The physical security market is booming, with customers eager to adopt AI, computer vision, and other emerging technologies. This gives systems integrators and independent software vendors (ISVs) an unprecedented opportunity to enter the market and distinguish themselves with software offerings.
Hyperconvergence makes this opportunity even more inviting. Rather than relying on multiple, separate hardware components, hyperconverged architecture consolidates virtual computing, network virtualization, and software-defined storage into a single integrated system. These systems are more robust, easier to manage and deploy, more cost-effective, and less energy-intensive.
Consequently, the market is moving away from the single-purpose hardware of specialized surveillance systems and toward standard Intel® processor-based servers and appliances that can run multiple virtualized workloads. This shift brings hardware costs down and boosts the value of software.
The challenge for system integrators and software providers is to take advantage of these technology and market dynamics.
“Most big video surveillance solution providers bundle their software and hardware,” explains Tom Larson, President at Velasea LLC, a system builder specializing in hardware and computer vision. “This limits the opportunities to add value with additional software. Investing in hyperconverged hardware tends to be similarly unappealing.”
“Many companies involved with AI and computer vision don’t want hardware on the books,” Larson says. “That’s why we created a virtual OEM program that allows software experts to stay out of the hardware game.”
Opening Up the Physical Security Market
Originally founded as a spinoff of an IT distribution company, Velasea has evolved into a full-service technology aggregator that specializes in integrating multiple systems and architectures into a single appliance.
“Our goal is to help software companies enter the physical security market,” says Jimmy Whalen, CEO of Velasea. “Our appliances enable them to focus on software rather than hardware while ensuring those appliances are easy for their customers to deploy and upgrade.”
As part of this philosophy, Velasea works closely with its technology partners to streamline delivery of hyperconverged systems.
“There are challenges with virtualization and new architectures in the physical security space that Velasea is uniquely qualified to address,” Larson explains. “One is hardware consolidation, which happened a decade ago in IT but is still in the early stages in physical security. This can present challenges for security integrators who don’t have our background in IT infrastructure.”
Velasea builds appliances to de-risk projects. End users get something that works, and ISVs get an appliance with well-understood performance. More important, that appliance combines everything into a single hyperconverged system—so businesses can gain all the benefits of hyperconvergence without needing to think about underlying complexities.
Gaining easy access to hyperconverged systems is a boon for companies looking to expand into the surveillance space. Virtualization gives them the flexibility to test, develop, and roll out new features and solutions rapidly, responding to market demands with agility. What’s more, virtualization unlocks new levels of scalability and efficiency, enabling software companies to integrate cutting-edge technologies into their solutions more effectively.
New Path to Hardware Virtualization
Velasea collaborates with partners such as Quantum—a company that specializes in video and unstructured data—to bring the Quantum Unified Surveillance Platform (USP) to market. The USP solution consolidates compute, storage, and networking resources into a single virtualized solution capable of hosting not just video management systems but also a range of other security applications.
Supported by a subscription-based licensing model, Quantum USP can run on any hardware that incorporates Intel® Virtualization Technology (Intel® VT), which allows multiple workloads to operate simultaneously on a single shared hardware resource. This hardware-agnostic approach not only provides security integrators with unmatched flexibility in terms of infrastructure and architecture but also greatly reduces complexity and total cost of ownership.
Leveraging the Power of Partnerships at the Edge—and Beyond
Velasea is exploring new use cases around edge computing. For example, Velasea recently helped an OEM develop a Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch based on the 12th generation Intel® Core™ processor that incorporates both AI and a Video Management System (VMS). By consolidating these functions onto a single hyperconverged platform, Velasea helped the company gain a competitive advantage with a more capable and efficient solution.
Alongside smarter appliances, collaboration like the one between Velasea and Quantum can support applications well beyond video surveillance—and even outside the bounds of physical security. In addition to broadcasting, some potential markets identified by Velasea include retail, logistics, and public safety. That, according to Larson, is only the beginning.
“There’s a new generation of software emerging that is changing the game, and it’s going to change rapidly,” says Larson. “People are writing better code and utilizing systems better, and the result is that we’re seeing the entire landscape of physical security evolve. We partner with Intel, integrators, and software companies to be part of that evolution, developing optimized solutions to help businesses solve ‘last mile’ problems faster.”
“Our mission is to be a trusted partner for ISVs, providing them with the solutions and expertise necessary to support their customers,” he concludes. “It’s our partnerships that make this possible.”
This article by Brandon Lewis originally appeared on insight.tech
