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Measure more than security

Many organisations, particularly those with remote sites, struggle to monitor these sites and more than often, rely on video surveillance solutions to review visual evidence of crimes such as theft, enabling them to identify the perpetrators.

This, unfortunately is reactive and once the perpetrator is identified, enough time has passed for that person to abscond, making it difficult to track them and bring them to book. It also requires someone on site which means the process is open to human error. Fortunately, businesses can leverage a number of benefits from video surveillance with remote, intelligent monitoring, enabling the footage to be viewed from anywhere, including offsite control rooms. This turns a traditionally reactive function into a proactive one, ultimately reducing crime due to fast reaction times and preventing unwanted events and behaviour. It can also assist businesses to monitor and improve productivity.

Without remote capabilities, it is an onerous task for a security resource to be present on site and monitor footage 24/7 in order to spot unusual activity. The challenge is that these staff can lose focus or concentration and even fall asleep at times, particularly if they are on a night shift. It has been proven that guards will miss activity after a mere 20 minutes of monitoring a screen for activity. Fortunately, remote monitoring solutions that incorporate intelligent alerting features are the ideal solution to this challenge, in addition to providing further benefits to business beyond improved security.

This intelligent functionality delivers automated alerts when exceptions occur. These exceptions are programmed into the system such as movement or a person detected in a restructured area where there should be no movement or staff. In addition, with remote capabilities, sites can be monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year without the need to physically be on site.

More than security

Remote monitoring with intelligent capabilities is not only used for security purposes. Businesses with more than one location including remote ones can improve operational processes and deliver enhanced performance management. This is particularly relevant at a remote site where having a supervisor on duty onsite at all times may not be viable.

A visual oversight of businesses, in remote locations or in areas like warehouses, shop fronts and so on, helps managers to obtain an accurate view of performance and adherence to processes and safety guidelines, for example. This in turn can then be used to modify dangerous or undesirable practices to improve operational performance. CCTV solutions can also be linked into time and attendance solutions as well as access control, to verify time sheets and ensure that staff are not accessing restricted areas that they do not have permission to enter.

Although the benefits are abundant from a security and productivity or performance perspective, it is vitally important to have the appropriate equipment and technology in the control room in order to fully realise the benefits of remote monitoring with intelligent functionality.

Control room design

A control room is usually dedicated to monitoring a number of security systems and, as such, it is vital that the security personnel are not distracted. It should be designed to accommodate the number of cameras, monitors and operators and reflect a suitable ratio of operators to cameras. It is difficult to detect an incident where there is a high camera-to-operator ratio and camera-to-monitor ratio. It is important to note that irrespective of how well a control room is designed, the effectiveness of it will fail if operators are overloaded.

However, intelligent technology and automated alarms as previously mentioned can go far to assist the operators by alerting them to potential incidents and security breaches. This removes the manual, error-prone human element of monitoring, ensuring that in the event of an incident the correct parties are notified immediately so that appropriate action can be taken. This also increases cost-effectiveness, as it is no longer necessary to have a guard operating a security desk on the premises, or to have someone constantly monitoring the video feeds.

Furthermore, thermal camera technology, particularly on perimeter fencing that runs for kilometres delivers footage that can be viewed in detail – day or night. The control centre is the nerve hub that brings all this technology together to deliver an effective monitoring solution where the appropriate action is taken at the appropriate time.

Video surveillance is an integral part of security in South Africa yet it can be rendered pointless unless properly monitored and managed. In order to improve reaction times, enhance deterrent effects and realise other benefits such as operational performance improvements, surveillance requires remote monitoring with the ability to monitor live video feeds and be intelligently alerted when events occur is critical in leveraging full value from CCTV investment.

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