Who and what is Video Guard?
As most of us know by now, the recently instituted entity SIRA, whom is a governmental body concerned with the regulation of the security industry in Dubai, has actively been amending and improving the Surveillance and Security Systems regulations and requirements within the region.
Video Guard is one of three programs initiated by SIRA to boost the security in Dubai. The three programs were officially introduced during the 2018 Intersect at Dubai World Trade Center.
- Video Guard Program
- Smart Guard Program - to monitor on-duty security guards on a live interactive map.
- Security Path Program - to track vehicles such as money transfer vehicles and safari cars, the program links all vehicles to the program by using a device to tackle any problems or robberies.
All three programs are part of the new project called ‘Oyoon’ or ‘Eyes’ that will tackle crimes in the city, aiming to link all security cameras in the city in one place. The new AI network is said to be phased in via different stages to meet the Dubai 2021 Vision requirements of a smart city.
We at IT-SERVE / ITS-SANDS are a fully licensed and SIRA certified security company, providing surveillance services with all the required licensed activities to provide a fully comprehensive and ultimately a SIRA approved and certified solutions, including Video Guard requirements and implementation.
Why Video Guard?
SIRA has started to implement this third initiative called ‘Video Guard’, for the monitoring of security cameras in buildings in case of any problems or dysfunctions. The new system will inform the maintenance company in case of any issues and they can then immediately fix the problem. This program will make sure that all cameras are operating properly and eventually fall part of the city-wide monitoring initiative. The program was implemented at the beginning of this year and it will eventually cover security cameras in most public buildings and sites, serving as an invisible security guard, increasing both public and home security.
FYI, Video Guard will only be supplied to Registered & Certified Installation & Maintenance Companies by SIRA, Companies like ITS-SANDS (IT-SERVE SECURITY AND SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS L.L.C).
The where
Video Guard systems are to be installed in all Residential Buildings, Retail Buildings, Shopping Malls, Hotels, Financial Institutions, recreation and amusement parks, the manufacturers and sales of all Precious Metals and Stones, Cinemas and Theaters, Import Complexes, Workers Housing, Art Galleries, Warehouses, Factories, Internet service shops, Automatic Deposit and ATM’s… the list goes on! Video Guard will be an interracial part of CCTV Surveillance installation in order to obtain construction, operational, and authorities approvals across most installations.
When choosing a CCTV Surveillance solution, the Video Guard integration is an absolute consideration, although there are hundreds of CCTV manufacturers and products, there are only a handful that has been approved and integrated to be able to communicate with/thru the Video Guard platform. Many CCTV System manufacturers who does not have an open source platform or developed SDK’s (Software Development Kit) for the NVR (network Video Recorders) or VMS (Video Management Software) are having to desperately develop these SDK’s and platforms for their products to submit to SIRA and Video Guard and apply for the integration and approvals for their surveillance products. Without it, they will lose whatever market share they occupy within the UAE region. There is a list of the approved solutions on the SIRA/Video Guard websites.
The good news is that all existing installations that does not have a SIRA compliant installation nor a Video Guard interactable solution will be given a letter of undertaking from SIRA with a pre-determined timeline to upgrade their systems to the latest SIRA regulations -this could be up to 36 months depending on the size and amount of rectifications are required according to the latest SIRA Inspection Report.
On-going projects that are seeking approval for completion are not so lucky, as they will not get the approvals unless their security systems are compliant to the 2018 released SIRA regulations including the Video Guard integration. These new regulations are now also enforced by RERA, as covered in our previous blog, explaining the RERA Regulations for SIRA approved installations.
Thank you for taking the time to read the above and I hope that it was informative. For any further clarifications or assistance with our Surveillance Systems requirements and approvals, feel free to reach out to us or simply fill out the below contact-form, and we’ll be in touch to help insure that you are compliant.
Note: There is one more requirement that is newly imposed /enforced by SIRA regulations: the need for the installation / inclusion of ALNPR (Automatic License Plate Recognition) cameras and systems for parking lots, delivery and drop off points for the locations like Retail, hospitality, Medical etc. This will be covered in the next addition of this series of Blogs, so stay tuned.
