Most camera streaming platforms offer a one-size-fits-all SaaS model: sign up, connect your cameras, stream through their cloud. That works for a lot of use cases. But when you have specific security requirements, regulatory constraints, or infrastructure that doesn't fit a standard template, you need something built around you.
That's exactly what TheRelay offers. We don't just provide a platform — we work with your team to design and deploy the exact streaming infrastructure your organization needs.
In this article
The Deployment Spectrum: Cloud to On-Prem
There's no single "right" deployment model. Your choice depends on where your data needs to live, what your IT team manages, and what your compliance requirements dictate. TheRelay supports the full spectrum:
Full Cloud
Zero infrastructure on your end. TheRelay hosts, manages, and scales everything. You connect your cameras through our lightweight agent, and your streams are available globally via RTSP, WebRTC, SRT, HLS, and RTMP endpoints.
Best for: teams that want to focus on their application (AI, analytics, monitoring) rather than managing video infrastructure. No servers to maintain, no capacity planning, no ops overhead.
VPN / Hybrid
Streams travel through encrypted private tunnels — WireGuard or site-to-site VPN links — so video data never touches the public internet. The control plane can remain in the cloud while the data plane stays private.
Best for: organizations that need cloud convenience but with network-level isolation. Common in healthcare, finance, and government deployments where data-in-transit policies are strict.
Entirely On-Premises
TheRelay runs fully on your own hardware. No external dependencies, no data leaving your network. You get the same platform — the same agent, the same dashboard, the same APIs — but everything runs inside your data centre.
Best for: organizations with strict data sovereignty requirements, classified environments, or sites with limited or no internet connectivity.
Most real-world deployments land somewhere in between. A customer might run the agent and stream processing on-prem, but use our cloud for token management and dashboard access. Another might want everything in their own AWS VPC. We design the topology around your constraints — not ours.
Custom Security and Access Control
Security isn't an add-on — it's the foundation. Every TheRelay deployment includes granular access control, but custom deployments let you go much further:
- Token scoping — restrict tokens to specific cameras, hosts, time windows, or IP ranges
- Role-based permissions — define who can view, manage, or provision streams
- SSO integration — connect to your existing identity provider (SAML, OIDC)
- IP whitelisting — lock stream access to known networks
- Audit logging — track every access event for compliance
- Custom authentication flows — integrate with your internal auth systems
The key difference from off-the-shelf platforms: security policies are shaped to your compliance requirements, not limited to what the platform happens to support. If you need a specific token format, a custom expiry policy, or integration with an internal PKI — we build it.
Tailored to Your Workflow
Every organization handles video differently. A construction company monitoring job sites has different needs than an AI startup processing retail analytics. Custom TheRelay deployments adapt to how your team actually works:
- Custom protocols — choose which output protocols are enabled (RTSP, WebRTC, SRT, HLS, RTMP) and configure transport parameters
- Stream routing — define how streams are distributed across regions, edge nodes, or internal services
- Retention rules — configure per-camera or per-site recording policies
- Alerting and webhooks — trigger notifications when cameras go offline, streams degrade, or access patterns change
Deployment Model Comparison
| Capability | Full Cloud | VPN / Hybrid | On-Premises |
|---|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure managed by | TheRelay | Shared | Your team |
| Data leaves your network | Yes (encrypted) | Private tunnel only | Never |
| Setup complexity | Minimal | Moderate | Higher (we help) |
| Global access | Built-in | Via VPN | LAN / internal only |
| Scaling | Automatic | Semi-automatic | Manual (your hardware) |
Dedicated Engineering Support
Custom deployments come with direct access to the engineering team from day one. This isn't ticket-based support — it's a working relationship:
- Architecture design — we help plan the deployment topology before anything is installed
- Integration assistance — we work alongside your developers to connect TheRelay with your existing systems
- Ongoing optimization — as your needs change, we adjust the infrastructure
- Direct communication — reach us at info@therelay.net
We build alongside you until everything runs exactly as expected. No handoffs to a support tier that doesn't understand your setup.
Let's Build Your Solution
Tell us what you need — deployment model, security requirements, scale — and we'll design it together.
Contact UsFrequently Asked Questions
Can TheRelay be deployed entirely on-premises?
Yes. TheRelay can run fully on your own hardware with no external dependencies. The same agent, dashboard, and APIs work without any internet connectivity. Your video data never leaves your network.
Does TheRelay support custom security and access control?
Yes. Beyond standard token-based auth, we support token scoping per camera or host, role-based permissions, SSO integration (SAML, OIDC), IP whitelisting, audit logging, and custom authentication flows shaped to your compliance requirements.
What deployment models does TheRelay offer?
TheRelay supports the full spectrum: full cloud (we host everything), hybrid/VPN (encrypted private tunnels), and entirely on-premises (self-hosted). Most deployments are a mix — for example, on-prem stream processing with cloud-based token management.
How long does a custom deployment take?
It depends on the complexity. A cloud deployment with custom security policies can be ready in days. A full on-premises deployment with SSO integration and custom routing typically takes a few weeks. We scope it together before starting.
Can I start with cloud and move to on-prem later?
Yes. The same TheRelay agent and APIs work across all deployment models. Moving from cloud to hybrid or on-prem doesn't require reconfiguring your cameras or rewriting integrations.