Learn about preventing crime through remote monitoring.
As a puppy, my labrador retriever, Mortimer, regularly stole and chewed his way through several household items: socks, shoes, books, baseboards, and anything in a Ziploc bag (because that thing might have food in it, you know).
It didn’t take long for us to start puppy proofing everything we possibly could. Before leaving the house, we had to ensure all bedroom doors were shut, all counters were cleared of anything even edible-looking, and all shoes were out of reach.
But—despite our best efforts—we would occasionally slip in our puppy proofing, leading me to regularly question whether or not I actually did clear that pan of cinnamon rolls off the counter before we left the house. Had I really secured everything before leaving?
For business owners, the consequences of not knowing if their valuables and property are actually secured are much costlier than a couple of baked goods.
While most businesses have locks on their doors and security measures in place to offer some level of prevention and protection, without the ability to have real-time eyes on their property, they can do little more than cross their fingers and hope nothing of value has been stolen or destroyed in their absence. (And chances are really good that the perpetrator of any crimes isn’t nearly as adorable as an 8-month-old puppy.)
Short of hiring a security staff to monitor the premises at all hours, what can a business owner do to ensure real-time incident response?
Enter remote video surveillance, the solution that allows you to stay informed about activity on your property and gives you the ability to check in whenever you question whether or not you really *did* shut that one door.
Security cameras can record evidence and even deter crime, but some cameras take it a step further and even allow you to tap into those video feeds from a remote location. This ability is known as remote video monitoring, and it provides a layer of protection and control that most other security measures can’t come close to matching.
With the right connection and equipment, remote video surveillance allows you to check in on your live feed at any time, from any location as long as you have an internet connection. Some equipment, such as LVT mobile security units, will even allow you to adjust cameras in real time and respond to situations immediately via strobe lights and loudspeakers.
As already noted, not all security cameras are created equal: all functioning cameras provide passive monitoring capabilities, but only some give you active security.
What’s the difference between passive and active security? Passive monitoring is essentially record-keeping; it documents evidence such as faces, license plates, and footage of crimes committed. This evidence can be crucial to investigating and prosecuting criminals. Passive monitoring, when paired with security analytics, can also be used to identify areas for improvement and any patterns to criminal activity.
Active monitoring, on the other hand, gives you alerts for potential and ongoing threats, allowing your response times to change drastically—turning reactive measures to proactive ones.
Active monitoring requires the use of real-time footage and video analytics. The alerts and live footage, paired with the equipment on a mobile security unit, give you the tools to instantly intervene by contacting onsite security or law enforcement, speaking to the wrongdoer directly via two-way speaker, or activating flashing lights and loudspeakers.
Remote monitoring’s active nature alerts you to crimes as they are happening or even before those crimes have occurred, allowing you to take proactive measures to put a stop to any wrongdoing.
With LVT’s Advanced Detection, unusual activity triggers an alert, allowing the notified party to immediately check on the live situation and respond appropriately before threats escalate.
If you aren’t keen on the idea of being responsible for alerts, you might consider a third-party monitoring service, which gives all the benefits of remote monitoring (as you can still check on everything for yourself) with the additional peace of mind knowing trained professionals are watching over your property for you.
By using live security monitoring, businesses can take appropriate action to deter criminals and prevent the losses or damages, but that isn’t the only way these security measures save businesses money.
While theft and vandalism have the obvious cost of whatever was stolen or destroyed, crime has a much higher—though often much less visible—cost to it. Whenever a crime occurs, perceptions of safety and security become much lower in the eyes of customers and employees. This can affect whether people choose to shop at a certain location and can even contribute to more crime if this location seems like an easy, vulnerable mark.
The job of a security system and team is an important one: protect the business. This refers to the physical location and products, of course, but even more than that, it refers to the image of the business and how safe and secure people feel while there. A proactive approach to security and safety is an investment, but it’s one that saves businesses money in the long run.
Remote monitoring enables businesses to reduce theft and more effectively employ its other security measures—at a fraction of the cost of hiring security guards. (Not to mention the video analytics integrated in remote monitoring allow the compilation and analysis of information that no human could physically process, offering even more chances at savings and efficiencies.)
Interested in remote monitoring to protect your business? Contact an LVT representative today.
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