Mr. Herbert

Security & Safety

Video Surveillance Systems: Pros and Cons

By Brian Herbert, Director, Phenix Investigations

Technological innovations in recent decades have revolutionized the marketplace. In the areas of safety and security technology helps companies become more efficient and increase the protection offered to their employees and clientele. The days of having a night watchman roam the halls at night have given way to sophisticated surveillance systems allowing a few employees the chance to monitor large facilities from virtually anywhere.

Whether you are looking to upgrade a current surveillance system, install one in an existing structure, or design a complete system for a new facility it is important to consider a number of different factors when designing a comprehensive surveillance system.

Electronic surveillance and monitoring systems provide establishments with a cost effective solution to monitor large areas of a facility while needing fewer human resources to monitor the systems. While it may take fewer employees to monitor the system, it is imperative that the systems are monitored. Many times, companies install surveillance and monitoring systems and only review the footage or watch the monitors when they perceive that an incident has taken place or been reported. It is important to understand that simply having a surveillance system in place does not necessarily exempt the facility from liability exposure if they aren’t actively monitoring the activity being captured by the surveillance system.

“Many people simply install a surveillance system and then never monitor it until something goes wrong,” Security Consultant Brian Bauer stated. “Waiting until a problem arises is the wrong time to hope the system captures something of use.”

Often times, companies have sophisticated electronic systems installed and then don’t review the video until a problem is reported. After an incident is reported, managers often turn to the monitoring equipment only to find that the system has recorded over the old footage or a camera was malfunctioning and didn’t even record anything. Events like these happen all the time because most people assume that the equipment will function and don’t actively monitor the equipment to ensure its effectiveness.

The most important element of any effective monitoring system is to ensure that employees are properly trained to use the equipment and that a protocol is established to ensure that the system is regularly monitored. New systems can provide managers with a great deal of monitoring flexibility by allowing them to monitor the surveillance system from anywhere there is an Internet connection.

“Surveillance systems on the market today make it very easy for people to monitor the system from their office, their home, or anywhere,” Bauer stated. “It makes it pretty tough to justify not regularly monitoring the system.”

Regular monitoring of the surveillance system can not only allow management to ensure that their facility is secure, but it can also enable them to monitor employees. Using the system to monitor employees can help prevent internal theft, increase productivity, and can help ensure employees are following proper safety procedures in the workplace. Knowing that a system is in place to monitor employee behavior will often work as a deterrent to help keep the honest employees honest.

When considering an electronic monitoring system, it is vital to consult with security professionals to help design a system to meet the unique needs of every facility. Simply calling a company that installs surveillance systems can be a costly misstep on some occasions. The goal of a security installer is to sell the largest and most sophisticated system available.

Often times, clients are offered unnecessary elements to the system, which can drive up costs and make the systems too difficult to monitor.

Security consultants can help guide clients through the rough waters of designing and selecting a security system provider to help them with their installation needs. A trained consultant can be invaluable because they will tour the facility, recommend the types of cameras and installation points, help choose data storage solutions and other necessary elements to ensure the client receives a custom designed system tailored to fit the unique needs of the specific facility. Most consultants also assist clients by gathering quotes from reputable system installers, negotiating the best prices and supervising the installation.

“In the hospitality industry, many times the executives and managers don’t have a background in law enforcement or security and so designing a surveillance and security system sounds like a daunting task,” Bauer stated. “We work to take the pressure off them and make sure that they end up with a system they can easily monitor and one that is custom designed for their needs so they don’t waste money.”

An effective monitoring system should offer more than just an easy interface to allow management to review footage. A good system should also ensure that the system can capture video footage in areas both indoors and outdoors.

Depending on the size of the spaces, cameras that can tilt, pan and zoom may also be needed to ensure in the event it becomes necessary to do so, those monitoring the system can easily identify potential suspects or zoom in on liability risks. This can greatly assist management, law enforcement, or anyone else who may need to review video after an incident occurs.

In addition to the type of cameras selected, an effective system should also include a data storage method designed to ensure footage is stored for a sufficient period of time. Many entry-level systems have Digital Video Recorders (DVRs), which record and save up to 30 days of video footage before they begin to record over themselves. This creates a problem if an employee or a guest reports an incident that occurred more than 30 days ago.

For liability reasons and since many crimes can be reported as much as a year after their occurrence, it is important to come up with a system, which allows for video footage to be archived for a longer period of time. There are a wide range of options to archive this data including, removable hard drives, tape backup, and off-site data storage.

Brian Herbert is the Director of Corporate Investigations for Phenix Investigations, Inc. Phenix is the recognized leader is corporate investigations as they work to assist companies large and small deal with a wide range of issues. Within his role at the company, Mr. Herbert works to manage the corporate investigations division of the company. Typical investigations he coordinates include fraud, theft, non-compete agreements, FMLA, Worker's Compensation, substance abuse, accidents in the workplace and other employee-related issues. Mr. Herbert can be contacted at 800-980-9056 or bherbert@phenixinvestigations.com Extended Bio...

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