And this was the case for Sloan Plumbing, Heating & AC, based in Jefferson, Iowa and a leader in the Central Iowa market since 1979. Being able to simply access important video footage from anywhere anytime day or night had become a necessity for the company’s owner, especially when outdoor theft and vandalism around the property can be problematic.

Overcoming the challenges

Video security surveillance is vital for any and every business’ continued well-being, whether that organisation be small, medium, or large in terms of both number of personnel and size of facility (or facilities). Nowadays, NVRs (network video recorders) and even computer hard drives are still popular choices for security professionals, but those that require larger and larger volumes of data as the weeks, months, and years roll by need new ways to effectively store, move, and access these files, many instances when not on site. When stored on site on an NVR or similar hard drive device, precious time is wasted when a security professional is not able to access vital information in real time.

Vivotek’s new cloud-based video surveillance as a service (VSaaS), Vortex, promises to eliminate these challenges.

Comprehensive solution

Central Iowa’s Tech Zone chose Vortex and a total of five of its indoor and outdoor security solutions for a comprehensive end-to-end AI surveillance solution that seamlessly integrates deep-learning-based network cameras with cloud video management software to meet Sloan Plumbing, Heating & AC security surveillance solution requirements.

Vortex provides intelligent and easy-to-use data analysis services. What’s more, its hybrid cloud architecture allows it to transcend conventional storage frameworks. No longer is dedicated video management software or a centralised management system required to manage and process video data. Now, video data can be stored and analysed via edge computing directly within the camera and backup in the cloud, significantly reducing time, cost, and bandwidth limitations of the past.

Vortex allows for receiving push notifications of deep-learning-based events on a smart device in real-time to never miss important messages again. With Vortex, managing a surveillance system is more effective and easier with a wide camera selection, clear image quality, Edge AI analytics, and it is hassle-free with zero configuration.

This VSaaS features powerful AI video analysis technologies, upgraded real-time detection and post-hoc search functionality, state-of-the-art deep search algorithms to convert metadata into searchable and quantifiable information and refine people, vehicle, and environment detection accuracy over time. In addition to real-time alerts, Vortex is capable of sieving through big data to identify or follow past events, and its hybrid cloud architecture allows for unlimited cloud archive, automatic backup, event management and instant sharing. All of these features are merged seamlessly to maximize operational efficiency and storage reliability while minimizing network interruptions and downtime.

A win-win solution

Today, second-generation owner Chad Sloan is satisfied knowing he can check on his business while he is off-site, making the process of securing his property simple and highly effective.

According to Tech Zone, Jefferson, Iowa is in a small town where everyone knows each other. Chad Sloan trusted Tech Zone to handle his camera needs and they chose Vortex for its simplicity of use and detailed AI technology. This proved to be a perfect fit for Sloan Plumbing and Heating as Sloan relied on Tech Zone completely for help, and Vortex was the answer for both of them. For the customer, Vortex is a simple system to operate from a computer or phone, at home, or on the go.