In the past, it was enough to deter a criminal if a business had a highly visible camera and obvious signage reflecting its presence. As commercial operations struggle to protect themselves from increasing crime rates, simply having a camera, signage, and recording is no longer sufficient. Businesses need instant, state-of-the-art, and adaptable security protection to stay ahead of the game.
Integration is Key to Protecting Your Investment
In keeping with the progress of an increasingly digital world, video surveillance systems are now integrated into mobile devices and applications business owners and managers use every day. The most advanced, effective security platforms on the market allow the system to interact with a monitoring service to offer real-time surveillance that allows law enforcement to intercept and apprehend the criminal element as a situation unfolds.
Law enforcement and industry experts agree that there are three primary benefits to installing video surveillance systems that, in our current social climate, no savvy business owner should go without. An effective, adaptable, integrated surveillance system will:
- Act as a deterrent: Cameras and signage are placed strategically to deter criminal activity.
- Provide Forensic Evidence: Surveillance video helps law enforcement with forensic evidence after an event has occurred.
- Act as an Integrated, Interceptive Device: With today fully integrated systems, video surveillance can be accessed with smartphones and other mobile devices to offer businesses constant, real-time monitoring capabilities. The most effective systems also include an interactivity feature, which allows a monitoring service to quickly assess the situation, evaluate the circumstances, and dispatch authorities to intercept and apprehend those responsible.
The Evolution of Video Surveillance Systems
As video surveillance systems become effortlessly integrated with alarm systems, access control technology, and wireless devices, another benefit of video surveillance is becoming increasingly popular: incorporation with an interactive monitoring system.
These fully unified systems offer tremendous security cost savings benefit for business owners by helping to eliminate the expense of recurrent false alarms with accurate, real-time evaluation and assessment of the situation:
- A two-way voice/audio communication system affords the ability to converse while the situation is occurring.
- The security team can effectively alert law enforcement while a situation is actively in progress.
- A monitoring service eliminates the need to pay an after-hour guard duty, further reducing overall security system expense.
Law enforcement and industry experts agree that vulnerable businesses should consider the installation of a fully integrated video surveillance system. Businesses most susceptible to criminal activity include any operation that:
- Stores sensitive customer data of any kind.
- Garages tooling, machinery, or expensive mechanical parts.
- Has an onsite office with office equipment.
- Conducts point-of-sale, cash, or credit card transactions on the premises, whether or not a safe is present.
- Carries merchandise of any kind for sale to the public.
Considering the reality of our current social climate—complete with its ever-evolving criminal element—any business with assets of any kind on the premises should consider installing a surveillance system. In addition to providing custom, state-of-the-art digital security benefits, our integrated security systems save businesses from expensive downtime and loss of use, provide potential insurance discounts, and afford the ultimate in real-time monitoring and protection of your valuable business assets and investments.
For more information on our video surveillance and access control services, sign up for one of our infrastructure/security seminars today: in both Louisville and Lexington.
