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Storage Options

Video surveillance storage plays an important role in how organizations protect, retain, and access recorded security footage. Choosing the right storage strategy can impact retention, network bandwidth, system reliability, cybersecurity, accessibility, and the total cost of a physical security solution.

YourSixOS provides flexible video surveillance storage options that include on-device SD cards, cloud storage, and supported network-attached storage (NAS). Organizations can choose the storage method that best fits each deployment or combine local and cloud recording to create a redundant storage strategy.

YourSix recommends combining on-device SD card recording with cloud storage when appropriate. This approach provides local recording at the camera while securely storing important video off-site, helping maintain access to recorded footage even if a device is damaged, stolen, or otherwise becomes inaccessible.

Storage Options

Your storage requirements may vary depending on your specific needs. These requirements may also change depending on those needs or compliance changes in your industry or state. Cloud solutions provide the flexibility to meet your storage needs by utilizing a solution that supports on-device, onsite, and cloud storage. YourSix recommends using an on-device SD card and cloud storage, resulting in redundant storage that is accessible even if access to the local device is lost.

The YourSixOS platform allows for the use of three types of storage:

Storage Locations
SD CardRecommendedAXIS, Micron
CloudRecommendedYourSix (AWS)
NASOptionalAXIS Companion Recorder, AXIS S3008, Synology*
*Full functionality in development

Local Storage (SD Cards)

Technological advancements have led to the development of specialized SD cards specifically designed for surveillance, featuring enhancements such as increased endurance, built-in encryption, and health monitoring capabilities. Using these SD cards ensures that footage is recorded, even in the event of a network disruption. Additionally, YourSix generally observes that these cards can last from 5 to 10 years or more, enabling you to use the same card throughout the camera’s entire lifespan.

As noted above, YourSix recommends using SD cards from Axis Communications; however, other industrial surveillance-rated SD cards are also supported. Please note that using non-Axis Communications cards may cause health monitoring and other features to be unavailable.

Cloud Storage

Cloud storage provides a scalable and cost-effective alternative to expanding local storage infrastructure. As retention requirements grow, organizations can avoid the ongoing costs associatedcloud storage with servers, NVRs, hard drives, maintenance, and hardware replacement while gaining the flexibility to scale storage as needed.

Cloud storage also improves redundancy and business continuity by protecting video off-site. Even if local equipment is damaged, stolen, or experiences a failure, recorded video remains securely stored in the cloud. For additional protection, cloud storage can be combined with local SD card recording to create a redundant recording solution.

Cloud storage is optional and can be added on a per-stream basis with retention options ranging up to 365 days. Video is transmitted directly from the device to the YourSix cloud in real time, with no local buffering, gateway appliance, or delayed synchronization required. This direct-to-cloud architecture ensures video is protected immediately while providing secure access to recordings from anywhere.

Recording Schedules

Recording continuously 100% of the time may be necessary or even required for compliance; however, this can be costly, make post-event searching difficult, burden your bandwidth, and consume storage very quickly. 

The YourSixOS platform can record continuously or via triggers based on edge-based AI and schedules. YourSix recommends that users (if it complies with local mandates or laws) utilize continuous recording on the local SD card and motion recording to the cloud. Below is a list of triggers users can use for recording. Additional resource: Recording Rule Best Practices

  • Motion detection: Record when motion is detected 
  • Schedules: Record only during a specified time or day 
  • Object detection: Record when a car or person is detected 
  • Sound detection: Record when sound is detected. 

The YourSixOS platform enables simultaneous storage recording across multiple locations without requiring user intervention. Your device can simultaneously send footage to a local SD card and the cloud. Some solutions buffer video on the device for upload to the cloud at a later time or require a user to upload the footage manually.  This means if damage occurs to the device or storage before the upload, you have no footage of the incident. Redundant, automatic recording rules, as used with Y6OS, protect users against this issue.

 Subscriptions

Local recording to supported storage devices, such as an SD card, is included with the base device subscription. Cloud storage is optional and can be added on a per-stream basis, allowing organizations to select the appropriate cloud retention for each camera or video stream.

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