As the security technology industry continues to develop at a rapid pace, open standards are becoming increasingly important. The standards developed by ONVIF help member companies continue to drive innovation in the market and offer a greater range of solutions to end users. There are many reasons why standards are an important function in the industry. Here are our top three reasons to love standards:

Standards offer more cost-effective options
End users benefit from standards because it gives them the ability for significant cost savings, both now and in the future. Conforming to standards gives users the freedom to choose the right solution for their application and budget, even if it’s offered by a different manufacturer. Compatibility between products from different vendors from interoperability standards opens the marketplace up to smaller firms with cutting-edge technology, allowing end users greater flexibility when it comes to choosing solutions that fit within their existing security infrastructure.

Independence from any one vendor and future-proofed
Standards also provide the ability to future-proof your system. Before interoperability standards, proprietary solutions required customers to deploy an entire system from one supplier in order to maintain their current investments. Today, open interfaces between products act as a bridge between existing technology and new hardware/software – eliminating the need to rip and replace. For example, an end user can install new cameras that conform to ONVIF Profile T and still switch to a new, Profile T-conformant video management platform in the future from a variety of vendors without fear of incompatibility. This way customers will be able to make a more secure investment in their security system, while ensuring the system is future-proof as the market develops.

These benefits extend beyond just the end user. With standards, integrators have the ability to customize a solution made from a diverse product mix to meet client needs, while manufacturers offering conformant products can offer new opportunities for collaboration between technology partners and gain additional exposure in the market.

Standards enable innovation
Simply put, without standards there would be fewer opportunities for the creation and implementation of new, innovative technologies, making this probably the best reason to love standards. Standards eliminate the need to commit to any one particular brand or technology, thus opening up the field for manufacturers, integrators and end users to offer and implement a security system that’s truly customizable.