Genetec Hybrid Cloud Examined

Mass market VSaaS is a tough play, as shown in Genetec's Canadian Chinese buffet win.

Now, Genetec's newest cloud release, a Hybrid Cloud Archiving Service, shifts the focus up market to enterprise users.

In this note, we examine the approach, techical details and pricing to analyze its potential impact on the enteprise VMS and storage market.

Overview

Genetec's cloud archiving service is being built directly into their flagship Security Center software, so that existing or new Genetec VMS customers can use. It is an additional option that can be used with traditional on-site storage (i.e., hybrid) meant for extended recording (i.e., archiving).

The cloud archiving leverages what Genetec has already built with their Stratocast VSaaS and with Microsoft Azure cloud platform.

The aim is that whether video is stored on local hard drives or in the cloud, users may retrieve it via the same Security Center client applications.

Key Technical Details

The service is in limited availablity now, starting with Version 5.2SR6. It needs to be specially requested.

The current functionality records all cameras on a specific archiver or auxillary archiver (roughly Genetec's term for a recorder). 

In 2015, Genetec says they plan to add more granular camera / event specific options for archiving.

Upstream bandwidth will need to be available. This will depend on typical factors, number of cameras, resolution, compression, fps, etc. as well as upstream bandwidth connection. This could be a practical problem if an organization wants to record many cameras or high resolution / high frame rate ones. An additional concern will be if ISPs block / object to constant backups of high volume bandwidth.

Pricing

The projected, though not finalized, MSRP if $600 per TB per year.

Market Impact

In the next year, we see this as being a moderate differentiator for Genetec, as this approach is rare, if not unique, in the market and addresses a concern for larger customers.

The main drivers for end user adoption are those with extended storage requirements, backing up important long term evidence or reducing how much additional storage is purchased / maintained on site. A key concern for larger users will be allowing any security video to be stored off site, though certainly main large organizations already trust CRM and other sensitive data in the cloud.

The pricing is not cheap but it is also not exorbitant for redundant storage, given that it eliminates setup, maintenance, space for storage, etc. That said, enterprise storage systems can be bought at roughly the price of a year of Genetec cloud storage, so it is unlikely to become a replacement for on-site storage.

It also provides another potential revenue stream both for Genetec and their partners, that leverages their core customer base / market.