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Keeping an eye on financial services

Financial institutions face a wider range of risks than ever before with cybercrime, internal fraud and robberies. The only way to minimise these risks is to ensure that the business is protected by a comprehensive security system that safeguards customers, employees and assets.

Video surveillance technology has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Gone are the days of grainy CCTV footage. This is the age of high definition and IP video management. The onus, however, is on the financial institutions themselves to implement these technologies. A number of companies still seemingly adopt the mindset that these state-of-the-art security systems are an unnecessary expenditure and that in-house security equipped with 10-year-old video technology will be able to do the job effectively. This type of approach to security will put any business on the fast track to becoming another statistic in the growing number of crimes committed in the financial industry.

Gus Brecher from Cathexis Africa.

However, according to Gus Brecher, managing director of Cathexis Africa and group marketing director for Cathexis Technologies, the implementation of leading video surveillance and video management technology, can offer a real return on investment. He goes on to say that the ability to spread the project cost of security installations across various departments, including HR, marketing and operations, means that the business is benefitting from a highly sophisticated security surveillance solution while reaping operational insight as well.

The idea is that a surveillance and video management system that meets the high standards required for the financial sector, will not only secure facilities, high-value assets, employees and customers but also ensure long-term improved customer service and efficiency.

“Advanced, customised surveillance technology means that banks can standardise their security management system across multiple sites improving levels of compliance and overall security,” says Brecher. “Cathexis Technologies has added over 300 new IP camera integrations to its ever increasing list of supported IP cameras, providing customers with a wide range of choice.”

With seamless flexibility you can have the ideal product solution for the most specific industry requirements. With a suite of software solutions that have the ability operate on an open platform, it becomes possible to customise the surveillance solution and select different types of CCTV cameras that meet the demands of different applications.

Brecher adds that the use of the video analytics feature is twofold from a security and operational efficiency perspective. The system will automatically alert security operators who can respond accordingly when pre-defined incidents occur such as any detected movement on site after-hours. From an operational perspective, analytics offer information such as queue length monitoring and people counting. This provides valuable information for analysing banking trends, customer service and people flow, which can eventually be used to improve and optimise current operating procedures.

One of the major differentiating features of CathexisVision, is the capability to integrate various third-party systems. Integration is enhanced by predetermined actions upon information received from various systems and the association of specific actions for events. The integration of multiple systems (fire panels, access control, alarm panels, cash counting systems, ATMs), provides dramatically improved efficiency and accuracy. The Cathexis open platform provides a customisable camera application, to suit specific requirements. Cathexis Technologies has over the years added a whole new host of third-party integrations to an already impressive portfolio.

If a business is looking for advanced control room performance and the ability to speed up searches for specific incidents, the SnapSearch feature eliminates the need to scrutinise tons of footage, isolating specific incidents immediately.

The Adjacent Camera Mapping feature provides a powerful enhancement to the control room environment, particularly for larger sites, which require hundreds of IP surveillance cameras. It enables customers to 'map' cameras together so that operators are able to view all cameras adjacent to the camera currently in view. This makes it possible to follow people or specific incidents taking place on site.

“With banks and financial institutions being held to some of the highest standards by consumers, the need to secure your entire organisation is paramount. With the full range of services available in security surveillance software today, financial institutions can be safer and more effective than ever before,” says Brecher. “The flexibility of the software on the market today means that we are able to handle any number of possible situations that could put these financial institutions at risk.”

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