eviden-logo

Evidian > Products > SafeKit: Simple, Cost-Effective High Availability Software > Video Management Software (VMS) Redundancy

Video Management Software (VMS)

Redundancy and high availability with Evidian SafeKit

What is video management
software (VMS)?

Video Management Software (VMS) collects and records camera video and provides an interface for operators to view live and recorded video.

Video management software increases life safety, reduces theft and improves security officers efficiency.

Why a VMS software
is critical?

Video Management Software (VMS) records all criminal acts, from theft to murder, and provides a means to track criminals.

The safety of people is directly associated with the proper execution of the VMS software.

And that's why the system must always be available to security officers who must react immediately to the slightest incident.

Key players list
in VMS

The key players in VMS are:

  • Genetec (Canada)
  • Milestone (Denmark)
  • Hikvision (China)
  • Dahua (China)
  • Motorola (Avigilon) (Canada)
  • Johnson Controls (Ireland)
  • Tiandy (China)
  • Eagle Eye Networks (US)
  • ISS (US)
  • Teledyne Flir (US)

SafeKit brings two solutions for redundancy and high availability of a VMS software

Redundancy and high availability at the application level

In this type of solution, only application data are replicated. And only the application is restared in case of failure.

Redundancy at the application level for a VMS software

This solution requires a technical understanding of the application. You need to define which services to restart, specify the application folders to replicate, and configure a virtual IP address for failover. But this solution is platform agnostic and works with applications inside physical machines, virtual machines, in the Cloud. Any hypervisor is supported (VMware, Hyper-V...).

Examples

Redundancy and high availability at the virtual machine level

In this type of solution, the VMS software is put inside a virtual machine. The full Virtual Machine (VM) is replicated and restarted (Application + OS).

Redundancy at the virtual machine level for a VMS software

The advantage of this solution is that it does not require a technical understanding of the application; you only need to define the location of the VM files where the application is installed. This solution is generic for any VMS software. However, it works only with Windows/Hyper-V and Linux/KVM, but not with VMware. This is an active/active solution with several virtual machines replicated and restarted between two nodes.

Examples

More comparison between VM HA vs Application HA

Comparison

Built-in Hyper-V replication

Built-in Hyper-V replication

  • Asynchronous replication => data loss
  • Manual failover (no automatic failover)
  • Not a high availability solution

Microsoft clustering (same as VMware HA)

Microsoft clustering / Hyper-V solution

  • Requires a shared disk
  • Price of the shared disk and its installation (SAN, iSCSI)
  • Configuration complexity of Windows failover cluster (AD…)
  • Remote sites = replicated storage

Evidian SafeKit

SafeKit / Hyper-V solution

  • Simple and economical
  • Synchronous replication => no data loss
  • Automatic failover and failback
  • No shared disk
  • Free trial and quick installation guide

SafeKit, a recognized solution on the security market

Milestone has chosen SafeKit

SafeKit is deployed in 30+ countries with the video management software of Milestone.

SafeKit is validated by Milestone for redundancy and high availability of the management server.

SafeKit is the best solution because it is purely software, completely hardware-agnostic.

Solution preferred by Siemens

SafeKit is available in the Siemens marketplace with its Siveillance suite (video and access control) and with its SCADA software: Desigo CC (building management), SIMATIC WinCC, SIMATIC PCS 7.

SafeKit is deployed by Siemens in Australia, France, the Netherlands, Qatar, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, the US.

SafeKit recommended by Nedap

Nedap, a key player in physical access control, recommends SafeKit for redundancy and high availability of its AEOS application.

The Nedap/SafeKit solution is available with a free trial and a quick installation guide.

TIL Technologies has chosen SafeKit

SafeKit is deployed in 100+ customer sites by TIL Technologies for access control and building management.

SafeKit is the high availability option of MICROSESAME.

Innovation award in Video Management Software

Readers of Benchmark Magazine (specialized in physical security systems for resellers & SI) have voted for SafeKit as an innovation in Video Management Software.

This award shows the importance of redundancy in security offerings.

🔍 SafeKit High Availability Navigation Hub

Explore SafeKit: Features, technical videos, documentation, and free trial
Resource Type Description Direct Link
Key Features Why Choose SafeKit for Simple and Cost-Effective High Availability? See Why Choose SafeKit for High Availability
Partners SafeKit: The Benchmark in High Availability for Partners See Why SafeKit Is the HA Benchmark for Partners
HA Strategies SafeKit: Infrastructure (VM) vs. Application-Level High Availability See SafeKit HA & Redundancy: VM vs. Application Level
Technical Specifications Technical Limitations for SafeKit Clustering See SafeKit High Availability Limitations
Proof of Concept SafeKit: High Availability Configuration & Failover Demos See SafeKit Failover Tutorials
Architecture How the SafeKit Mirror Cluster works (Real-Time Replication & Failover) See SafeKit Mirror Cluster: Real-Time Replication & Failover
Architecture How the SafeKit Farm Cluster works (Network Load Balancing & Failover) See SafeKit Farm Cluster: Network Load Balancing & Failover
Competitive Advantages Comparison: SafeKit vs. Traditional High Availability (HA) Clusters See SafeKit vs. Traditional HA Cluster Comparison
Technical Resources SafeKit High Availability: Documentation, Downloads & Trial See SafeKit HA Free Trial & Technical Documentation
Pre-configured Solutions SafeKit Application Module Library: Ready-to-Use HA Solutions See SafeKit High Availability Application Modules
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions on Architecture, Licensing, Features See SafeKit HA FAQ