ONVIF Newsletter October 2025
Greetings from Leo Levit,
The standardization work we undertake at ONVIF usually supports technology that has already traveled down the path of innovation, growth, and into maturity, a process that usually occurs over many years. For example, our industry has been discussing cloud technologies for nearly the last decade, and the work ongoing within ONVIF to help standardize connectivity in this environment is well underway.
Our new areas of standardization are slightly different and are experiencing their journey of massive innovation much more quickly. The areas of metadata and analytics are evolving at breakneck speed, fueled by innovations in AI and a need to harness the depth and complexity of the data that these technologies produce. This presents an opportunity to standardize both the data and its structure, regardless of its source. Having a common approach to mapping the foundational layout of this data will enable opportunities in the future for higher levels of decision-making and easier integrations between platforms.
If you would like to get involved with our work in these new areas of AI and metadata, all full and contributing ONVIF members are eligible to participate in our working groups. Remember – ONVIF membership is open to ALL companies with an interest in the security industry, including manufacturers, service providers, software developers, consultants, systems integrators, end users, and more.
Stay tuned for more on these exciting initiatives in future editions of this newsletter. We welcome you all to follow along on our journey!
Kind regards,
Leo Levit
Chairman, ONVIF Steering Committee
News
ONVIF to End Support for Profile S; Recommends Profile T as Replacement
ONVIF has announced that it will end support for ONVIF Profile S, and is recommending the use of its successor, Profile T. Profile S, the first-ever profile ONVIF introduced in 2011, provides a standardized set of specifications that enable basic video streaming capabilities between conformant devices (like IP cameras) and clients (like video management software) from different vendors. Profile S, however, specifies authentication mechanisms that are no longer consistent with current cybersecurity recommendations.
Although the deprecation of Profile S has no effect on the operation of deployed Profile S-based systems, ONVIF strongly encourages, if possible, the discontinuation of the use of the username token authentication in Profile S. ONVIF also recommends the adoption of more secure authentication methods, such as using TLS (Transport Layer Security)/HTTPS, or Profile T. The majority of ONVIF conformant devices and clients available on the market today support both ONVIF Profile S and Profile T. Introduced in 2018, Profile T contains virtually all the features of Profile S, in addition to other advanced features for video surveillance.
Read more in our press release here.
ONVIF Face-to-Face Meetings Wrap Up in Montreal
ONVIF wrapped up our Fall All Committee Meetings in September, one of our most heavily attended face to face gatherings in our history! A record number of working groups also met during the three-day event, held in Montreal, Canada, representing our standardization initiatives in cloud, audio, AI, media signing/authenticity, and our ongoing work supporting ONVIF specification development and test tool enhancements.
Watch the short video recap of the meetings and some highlights:
Meet the New ONVIF Ambassador, Roberto Licari
ONVIF is thrilled to introduce Roberto Licari, the very first ONVIF Ambassador!
Roberto brings a wealth of experience from his extensive career in the physical security market, where he has focused on physical security, IT security, and data protection for the past three decades. His passion for interoperability and integration, honed through years of working with international companies and founding his own consultancy, will be instrumental in his new role.
In his role as ONVIF Ambassador, he will attend conferences, trade shows, and other industry events to discuss the value of ONVIF. This feedback will continue to help shape how ONVIF supports all of its stakeholders – manufacturers, service providers, software developers, consultants, systems integrators, end users, and more.
Read our interview with Roberto in our latest blog.
Industry Event Highlights
ONVIF participated in two key industry events this fall—Intersec Saudi Arabia 2025 and the 10th Adria Security Summit, where Chairman Leo Levit highlighted the role of open standards in smart city security and led discussions on the evolving impact of AI in the industry.
ONVIF Member Spotlight: AI Hami Information Technology
Please tell us about your company and the products or services you offer in the physical security industry.
Read the full interview with Al Hami Information Technology here.