CCTV cloud storage Perth: cloud backup for security camera footage, so the clips that matter are off-site before anyone can take the recorder. We install and support three ways of doing it for WA businesses, from event-based cloud storage added to an existing Ajax system, to fully cloud-managed cameras with no NVR at all, and we will tell you plainly which one your site needs.
Most commercial CCTV in Perth records to an NVR in a comms cupboard or above the ceiling. That is still the right place for continuous footage: it is cheap per terabyte, it does not depend on the internet, and it holds the 30 to 90 days most businesses want for investigations. The weakness is that everything is in one box on the premises. If the box is stolen on the way out of a break-in, destroyed in a fire, or its hard drive fails quietly three weeks before you need it, the footage is gone.
Cloud storage fixes that one problem. It does not have to replace the NVR, and for most sites it should not. The sensible design is both: the NVR records everything, and a copy of the events that matter leaves the building as they happen.
1. Event-based cloud storage on an Ajax system. Since October 2026 every Ajax wired camera can have an Ajax Cloud Storage subscription. The camera records continuously to the Ajax NVR and, when its AI detects a person, vehicle or animal or an Ajax detector triggers a scenario, a clip of that event is sent to Ajax Cloud and kept for 7 or 30 days. It is enabled per camera and runs on an ordinary business NBN connection because only clips are uploaded. We confirmed with Ajax's availability tool that the service is active for Australia.
2. Fully cloud-managed cameras. Verkada cameras store footage on the camera itself and sync to the cloud, with no recorder on site. Multi-site businesses with an IT team that wants one browser login and a licence they can budget for tend to choose this. The trade-off is a per-device licence and a dependence on the internet link, which we size before quoting.
3. Hybrid on other platforms. Several recording platforms we install offer their own cloud or off-site options. Because the details change by platform and by model, we only specify them after checking the current manufacturer documentation for your exact equipment, and we will say so if your existing system has no supported option.
Not all of them, usually. On a typical Perth commercial site the cloud layer earns its keep on the views that identify people and the view that covers the recorder: the front entry, the back door and loading area, the till or reception, and the cupboard the NVR lives in. Carpark overview cameras and internal walkways can stay NVR-only. Per-camera subscriptions mean you pay for the three or four views that would matter in court, not for every lens on the building.
For small distributed sites with one or two cameras each, a storage facility, a pump station, a satellite office, cloud-only can replace the recorder entirely, which removes a piece of hardware per site to maintain and to steal.
Cloud storage is a recurring subscription set by the platform, on top of the cameras and installation. The figure depends on the platform, the number of cameras you enable it on, the clip resolution plan and the retention period, 7 or 30 days on Ajax for example. Your internet connection matters too: event-based services need very little upload bandwidth, while fully cloud-managed cameras need a link that can carry the day's recordings. We quote the subscription alongside the system so you see one number, and we check the connection before recommending anything that depends on it.
If your cameras are Ajax, cloud storage can be added to the cameras you choose without replacing anything. If your system is another brand, we audit the recorder and cameras, check the manufacturer's current options, and give you a straight answer: enable it, add a cloud-capable camera on the critical views, or leave it as it is. Either way the first step is to contact us with what is installed now. Systems installed by other contractors can be taken over as part of a CCTV maintenance arrangement.
Usually not. For most Perth commercial sites the NVR keeps continuous footage on site and the cloud holds event clips off site, so you have both depth and survivability. Fully cloud-managed systems such as Verkada do remove the recorder, and cloud-only Ajax cameras suit small sites with one or two cameras, but a mid-sized premises with ten cameras is better served by the hybrid approach.
On Ajax it is event-based: a clip is uploaded when the camera detects a person, vehicle or animal or an alarm detector triggers a scenario, with five seconds either side. On Verkada the camera records continuously to onboard storage and syncs to the cloud. Which one you want depends on whether you need the cloud copy for evidence of specific incidents or as the only recording.
It depends on the plan. Ajax Cloud Storage offers 7-day or 30-day retention per camera. Verkada retention is set by the licence term and model. We match the retention to what the footage is for: 7 days is enough to secure a clip after an incident, 30 days suits sites where incidents are reported late.
Event-based cloud storage uploads only short clips, so a standard business NBN plan handles it. Fully cloud-managed cameras upload more, and we check the upload speed and any data caps before quoting them. If the connection drops, Ajax cameras keep recording to the NVR and Verkada cameras keep recording onboard until it returns.
It is a per-camera subscription whose price depends on the platform, the resolution plan, the retention period and how many cameras you enable it on, plus the cameras and installation if it is a new system. We quote it with the system so there is one figure to compare against an NVR-only design.
How many cameras, which views identify people, what recorder is installed now, and what your internet connection is. We will design the cloud layer around the cameras that matter and quote it with the system.