Security cameras need advanced software to maximize their effectiveness by enabling real-time monitoring, detection, alerts, remote accessibility, and efficient footage management.
If you only use a security camera as a recording device, you’re only using a fraction of its potential.
Sounds strange, right?
If placed obviously and paired with the right software, security cameras have the power to deter, detect, and record.
Making it apparent (via large and inherently obvious LVT Units) to potential wrong-doers that you have a robust security system in place makes all the difference when it comes to deterrence, but what about detection? And what about using those recordings once you have them? That’s where the right software can make all the difference.
Before we dive into the benefits of great software for your camera monitoring system for business, let’s take a look at just a few of the drawbacks of using outdated and minimal software:
The best camera system in the world will never live up to its full potential without great software to back it up. Fortunately, there are some incredible software options available today.
Most modern security systems have the option of linking to a video management system (VMS), allowing the system’s owner to record, store, and manage their security footage with ease. The right VMS will let you effectively analyze your footage, giving you the power to improve safety and investigate situations.
When faced with a large market of options, it can feel overwhelming to decide what software will be best for your security system. To help remove some of that overwhelming feeling, we’ve created a list of six important features to consider when choosing the right software for you.
This feature made the top spot for several reasons, not least of which is the fact that live viewing capabilities is what enables you to actively respond to situations as they occur. The ability to tap into live streams anytime, anyplace is invaluable.
Cloud-based security cameras for business allow you to store your footage where it will be easily accessible and give you the ability to scale your system without spending a fortune on storage hardware.[**LINK TO CLOUD ARTICLE ONCE IT’S OUT]
Remote accessibility doesn’t just extend to livestreaming and recording access; it should also extend to the cameras themselves. Some VMS platforms, such as the LVT Platform, allow you to adjust cameras remotely, giving you the power to pan, tilt, and zoom as needed (dependent on camera type, of course). You can also use the LVT Platform to activate an LVT Unit’s floodlights and strobe lights, adjust unit settings, and more from wherever you are.
Detection capabilities can make a world of difference when it comes to monitoring and handling situations. The ability to set a detection zone and customize it to different perimeters and situations can save you time, hassle, and energy.
The LVT Platform’s Command Center, for example, responds whenever your LVT Unit is triggered by taking the footage of the event and storing it in a queue. This allows you to watch each event and decide if any action is needed.
It might go without saying, but we’re going to say it anyway: detection capabilities aren’t all that helpful if you never receive an alert saying something has been detected.
Software that allows you to enable real-time alerts and custom notifications can make all the difference. After all, law enforcement officers are much faster to respond to a crime in progress than to one where the suspect is already long gone.
A good VMS interface needs to be user friendly (since it won’t help you to know that there are problems if you can’t figure out how to access any of your recordings). If you need to add cameras down the road, look for a system that is easily scalable—able to handle anywhere from one or two cameras to hundreds.
Ideally, your software should also allow you to log, organize, and archive incidents as needed.
The ability to know if your cameras need to be repaired, replaced, or even just readjusted can save you hours of headache—and quite possibly days of system downtime.
LVT security cameras come with their own built-in IT support with the LVT Platform, allowing you to easily monitor the health and performance of each unit on your radar. You will receive instant alerts whenever maintenance or other attention is required, and you can easily check up on the status of each unit from wherever you are.
All of these remote capabilities could take quite the chunk out of your bandwidth (and, by extension, your power bill) if they ran full throttle all the time, so make sure to watch for a system that works smarter, not harder.
The simple fact of the matter is that you won’t need to look at the vast majority of your footage; your security camera system is in place to monitor for incidents, so it stands to reason that the incidents are really where the focus should be when it comes to bandwidth and storage. For this reason, systems like LVT’s only use their cellular connection when you either live stream or request specific footage to be stored on the cloud.
Interested in learning more about the LVT Platform and the ways it could take your security system to the next level? Contact an LVT representative today to learn more.
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