What is ONVIF and How is it Relevant to School Surveillance Cameras?

In the technology world, there’s always been a balance between proprietary technology and technology based on open standards. In many cases, proprietary solutions lock organizations into one vendor or a set of technologies that may have limited compatibility with other solutions. While open solutions are not a panacea for every application, and proprietary ones are not by definition inferior, interoperability is a desirable and often necessary attribute of any technology solution.

If your Rio Grande Valley, TX district is evaluating a new or upgraded school surveillance camera solution, interoperability should be a key criterion for your system. Today’s security solutions are integrated, and you want to invest in a surveillance solution that can interoperate with access control, emergency management, and other safety and security systems on your campuses. Keep reading below to learn about ONVIF, interoperability, and how it can help you get the most from your school surveillance solutions.

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What is ONVIF?

ONVIF is a forum composed of industry participants that create standard interfaces for interoperability for IP network-connected security products. ONVIF was founded by industry companies Axis Communications, Bosch Security Systems, and Sony. The member base includes leading camera, video management and surveillance, and access control vendors. The forum is open to device manufacturers, software vendors, integrators, and consultants within the security industry.

What Does ONVIF Do?

ONVIF defines a standard set of software interfaces to enable interoperability across solutions and also includes a testing suite that verifies conformance with the ONVIF specifications. One important example is having a standard way to understand the capabilities of a device like a security camera. If a camera has pan-tilt-zoom capabilities, that can be queried via software. This type of interface could allow a software solution – not one made by the camera vendor – to understand and use features of the camera. For example, using this interface could enable your video management solution to move the camera and zoom it remotely.

Why is ONVIF Important?

Standardized interfaces have long been used in the computing industry to assure interoperability. The USB standards, for example, enable a host of devices to use the standard USB interface to connect to computers and other intelligent devices. The evolution of HTML standards is the foundation of the web that has enabled millions of applications using standard web browsers. ONVIF brings similar types of standardization to the more niche world of security products, making it easier to integrate systems from different vendors, limiting proprietary lock-in, and encouraging competition in features and capabilities rather than around closed interfaces.

What Does it Mean for School Surveillance?

As security systems get more integrated, they create more robust solutions to keep your schools safer. ONVIF compliance means you can select best-of-breed solutions for access control, door entry systems, cameras, surveillance software, and other solutions and know they will have a level of interoperability. It means that when you need to upgrade a part of your solution, you won’t have to replace all of it because ONVIF compliance means your cameras can work with a different video management system. Certified interoperability gives you more options and flexibility to run the solutions that best fit your district’s needs.

ASAP Security Services has vast experience across Texas with sophisticated security and surveillance solutions in the public and commercial sectors. To learn more about school security solutions, set up a consultation with our team by calling (877) 418-ASAP, filling out our contact form, or starting a live chat with us below. We look forward to working with you!