Retention means how many days of recordings you keep. It is one of the most important decisions for any CCTV system. If retention is too short, the video you need may already be gone. This guide explains what decides retention in SSMS, and how to choose the right period.
Before you start
- Know how many cameras you record, and at which sites.
- Ask your IT admin how much disk space the SSMS server has.
- Find out whether your business or the law sets a minimum period for you.
Where SSMS keeps recordings
SSMS records centrally. The recordings sit on disks attached to the SSMS server. You provide the server and its disks. Skyline confirms the server specification in the quote.
So the number of days you can keep depends on the disks you provide. More disk space means more days.
What decides how many days you can keep
Four things decide retention. Change any one of them, and the number of days changes.
| Factor | What it means | Effect on days kept |
|---|---|---|
| Disk size | Total space for recordings | More space, more days |
| Number of cameras | How many cameras are recorded | More cameras, fewer days |
| Bitrate | How much data each camera sends each second, measured in Mbps | Higher bitrate, fewer days |
| Hours recorded per day | Recording all day, or only some hours | Fewer hours, more days |
Resolution and codec affect the bitrate. A higher resolution usually means a higher bitrate. A codec is the method used to compress video. The newer H.265 codec usually needs less bitrate than H.264 for a similar picture.
What happens when the disks are full
In most recording systems, the oldest video is overwritten first when the disks are full. Overwritten means it is replaced by new video. It cannot be brought back.
Do not guess how your system behaves. Ask your Skyline engineer two questions:
- How does our SSMS deployment handle a full disk?
- How do we keep specific footage longer, for example after an incident?
Write the answers into your procedures. Operators need to know them before an incident happens, not after.
Choosing your retention period
Your retention period should answer two questions. How long do you need the video? And how long must you keep it?
- Business need: how long after an event do people usually report it? A theft found in a monthly stock count needs longer retention than an incident reported the same day.
- Legal requirement: some facilities must keep recordings for a set period.
In Saudi Arabia, the Law on the Use of Security Surveillance Cameras says covered facilities must keep recordings for the period set in the Ministry of Interior's requirements document (Article 4). The law itself does not state a number of days. Check the requirements document for your type of facility.
Source: the law as published in the Umm Al-Qura gazette. This is orientation, not legal advice. Outside Saudi Arabia, follow your local law. A short summary is on the SSMS Saudi Arabia page.
Also, do not keep video longer than you need. Extra days add cost and privacy risk. Good practice is to set one clear period and stick to it.
Plan for safety margins
Two things reduce the space you can really use:
- RAID: several disks working together, so one failed disk does not lose the recordings. RAID uses part of the disk space for this protection.
- Free-space headroom: spare space, because disks should never run completely full.
The SSMS storage estimator gives a figure before RAID and headroom. Agree both margins with your IT team and Skyline. Then add them on top.
Changing retention later
To keep more days later, you usually need more storage. Some changes have the opposite effect. Adding cameras or raising the bitrate means fewer days on the same disks.
Before any change, run the estimate again. Use the storage estimator on the SSMS page and the guide to estimating storage and bandwidth.
Where to go next
- Estimating storage and bandwidth for SSMS
- Weekly and monthly SSMS health checks
- Incident response: preserving footage and chain of custody
- Privacy and responsible CCTV use
Quick checklist
- We know our target retention in days, and why.
- We checked whether a law or requirements document sets a minimum for us.
- We know what happens in our deployment when the disks are full.
- We know how to keep specific footage longer after an incident.
- Our storage estimate includes RAID and free-space headroom.
- We check retention again after adding cameras or changing bitrate.
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