ONVIF has released the Release Candidate for Profile V, our new draft standard for cloud-based video, and it marks a significant milestone for the security industry. Profile V brings ONVIF’s brand-independent principle into the cloud, giving end users, integrators, and manufacturers a standards-based way to build cloud video systems that are not tied to any single provider. Conformant products from different manufacturers work together, and any ONVIF conformant product can be added or replaced without redesigning the whole system.

The need is clear. The cloud offers physical security real advantages — scalability, remote access, and stronger analytics — yet many organizations have hesitated, wary of being locked into a single vendor’s platform through closed APIs and proprietary connections. The industry faced a similar moment two decades ago, when proprietary protocols made IP video a closed environment. ONVIF changed that by establishing common protocols, building an ecosystem of more than 35,000 conformant products and giving organizations real freedom of choice. Profile V applies that same proven approach to the cloud.

The Profile V Release Candidate is the culmination of a deliberate effort, shaped by extensive input from across the industry and from our member companies. That collaborative approach is intentional: standards earn their authority from the breadth of participation behind them, and ONVIF has pursued this one openly, for the good of the industry rather than any single company.

As a Release Candidate, the Profile V specification is available now to ONVIF member companies, with finalization expected in approximately six months. Early access is a benefit of ONVIF membership: members can begin development today and bring conformant products to market faster once the standard is finalized. During this period, ONVIF encourages members to build prototypes and test them against the ONVIF test tool, which allows the working group to identify and resolve any implementation issues before the specification is finalized.

For end users, this means cloud video built on vendor flexibility rather than lock-in, and for integrators, designs based on interchangeable conformant components. In practical terms, organizations will be able to combine best-in-class cameras, storage, and cloud platforms while retaining the freedom to add or change conformant products as their needs evolve, without redesigning the system around a single provider.

The industry transformed itself once through standardization. With the Profile V Release Candidate, ONVIF is bringing that same opportunity to the cloud, before proprietary approaches become the default.

Learn More About Profile V

• Press release: https://www.onvif.org/pressrelease/onvif-releases-profile-v-draft/
• Technical FAQ: https://www.onvif.org/profiles/profile-v/faq/
• Profile V overview page: https://www.onvif.org/profiles/profile-v/