A modern CCTV system can generate a considerable amount of valuable information. Businesses use surveillance footage to monitor facilities, investigate incidents, understand operational events, and strengthen their overall security processes. But recording video is only one part of the equation. Organizations also need to consider how that footage will remain accessible if their primary storage system experiences an unexpected problem.
This is where a recovery time objective can become an important part of CCTV data planning.
A recovery time objective, commonly referred to as RTO, represents the targeted amount of time within which a system or service should be restored after a disruption. Establishing this target helps businesses think about recovery before an incident occurs instead of trying to develop a response while systems are already unavailable.
Local CCTV Storage Has Its Limitations
DVRs, NVRs, and local storage drives are widely used in surveillance environments. They handle recording and provide a convenient place to access recent footage. However, local storage also means that important recordings can remain dependent on physical equipment.
A failed drive, damaged recorder, hardware issue, or other disruption could affect access to stored video. When footage is important for security or operational purposes, losing access can create an additional problem beyond the original incident.
An offsite storage strategy can help address this dependency.
The Role of Cloud Storage
Cloud storage provides a separate environment for storing or backing up surveillance footage. Instead of keeping every copy at the same physical location, organizations can maintain an additional copy away from their local recording equipment.
10PB provides cloud storage designed for CCTV surveillance and supports existing DVR and NVR environments. This allows organizations to incorporate cloud-based storage into their surveillance infrastructure without necessarily replacing the equipment already used for recording. (10PB)
For recovery planning, this separation can be useful because a problem affecting local equipment does not necessarily affect an independently stored copy of the footage.
Connecting RTO With CCTV Recovery
Every organization has different operational requirements. A retail business, warehouse, office, educational facility, or multi-location enterprise may have different expectations for how quickly surveillance information should become accessible after a disruption.
Defining a recovery time objective helps make this requirement explicit.
Once the required recovery window is understood, the organization can evaluate its storage architecture and recovery procedures. This may include considering backup frequency, network connectivity, cloud storage, user access, retention policies, and the processes used to retrieve recordings.
The objective itself does not guarantee recovery. Instead, it acts as a planning requirement around which an appropriate recovery strategy can be designed.
Benefits of an Offsite Backup Approach
Cloud-based CCTV storage can provide several practical benefits when incorporated into a broader recovery plan.
Protection beyond local equipment: An additional copy of footage can reduce reliance on a single DVR, NVR, or storage drive.
Remote access: Authorized users can potentially access stored recordings without being physically present at the surveillance site.
Scalability: Cloud storage can provide additional capacity as surveillance requirements change.
Centralized management: Organizations with multiple locations can consider centralized approaches to managing surveillance data.
Business continuity: Maintaining an offsite copy can form part of a wider strategy for keeping important information accessible during disruptions.
These benefits depend on the organization's configuration, network connectivity, access policies, and recovery procedures, so cloud storage should be considered as one component of the overall plan.
Planning a Practical Recovery Strategy
A useful CCTV recovery plan should answer several straightforward questions.
Where is the primary surveillance footage stored?
Which recordings are considered critical?
How quickly does the organization need access to those recordings after a disruption?
How frequently should footage be backed up?
Who is authorized to retrieve it?
What happens if the local recording equipment is unavailable?
Answering these questions can make recovery procedures more predictable. Organizations can then identify gaps in their current infrastructure and determine where additional storage or backup capabilities may be appropriate.
It is also important to test recovery procedures. A backup is most useful when an organization knows how to access and restore the information when required.
CCTV Storage and Business Continuity
Surveillance systems are often treated primarily as security tools, but the information they produce can also support business operations. Recorded video may help investigate workplace incidents, verify events, monitor facilities, or provide information following an unexpected situation.
For this reason, CCTV data can form part of an organization's wider business continuity planning.
A clearly defined recovery time objective helps connect surveillance storage with that larger strategy. Rather than asking only how much footage can be stored, businesses can also consider how quickly important recordings need to become available following a disruption.
A More Resilient Approach to Surveillance Data
CCTV infrastructure works best when recording and recovery are considered together. Local DVRs and NVRs can continue to perform their recording functions, while cloud storage can provide an additional location for protecting important surveillance data.
10PB's CCTV cloud storage solution is designed to support surveillance environments using existing recording infrastructure and provide an offsite storage option for CCTV footage. (10PB)
For organizations reviewing their data protection strategy, defining a realistic recovery time objective is a useful starting point. From there, businesses can evaluate their storage architecture, backup process, access requirements, and recovery procedures.
The objective is simple: when an unexpected interruption occurs, the organization should have a documented and practical path toward regaining access to the surveillance information it depends on.
