The applications of Kimera Computers are extremely wide-ranging: industrial production, digital signage, automation… Today’s topic is one of the most requested: video surveillance. In particular, we’ll talk about how one of our ICT customers used a Kimera to set up an IP video management and storage system. Essential requirements: customisation, compactness, and reliability.
The client: a leading ICT company
IN.VA is an in-house company of the Autonomous Region of Valle d’Aosta operating in the ICT industry, implementing IT systems for its customers in the public sector. Among other things, they specialise in managing technological networks and infrastructures, designing information systems, and providing innovative services to citizens.
The problem: building an all-in-one system to run both video management and storage
In short, the requirement of this project was to unify as many elements as possible in a single physical system, guaranteeing functionality, performance, and cost-effectiveness. While two separate PCs are usually employed (one for video management and the other for storage), in this case the customer needed to create a single system, so that both recording and video control could be carried out on the same machine. As there was no specific redundancy, however, the problem was also to realise a highly reliable system, guaranteeing data security and full functionality of the solution. In addition, the hardware had to be placed in a technical room without air conditioning in summer/winter, so it needed an efficient dissipation system.
4 essential hardware requirements:
- Adequate performance for simultaneous operation of the management platform, storage, and video management software
- Decoding of 4K and FULL HD video
- Storage space of 4Tb with the possibility of expansion
- Compact size, so it can be installed inside small cabinets
Alternatives reviewed by the customer (vertical solutions on appliances by their software brand) were too expensive and poorly customisable, not allowing for a versatile, compact, and budget-friendly system.
The solution: integrating the Kimera Serial
Once we analysed the needs and requirements of the project with the technical manager of IN.VA, we realised that flexibility was indeed the key. To this end, we built a Kimera Serial with:
- Intel Core i3 CPU
- 8GB RAM
- Additional video card: Nvidia Quadro PNY P620
- Primary Disk: SSD 256 for basic software installation
- Secondary disk: 4 TB HD for image and video storage
where our customer then integrated the various software components of their reference platform.
The results: performance, flexibility, and reliability
“In this specific application area, the identified Kimera solution proved optimal, with the potential to guarantee further scalability on even larger installations,” said the project manager.
“What’s more, we activated the first system in December 2020, for a total of around 20 cameras. It guaranteed the desired performance and, above all, reliability throughout 2021 and 2022.” To this day – two years after the delivery of the PCs – we can confirm that we haven’t received any service requests.
Overall, choosing a fully customisable Kimera industrial PC allowed the customer to build a unique system, optimised for always-on functionality and extremely compact (186 x 270 x 114 mm), allowing it to be easily housed in the control cabinet.
Most importantly, the chosen hardware solution is more flexible and cost-effective than a pre-configured one. In fact, our customer could insert additional storage directly on the PC (without purchasing additional hard disks for data storage). Also, thanks to the PC graphics performance and the possibility of adding a dedicated video card, they got the same performance as a workstation (with considerably lower costs and dimensions).
If you too are going to build a video surveillance system or have other questions on this matter, contact our team below:
We’ll give you a free consultation and analyse your project and needs with you!
