Protecting Critical Infrastructure with Video Surveillance

Organizations around the world are using video surveillance to protect critical infrastructure, including power substations, dams, grids, and remote transformers. Making sure this infrastructure is safe and running optimally is essential. Heightened awareness and environmental monitoring are key. As we’ve seen with the recent forest fires in California, the potential for catastrophe is real.

Fighting Fires with Video

Forest fires are an ever-growing threat in many parts of the world, burning up to 5 million acres of land annually in the U.S. alone. Traditionally, the U.S. Forest Service has been forced to take a reactionary approach to forest fire management, responding to threats only as they become large enough to be seen remotely.

Now, California is looking into deploying an infrared camera network throughout its forests, which will give officials an early warning of wildfires before they have a chance to grow. These high-definition cameras can identify the source of a fire from up to 70 miles away, saving fire response personnel valuable time.

The biggest proponent of the camera network is utility giant PG&E, which has set a goal of deploying 600 cameras by 2022. Their ultimate objective is to cover 90 percent of their territory or more, drastically reducing the likelihood of a major incident. The fire camera network is expected to grow six-fold over the next four years.

Protecting Energy Infrastructure

Another major provider of energy in the southwest is using video surveillance to protect its critical substation infrastructure. The company recently replaced its outdated NVR-based infrastructure with a modern video surveillance solution built on NetApp E-Series storage. This organization depends on having video storage that is reliable and performs at a high level so that it can handle high-definition video ingest from all over its service area. Today, the company is able to monitor events at substations in real time and protect the infrastructure before outages occur.

When it comes to protecting critical infrastructure and assets, there’s no better fit for video surveillance infrastructure than E-Series. NetApp provides the reliability and performance your organization needs at the best price. Eliminate storage downtime and maximize video availability even as you scale to support new camera systems and expand operations.

Learn more about what E-Series can do for your video surveillance deployments.