UL introduces standard for managed video

BALTIMORE—UL announced a new standard for managed video services, UL-827 b.

"[We're] trying to establish a baseline of requirements for the industry, while the [managed video] industry is still fairly young, emerging and growing,” Steve Schmit, UL engineer manager, told Security Systems News.

"We think ... that video is going to be such an important part of security in the future. The services that are being offered today are really just a precursor of much more advanced services to come," Schmit said.

Schmit says that UL-827 b, like its name implies, is firmly based on the existing standard for certifying a central station. Common ground between the two certifications are standards for the building, power and fire protection, Schmit said.

The UL certificate gained from meeting this standard will mention the protected property, the monitoring center and the process behind monitoring video. UL will examine what companies promise customers in their contract for managed video service, and audit their ability to do just that.

The standard also pays more attention to bandwidth and storage capacity, Schmit said. “Video means you're going to be sending a lot of data, and if you start a business with insufficient bandwidth you won't be able to service your accounts."

This applies, in large part, to central stations, but also has relevance for companies that only do video, he said.

UL was talking about the standard on the exhibition floor at ESX 2015, held here, and will send paperwork and contracts to those interested in this certification next week.

“That certification will give [recipients] market separation and credibility to end users,” he said.