--- title: Product overview slug: iris-plus-documentation/product-overview docTags: createdAt: 2022-11-25T09:44:57.000Z --- IRIS+™ is an innovative AI-powered video analytics platform that employs a highly accurate and comprehensive set of algorithms developed and tailored specifically to surveillance scenarios. These advanced algorithms, based on deep learning, allow IRIS+ to execute the automatic classification of objects with the highest precision. The IRIS+ algorithms transform any video stream into a highly intelligent alarming device. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/JzHznijrWxPLJLDUaV5A1/d-MtC2P_BZFMCuN19MWZO_image.png) # Scalable IoT architecture IRIS+™ is built for immense scaling. Start with just a few cameras. Easily scale to hundreds of thousands of cameras in one and the same system. Our cloud is just that — countless cameras connected in one high-security multi-tenant system. The system is separated into two main parts, *Core *and *Edge*. ### IRIS+™ Edge The *Edge* is the video analytics processing unit of the system, or "client" if you want. The *Edge *requires a high-bandwidth connection to every camera it processes. It is built to handle low-bandwidth connections to the *Core* and is also resilient to temporary connection outages. Each *Edge *device in the system attaches to the *Core* system, updating its configuration and sending alarms, health information, metadata, and other metrics continuously. IRIS+™ Edge can be deployed flexibly and scaled both up (larger machines) or out (more machines) to handle any number of cameras. The main deployment options are: - IRIS+* Edge Appliance* (e.g. Irisity Edge 10): A pre-configured compact hardware that processes a set number of video streams. This appliance is typically co-deployed with a camera system at the surveillance site. An IRIS+ Edge Appliance can typically process around 10 cameras. - IRIS+* Custom Edge*: The IRIS+ Edge software installed on custom or virtualized hardware. The hardware is typically deployed either on-site or in a centralized location, such as a server room or a private data center. - IRIS+* Virtual Edge*: The IRIS+ Edge software installed as a container in the main IRIS+ Core Kubernetes cluster. This deployment method supports advanced, high-availability and site-redundant, scenarios for especially demanding installations. ### IRIS+™ Core The *Core* is the central system, "server" if you want, where all configuration and information of the system is stored. IRIS+ Core performs all central management and higher-level processing of metadata and alarms for advanced video analysis. IRIS+ Core can be run cloud-hosted by Irisity in a multi-tenant configuration or hosted by the customer. - IRIS+* Cloud*: A centralized, multi-tenant, high-availability installation completely managed by Irisity. The deployment is run on top of Google cloud platform for optimal availability and security. Each *Edge* connected to the IRIS+ Cloud requires an internet connection. - IRIS+* Custom Core*: The IRIS+ Core installed at a customer-chosen location. This option supports completely offline (no internet connection) scenarios for both Edge and Core if needed. The *Custom Core* is available in two different configurations: - *Single-server*: An easy-to-use installation meant to be installed on a single machine. Does not support failover or high availability in the default configuration. - *Clustered*: An advanced installation option that supports failover, high availability, and multi-site redundancy options through Kubernetes clustering. This option requires at least three servers, each running parts of the cluster. ### Architecture overview Below the different deployment options are shown with IRIS+ Custom Core to the left and IRIS+ Cloud to the right. Note that the Custom Core option also supports both multiple Edges and multi-tenant configurations. ![](https://api.archbee.com/api/optimize/JzHznijrWxPLJLDUaV5A1/3Wo93xgoYvkSthsDAxsPx_image.png) # Cloud-first, on-premise supported We always recommend our cloud-based solution based on top of Google Cloud platform (GCP). It is carefully managed to ensure the best uptime and data security. Should you for any reason need a completely stand-alone system, we support that too. Building on top of Kubernetes with a containerized software architecture any scale of installation is supported also on-premise. ## Benefits of IRIS+™ Cloud - No Network Configuration: Connection is established by the IRIS+ Edge: outbound traffic only (no need for port forwarding). - Software Upgrades: Seamless and immediate availability of upgrades, all managed by Irisity. - No On-Premise Servers: No need to purchase and maintain on-premise servers, as cloud servers are managed by Irisity. - Fault Tolerance: Fault-tolerant architecture managed and maintained by Irisity. - Data Back-up & Restore: User data is backed up by Irisity and restored by Irisity in case of failure. - Cost Efficiency: Total cost of ownership per camera remains the same, regardless of camera count. For a detailed comparison and overview of all main features, please see the [Main product features](docId\:wf0ch-JkWx60rvcBm0Oed).