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Complete security solutions for bank branches

Everyone has a favourite heist film – whether it’s a traditional shoot ‘em up like Bonnie and Clyde, or something a bit more high-tech, like Oceans 11, they’re compelling viewing. However, more often than not, the audience sympathises with the thieves. Of course, in reality, bank robberies cause a lot of damage, stress and injury, let alone the financial losses.

Hikvision offers state-of-the-art technology to provide a full security solution for the banking industry – from the lobby to the vault deep within the bank’s walls.

It’s not just in security where banks are exploring artificial intelligence (AI) and the use of technology to gain an edge. According to a report by Celent, a research, advisory and consulting firm focused on financial services technology, IT spending in banking globally will increase by 4,2% annually, and amount to $272,6 billion in 2019.

There are a number of priorities for banks. The most obvious ones are securing customers, employees and assets, but there are also considerations like collecting reliable video clips for investigation, intelligence to help them make business decisions and streamlining processes to manage all of their branches effectively.

In the end, like all businesses, they are also looking to increase customer satisfaction. The development of AI and surveillance technology gives banks significant flexibility and new opportunities to build an interesting future, and this has scope across the entire bank.

Entering the front door and the lobby

Banks need to be aware of who is coming in and out – the starting point of monitoring. Clarity is important here, especially since the environment could lead to strong backlighting (on a bright day when the light behind the person coming in is a lot stronger than the ambient light inside). This is where wide dynamic range (WDR)-enabled cameras come in, with the technology rendering a crystal-clear image, even in this environment. Super WDR can achieve a dynamic range of up to 140 dB, making faces clearly visible.

It’s also useful for banks to know footfall numbers of people coming in, to help with business decisions. A people counting camera at the entrance takes care of that, with smart technology able to distinguish individuals so they’re only counted once, ensuring an accurate count.

With a busy bank having large numbers of people through the doors every day, it could be useful to be able to identify them. Facial recognition technology can, of course, be used for security – to trigger attention and action needed if ‘unwanted’ people are detected, for example. But it can also be used to help with customer service. When clients opt to participate in VIP customer service programs, facial recognition technology can give banks accurate tools to identify VIPs so staff can provide the right kind of service at the right time.

At the counter

The main day-to-day activities of the bank happen at the counters. Counter transactions need to be recorded clearly to resolve disputes. HD cameras can give 4K resolution to provide good images where a bilateral close-up view is needed.

When recordings are clear, both counter staff and customers are protected, should any disputes need to be resolved. Of course, cameras give close detailed images available for general security too.

Security deep in the vault

In the depths of the inner bank lies the vault – usually the first priority for security in any bank. Because vaults are often in low-light areas, ultra-low-light cameras like Hikvision DarkFighter are useful to be able to monitor and record crystal-clear images, even in the dead of night.

When the security around the vault needs to be strengthened, there are facial recognition options too, which can be supported by a Hikvision DeepinView camera. If the camera is connected to an access control system, it could be ensured that only people whose faces are stored on the ‘white list’ could enter.

Often, access corridors and areas close to the vault will be covered by cameras too, giving a full overview if a person’s movements need to be tracked through the building. Video analytics rules can also be set up to alert operators if a person ventures beyond a certain point – useful to prevent non-authorised persons from entering more sensitive areas.

It all comes together in the security centre

The place that few people see is the hub of all of the security activity. Feeds from all of the cameras can be managed and stored in the security centre using a video management software solution, like Hikvision HikCentral, simplifying security processes. Users can also access the security system via laptop or mobile, which increases flexibility and efficiency of the security operations.

Technology is evolving with banking

With banks evolving and offering more and more services to their customers, the security challenges are also changing. They need to be constantly aware of who is in their building and monitor all activities, from the main lobby and banking counters to the vault itself. Bringing all of this information together becomes more important too – not just so that operations staff can access it when needed, but also because it provides valuable support for business decisions. That’s when surveillance starts to add a lot more value, helping banks to serve their customers and improve the experience they have when using the bank.

Of course, the likelihood of most of the famous heists in film history actually being pulled off becomes very slim in the face of smart new technologies to monitor and secure our banks. Some of us will probably have to stick to rooting for the villains in our favourite heist movies….

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