Vicon Valerus: VMS with a vantage

In an industry that never stands still, the Vicon Valerus VMS continues to be a game-changer seven years after its release.

As the security industry continues to evolve and new technologies emerge, it’s becoming increasingly important for security professionals to keep up with the latest advancements.

One area that has seen significant innovation in recent years is video management systems (VMS) — and when it comes to VMS, there are few companies with more heritage than Vicon Security, creators of the Valerus VMS.

A history of innovation

Vicon Industries has been an industry leader for over 55 years, providing cutting-edge security solutions to tens of thousands of customers around the world.

The company has witnessed the security industry go from analogue to digital, from physical to electronic and from reactive to proactive.

Throughout these changes, Vicon has been at the forefront of innovation, developing new products and services that have helped to shape the industry, from the first matrix switches that connected early analogue cameras to one another and made them easier to browse, to some of the first PTZ cameras that have since become an industry staple.

The company has been able to adapt to new technologies and new threats; its experience has provided a deep understanding of what it takes to build effective security systems – and video management solutions are at the core of that.

Vicon took its first steps into the world of VMS development in 2010 with ViconNet, a proprietary software platform for the management of analogue cameras that remains supported to this day.

But, in 2016, Vicon launched its premier VMS solution for IP cameras: Valerus.

The project was ambitious, but with such vast experience in the industry, and key lessons learnt from the development of ViconNet, Vicon was quickly able to develop a strong foundation.

When Vicon was acquired by pioneering tech company Cemtrex in 2018, the investment of knowledge and resources supercharged the development of a VMS that has now seen continual development for seven years.

The power of Vicon Valerus

Today, Valerus is a powerful VMS that provides end-to-end security solutions for a wide range of applications.

With Valerus, security professionals can control not just their video feeds, but access control, automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR), vape detection and more – all in one centralised platform.

These features allow them to quickly and efficiently manage their security systems from a single pane of glass, ensuring the safety of their facilities and personnel without changing windows or systems or undergoing any additional training.

The system even allows for multi-site management, making it easy for security professionals to monitor and manage systems across multiple locations.

With Valerus, security teams can centrally manage all their facilities, streamline their security operations and reduce costs.

One of the key advantages of Valerus is its flexibility – and nowhere is this more true than in the alarm management suite. This robust, customisable platform can be tailored to suit the end user’s needs, helping them to quickly identify and respond to security incidents via real time alerts and notifications.

Users can even define procedures for each type of alert, helping the operator keep on top of what they need to do and when – from logging their findings on an audit trail to initiating site-wide or localised lockdowns.

Valerus even goes above and beyond the call of duty with an in-built system health dashboard, providing proactive notifications to system administrators before a complete system failure, notifying them about potential system issues within seconds, making it an invaluable asset for addressing issues before they become problematic and costly.

The power of AI

Throughout its development, Valerus has always boasted a wealth of advanced video analytics capabilities, from object-based recording to motion sensing, line crossing and loitering/crowd detection.

Combined with the VAX access control system and the robust alarm management suite, this has made automated security procedures a breeze and allowed operators to analyse video footage in real time, detecting potential threats and alerting personnel before an incident occurs.

This year, Vicon has bolstered that analytics package with one crucial addition: AI.

With Vicon’s AI-enhanced Roughneck camera range, users can utilise edge analytics to automatically classify individuals, vehicles, and animals and set rules for each – such as recording at a higher resolution when a person comes into the frame to save on storage or sending an alert to the operator when a vehicle enters out of hours.

An AI-enhanced museum search within Valerus is also saving users valuable time.

Now, investigations are as simple as selecting the area of interest, telling Valerus what you’re looking for (people, vehicles, animals, etc.) and letting it find the crucial moment in time in seconds.

To help reduce the total cost of ownership, all of this object classification happens within the camera itself, thus saving bandwidth, storage and the total cost of ownership.

Peace of mind

In a world where technology seems to be evolving at an unfathomable rate, Vicon is keen on granting its customers stability and consistency wherever possible.

By investing in an end-to-end system with VMS, cameras and access control provided by Vicon, customers can take peace of mind in the knowledge that everything is designed to work together in harmony.

For customers with an existing system, or users who want to create their own bespoke solution, Vicon offers compatibility across a number of open platforms like Onvif to ensure their hardware plays nice with others.

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest concerns for end users of any IP security system.

With the increasing frequency of cyber-attacks, it’s essential that security systems be secure and up-to-date.

Valerus offers a perpetual licensing model, so customers don’t need to worry about their security system shutting down just because a card payment didn’t go through.

In addition, Vicon provides firmware updates and bug fixes to Valerus users at no additional cost, ensuring that security systems are always up-to-date, security vulnerabilities are quickly identified and addressed and the risk of cyber-attacks is minimised.

Best in class VMS

Thanks to these features and more, Valerus has been successfully implemented in a wide variety of environments, from airports and universities to prisons, factories and more.

In each case, Valerus has provided security professionals with the tools they need to effectively manage their security systems, ensuring the safety of their facilities and personnel.

With its advanced features, flexibility and commitment to innovation, Valerus is a game-changer in the VMS space. Whether you’re securing a small office or a large industrial facility, Valerus provides the tools you need to effectively manage your security systems.

And, with its advanced video analytics and AI capabilities, Valerus is well-positioned to meet the evolving needs of the security industry.

Vicon Industries

With 55+ years of experience, Vicon is a global leader in advanced security and surveillance technology to safeguard businesses, schools, hospitals and cities across the world.

The company specialises in complete security solutions, from access control to CCTV, that simplify deployment, operation and ongoing maintenance.