A common security strategy for most any business is surveillance cameras.
It’s an effective strategy, but there are problems with surveillance cameras. Overcoming these problems is easier than you might think.
Whether you’re already using cameras to monitor your business or you’re just developing your security strategy, make sure your business isn’t vulnerable to threats due to these common issues.
Related Topic: THE IMPORTANCE OF PROFESSIONAL-GRADE SECURITY CAMERAS FOR BUSINESSES
1. Risk Of Cyberattacks
A growing number of surveillance cameras are Internet-connected. In many smaller businesses, owners buy cameras, install them and monitor footage through a cloud-based portal. It’s cheaper and offers more security.
While it does help secure businesses physically, it also puts them at a greater risk. Hackers are using these types of security cameras to spy on businesses, listen in to conversations and steal data on the network.
In October of 2016, a botnet was created using thousands of Internet-connected cameras from both businesses and homes to attack major businesses online.
You don’t have to stop using Internet-connected cameras, but it’s vital to optimize security to prevent hackers from gaining access. From more secure Wi-Fi to stronger passwords, take precautions. The last thing you want is your cameras being used against you. Of course, you can also install cameras that don’t connect directly to the Internet.
2. False Alerts
Many surveillance camera systems have intelligent alerts that let you know if something’s wrong. For instance, you might receive an alert if a person walks through your doors during off-hours.
However, these alerts aren’t always 100% correct. A shadow from a person walking near the door could set off an alert. Of course, more expensive systems have more advanced artificial intelligence to learn from their mistakes.
To avoid these alerts, consider having someone monitor the feed. This allows them to quickly tell if an alert is real or fake.
3. Blind Spots
Blind spots are always a problem with surveillance cameras. Unless your business has a massive budget, it’s impossible to cover every possible angle at once. Spreading out the cameras to cover the widest area possible does help.
First, add security guards to your security strategy. They can randomly patrol the blind spots to keep criminals second-guessing whether it’s safe for them to cause problems.
Second, change the angle of your cameras daily. When the angles constantly change, it’s impossible for criminals to find a consistent blind spot.
Third, ensure every blind spot is well lit. Brighter lights make it more difficult for anyone to get away with a crime.
4. Monitoring Footage
Surveillance cameras are effective at deterring criminal activity. However, many criminals also know that businesses don’t invest in any type of monitoring. This means as long as they keep their faces covered, the business isn’t likely to know who committed the crime.
Without active monitoring, the footage is only useful after something has happened and not before or during. For businesses on tighter budgets, it’s sometimes hard to see the benefits of remote guarding.
Remote guarding does cost more, but it makes your investment in surveillance cameras pay off sooner. Thanks to real-time monitoring, even more crimes are prevented, including those by your own employees.
It’s also important to note that there’s one more problem with monitoring – video quality. Cheaper cameras sound ideal, but the footage is typically so grainy that it’s hard to see what’s going on. This makes them highly ineffective and they cost you more in the long run. Investing in higher quality cameras leads to better footage that’s far more useful to your business.
Related topic: ENHANCE YOUR REMOTE VIDEO MONITORING SECURITY WITH TWO-WAY AUDIO: THE ULTIMATE SOLUTION
5. Budgets
While this isn’t a problem with surveillance cameras directly, it does affect how useful they are. Every business has a set security budget. This can sometimes cause them to skimp on video quality, number of cameras and monitoring.
It’s wasted money when your surveillance cameras aren’t actually helping reduce security incidents. For tight budgets, consider investing in just a few high quality cameras in strategic areas. Use a larger number of medium quality cameras and hire a remote guard.
Try different strategies to find the right mix of effectiveness and budget-friendly security.
Related topic: BENEFITS OF SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS IN PUBLIC PLACES
Contact BOS Security
Are your surveillance cameras helping your business? Contact us today at 404-793-6965 to learn more about how we can boost the effectiveness of your cameras.
Where are your biggest vulnerabilities? Start with our free Security Needs Assessment to find out a few places where cameras are needed most.
Image: Ennio Dybeli