Four pointers or tips are presented offering law enforcement the potential ability to re-engineer traditional security systems to take advantage of new camera, software, and storage technologies. Tip one is to accept that users expect to have “CSI”-type video capabilities. Tip two is to recognize that video data streams stress all elements of a system. As a data type, video has distinctly different properties. Tip three is that general purpose storage systems are not designed for video. The final tip is that clustered storage is specifically designed for video workloads and user needs; the Pivot3 High-Definition Storage Cluster addresses all video surveillance storage needs. The popularity of the “CSI” television show series is creating havoc for surveillance administrators. These television video surveillance capabilities are expected to be seen in use in real life. There are three rapidly evolving components that exist in today’s digital surveillance systems that help align possibilities with expectations: high-resolution mega pixel cameras, video management software, and high definition. However, as for the storage component, video expectations can lead to huge storage capacity and performance requirements.