Storing the evidence: body-worn video in the cloud or on-premises

Body-worn cameras capture footage that your organisation can use as evidence showing the causes of, and responses to, threats or emergencies. One of the questions our customers frequently ask about digital evidence management is: “Where should we store all this footage?” 

The short answer is that you have two options: store it in the cloud or store it on-premises. There are advantages and disadvantages to each, and several factors play into your final decision. In this article, we’ll compare cloud storage to on-premises storage, provide a deployment planning checklist, and discuss data security and digital evidence management. 

The different ways of storing evidence: cloud or on-premises?

We’ve created a table showing the pros and cons of cloud storage versus on-premises storage to simplify comparisons.

Category	Cloud	On-Premises
Initial Investment	Lower upfront cost – no need to buy servers or heavy infrastructure	Higher upfront costs for hardware, licenses, and setup
Scalability	Easily scales with your organisation’s growth	Scaling requires new hardware and IT resources
Maintenance	Supplier handles maintenance and updates	Internal IT team responsible for upkeep and troubleshooting
Data Storage	Stored securely off-site, often with levels of redundancy built in	Stored on local servers; requires robust in-house storage planning
Access	Access footage from anywhere, anytime (with permissions)	Access is limited to on-site or via VPN
Backup & Recovery	Built-in backups and disaster recovery options	Must be set up and managed internally
Software Updates	Automatic, frequent updates with new features and security patches	Manual updates; can lag behind if resources are limited
Monthly Costs	Ongoing subscription or storage fees	Lower monthly cost, but higher maintenance burden
Compliance	Can support compliance with industry standards (depending on provider)	Greater control over data for specific regulatory needs
Implementation Time	Faster to deploy – ideal for pilot or phased rollouts	Longer setup time – especially for large deployments

The primary advantage of on-premises storage is that your organisation has complete control. This spans ownership of servers, encryption keys, and access protocols. Cloud storage, on the other hand, allows for greater efficiency, scalability, cost savings, and accessibility. 

Deployment planning checklist

Still not sure what’s right for you? Our checklist might help you decide. 

1. What’s your IT team’s capacity for managing infrastructure?

If your IT team is relatively small and lacks experience with video storage, networking, and cybersecurity, cloud storage may be the best solution for you. Cloud vendors undertake tasks like server maintenance, backups, and security updates.

However, if you already have a strong IT department, you may have the necessary capacity to benefit from a high level of control. In general, this would apply to large organisations that already store and manage a great deal of sensitive data on their premises.

2. Do you need to scale quickly across multiple sites?

If the answer is “yes,” cloud storage will allow you to scale far more quickly at a lower cost. As you need new servers, storage space, and network capacity, your cloud storage provider will make them available. If you later scale back, they will adapt to this need, too. 

That doesn’t mean you can’t scale up with on-premises storage. However, it will be far more costly and time-consuming to do so. If you later find that you have excess capacity, it will remain redundant until you once again have a use for it. 

3. Is remote access to footage important?

When you need footage to be accessible from remote locations, cloud storage will be a strong advantage. Personnel can access it as long as they have an internet connection, and permission-based access keeps it secure. 

4. Are there specific compliance rules around where data must be stored?

There are scenarios in which compliance rules dictate that evidence should be kept under direct organisational control. If this applies to you, on-premises storage offers the strongest level of compliance. 

Nevertheless, there are cloud providers that are highly secure and comply with UK data protection standards. To assess this option, confirm where your data will be stored and how it will be encrypted and protected. Radiocoms offers solutions, not just devices, and can help you assess the situation. 

5. Do you have existing investments in on-premises infrastructure?

Supposing your organisation already has extensive on-premises infrastructure, on-premises deployment can help you gain more value from your existing investments while allowing you to retain complete control. 

If you have limited or ageing infrastructure, cloud-based storage will reduce capital costs. Subscription fees remain predictable, and since storage is the provider’s core business, they remain focused on maintaining infrastructure and security while providing optimal functionality. 

Digital evidence management

No matter what your organisation’s context is, all video evidence must be managed in compliance with the Data Protection Act, the UK GDPR, and the Surveillance Camera Code of Practice. These regulations require you to:

• Store data securely
• Limit access to authorised personnel
• Only retain data for as long as necessary

To help you, a Digital Evidence Management System (DEMS) can streamline the process while maintaining an audit trail showing the chain of custody. It’s a system that UK police forces have successfully implemented for storing evidence, and their cloud-based DEMS meets all the necessary security standards. 

A secure, cloud-based repository and integration hub is within your reach

Although on-premises systems may suit a few organisations, they will be more costly and labour-intensive than cloud-based systems. Security is a key consideration, but not the only priority. 

Fragmented data from various sources, including body camera footage and CCTV, can result in delayed responses and poor coordination during emergencies. Thus, integration between systems should be as important to you as secure storage. 

As communications technology specialists, Radiocoms provides complete systems, not only devices. Solving the challenges many organisations face in this regard, we introduce CentraOS. Through its Cloud Storage as a Service layer, it automatically stores footage in a BS-compliant format. 

Its integration platform connects video systems with alarms, access control systems, and communication tools, allowing for faster, better-coordinated responses. Every incident recorded is fully documented and time-stamped, allowing for comprehensive evidence gathering and review by authorised personnel. 

In the moment, its group communications features allow for real-time video, voice, and location sharing through a centralised, highly secure interface. By transforming all your safety and security tools into an intelligent network, you can efficiently store, manage, and review body camera evidence, ensuring compliance. 

Adopt a holistic approach to body camera deployment with a digital evidence management system from Radiocoms

Around the world, body cameras are being adopted as a way to keep personnel safer at work. However, no tool can deliver its full potential without proper management. At Radiocoms, we offer you professional-level body cameras and a system that allows you to integrate them into operations and maximise their benefits. 

A compliant means of storing digital evidence is just one of the questions we can help you with. Contact our technical team to find out more about how we can help you optimise and coordinate your communications technologies.

 

Read more about Body Worn Cameras.