A resource manager allocates operation requests to security network devices according to device characteristics. The devices collect and/or manage data from an environment. The devices may include a camera, a multimedia recorder, an analyzer, and a meta-data server. One or more users submit operation requests to a controller. The controller allocates the network devices to the operation requests according to the device characteristics. The device characteristics include availability of the device, media flow data of the device, location of the device, and capabilities of the device.