You and millions of other people were not the only ones watching closely Jan. 20 during the inauguration of President Barack Obama — so were the feds.

The U.S. Marshals Service were busy providing security during the swearing in ceremony of the 44th president and related events on the National Mall.

Marshals used a network of video cameras to watch the proceedings on the Mall. They have been moving towards greater use of video systems in their duties, especially those that use the Internet Protocol to carry the feeds.

“In the past year we have expanded our use of video surveillance quite a bit,” chief inspector Robert Turner told a technology expo last month. “We’re pushing towards IP networks {as they} make things easier to deploy.”

It also helps with speed.

Because IP networks can be reconfigured more easily than analog systems, Government Computer Week reports it allows the Service to set up and tear equipment more quickly. It also helps with combining resources with other organizations that may have their own video feeds.

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