Choosing a Surveillance System for Your Business

The safety and security of your business or facility is a constant concern. As part of your duty as owner, facilities manager or security chief, you are charged with keeping your workplace safe, secure and under control. By choosing a surveillance system that fits your needs, you will be better able to monitor and control your workplace, increasing security and cutting down on problems that affect operations and profitability.

Features of surveillance systems
Surveillance systems usually consist of sophisticated video cameras connected to a series of monitors and digital video recorders. This combination of equipment creates an effective closed-circuit TV system for viewing and recording events that occur on your premises. Features and characteristics include:

• Sturdiness: The video cameras used for surveillance system operations are very tough and durable. Many types can be used outdoors in all weather without harm to the unit. Surveillance system cameras are usually installed out of sight or at a high vantage point where they cannot be reached by anyone intending to disable them. However, most surveillance cameras are designed to take some physical abuse and still function.
• Functionality in adverse conditions: Many surveillance camera systems can work in difficult conditions. At night or in low light, these cameras can still provide a large field of visual coverage with clear images and easily viewed video.

• Flexibility: Some types of surveillance system cameras are static and do not move from one spot. However, systems are available with cameras that can be adjusted and moved to monitor a much larger space. These types of cameras have full articulation with pan and tilt functions that allow operators to adjust the camera’s position in response to rapidly changing monitoring and recording needs.

• Remote monitoring: In addition to being able to see camera images at the monitoring station in your facility, some types of surveillance system cameras allow you to view camera feeds remotely through an Internet-based monitoring application. Choosing a surveillance system with this feature allows you to keep track of your business while you’re away and lets you connect with on-site security specialists to ensure you all are seeing the same thing on the surveillance cameras.

Benefits of a surveillance system
By choosing a surveillance system with the most useful features for your situation, you will see benefits such as:

• Reduced theft: Some of the more commonly stolen items in business and industry environments include copper and other valuable metals taken from HVAC systems; raw materials and construction supplies stolen from building sites; catalytic converters taken from vehicles; and refrigerant taken from HVAC systems. Whether these thefts are being committed by random individuals or people within your company, a surveillance system will let them know they are being watched and should deter all but the most brazen criminals. An effective surveillance system will also provide video evidence you can use to identify thieves or provide important information to law enforcement.

• Reduced workplace violence: Violence, physical intimidation and related individual crimes continue to plague the workplace. A video surveillance and monitoring system will put workers on notice that such behavior will not be tolerated. If necessary, video recordings can help corroborate or disprove accounts of an incident or serve as evidence in a legal case.

• Reduced fraud: A surveillance system can help you reduce fraud from bogus workers’ compensation claims, falsely claimed work hours, improperly completed tasks and other expensive misbehavior.

Our goal is to help educate our customers about Plumbing, HVACR, Fire Protection and Alarm Systems in Mechanical, Commercial and Residential settings. For more information about the importance of choosing a surveillance system and to view projects we’ve worked on, visit our website!

Image Credit: Stéfan