Why Zerowait Developed SimplStor EVS
We listened to our customers:
Many of our customers knew that we had deployed over 10PB in Surveillance storage over the last couple of years, and they asked if we could integrate the SimplStor storage platform with IP cameras, POE switches, Wireless Mesh where needed and Video Management Software for surveillance and security. For them, going to different vendors for each of these components had proven to be difficult and time-consuming. They wanted a package.
We first heard this from customers in Australia and New Zealand, then the UK and USA. Our customers required reliability and scalability in an affordable package with an easy to manage interface. Further, they indicated that it would be really great if we could preconfigure the hardware and software so they could unwrap and install without sending their high priced engineering teams into the field.
A few customers said it couldn’t be done:
Some of our customers told us that based on their experience, building a true unwrap and install integrated solution would be too hard, and that no one was offering a one stop solution for the enterprise because there was so much variability in the requirements across locations and business types. We took up the challenge.
SimplStor EVS is Born
To provide our customers an integrated surveillance and storage solution our engineering team worked with our customers’ to define specifications, and developed a set of building block assemblies and solutions.
We knew our surveillance storage customers were using a lot more storage once they deployed IP cameras. Several customers told us that their average HD IP cameras were requiring storage of about 1TB a month each, and some of our customers have over 150 IP cameras in a single installation. Our solutions also needed to offer the storage scalability that our customers needed to handle retention periods for the surveillance images that could vary from 90 days to over 27 months depending on regulatory compliance, legal risk assessments, and business insurance guidelines. The good news is that, by design, SimplStor is Extensible—easily and economically expanded when growth is needed. That was our base. Then we researched cameras and software. Customers kept referring us to Axis Communications, and we discovered why. Management is so easy and the product and image quality and features are amazing! We start with a base storage system, a POE switch and as little as 4 or as many as 14 cameras. Each includes at least 90 days of storage and every package is an integrated, unwrap and install solution, extensible to hundreds of cameras and a petabyte or more of storage over time.
Working with our customers we came up with a one stop, integrated solution that provides clear savings in hardware costs, integration fees and deployment time. We are taking orders now, and can ship any of our preconfigured units within 3 weeks after receipt of order, with custom solutions taking just a bit longer.
