Attributed to Khalid Wani, Senior Director – Sales, India at Western Digital

CCTV cameras are increasingly being utilized in India to enhance security and to deter wrong activities. These are becoming common in various settings such as traffic signals, shopping centers, schools, and residences. Selecting the right storage while installing a CCTV system is critical, as not all storage solutions are built equally.

Here’s why the storage drives in a surveillance setup deserve a spotlight of their own:

1. Built Tough for the Long Haul: Smart video surveillance hard disk drives (HDDs) are the finely tuned athletes of the storage world. They are engineered to help handle heavy workloads of relentless 24/7 streaming video demands of CCTV systems. For instance, surveillance HDDs such as the WD Purple® Pro supports up to 550 TB/year1 in 8TB – 22TB capacity drives. WD Purple® drives are specifically designed to operate in surveillance systems where the need is to continuously record and store large amounts of video data.
2. Plenty of Room for Every Moment: In the world of surveillance, storage space is precious. High-quality footage eats up storage faster than one can imagine. While regular hard disks might offer decent capacity, CCTV drives take it up a notch. With ample storage tailored to the demands of video data, these drives ensure there’s always enough room to capture every important detail, day, or night. For example, the WD Purple® Pro HDD offers storage of up to 22TB[1] for massive storage needs.
3. Built to Last, Rain or Shine: Surveillance never sleeps, and neither should the storage solution. Regular hard disks might struggle to keep up with the constant workload, risking data loss and system failures. Smart video CCTV drives, however, are built to withstand the toughest conditions, from scorching heat to freezing cold. Additionally, they feature low-power profiles, resulting in reduced power consumption and less heat generation. This enables them to operate smoothly for extended periods without encountering breakdowns.
4. Reliability Redefined: Compared to standard desktop hard drives, surveillance hard drives offer greater reliability for smart video. Using a desktop drive to store CCTV footage could result in drive failure, especially when operating round-the-clock managing multiple streams of data. This could lead to loss of captured data or skipped frames of important video. However, utilizing a surveillance-grade storage drive helps mitigate these security risks.
5. Quality You Can Afford: One might assume that surveillance hard drives come with a significantly high price tag. However, this is not necessarily the case. CCTV hard drives are priced affordably considering the optimized features, capacity, and performance they provide. These drives are engineered for longevity in video streaming environments, outlasting desk drives, despite constant use. Therefore, opting for a CCTV storage drive proves to be a cost-effective choice in the long term.

Not every hard disk drive is suitable for CCTV setups. With features, such as high workload ratings, firmware optimized for 24/7 multi-stream environments, reliability under constant use, ample storage capacity, durability in harsh conditions, and cost-effectiveness in the long run, CCTV drives stand out as the right choice for ensuring your security system operates smoothly and effectively.