The amount of storage needed depends on a number of factors, including but not limited to camera resolution, video stream quality, and length of video retention. To determine your storage needs, check out our storage calculators.

• Surveillance Hard Drive Capacity Calculator

The length of time you should store security video footage is dependent on your needs. Most security footage is stored for 30 to 90 days. However, certain industries (such as financial services or healthcare) may be subject to regulations that require footage to be stored for a longer period of time.

A good rule of thumb is to follow the 3-2-1 rule: at least 3 copies of critical data, saved to at least 2 different media destinations, at least 1 of which is offsite. Thus, local backup can be a part of following data best practices by always backing up your data in multiple locations.