2. As the traditional video-surveillance solution evolved, what product was developed that increases the capacity of recordable storage?

   1. VHS recorder
   2. Encoders
   3. DMPs
   4. DVRs

3. What product allows for Cisco Physical Access Gateway devices to connect conventional wired sensors, along with other physical-security elements, through a converged IP network?

   1. Cisco IPICS
   2. The Cisco Physical Access Manager appliance
   3. Cisco VSM
   4. Cisco Video Surveillance Multiservices Platform

4. What Cisco product is a complete IP-based dispatch and incidence-response solution?

   1. Cisco IPICS
   2. The Cisco Physical Access Manager appliance
   3. Cisco Video Surveillance Manager
   4. Cisco Video Surveillance Multiservices Platform

5. What Cisco product is used to leverage analog video cameras in an IP video-surveillance deployment?

   1. VSM
   2. ISR
   3. Encoders
   4. Decoders

6. Which Cisco product is responsible for changing layouts that are displayed on the viewer portal stations?

   1. Cisco Video Surveillance Manager
   2. Cisco Video Media Server Software
   3. Cisco Video Operations Manager Software
   4. Cisco Video Virtual Matrix Software

7. Which Cisco product is responsible for sending video feeds to storage and viewer portal stations?

   1. Cisco VSM
   2. Cisco Video Media Server Software
   3. Cisco Video Operations Manager Software
   4. Cisco Video Virtual Matrix Software

8. Which Cisco product is responsible for interacting with the video-surveillance software through a web portal?

   1. Cisco VSM
   2. Cisco Video Media Server Software
   3. Cisco Video Operations Manager Software
   4. Cisco Video Virtual Matrix Software

9. Which Cisco product allows for up to 1 TB of storage for video-surveillance feed?

   1. Cisco Video Surveillance Multiservices Platform
   2. Cisco Integrated Services Router Generation 2
   3. NAS
   4. DAS