In today’s business environment, security is paramount. Internally, cyber attacks are constant and growing, both in frequency and sophistication. In addition to threats from outside, safety and security is essential for employees and for an organization’s physical and intellectual assets.
For businesses of any type – retailers, manufacturers, and office suites – facilities security and safety is essential, as well.
Typically, this security is provided with either video surveillance or security guards.
Some Pros and Cons of Video Surveillance Services and Security Guards
Most businesses, if they provide any kind of security service at all, opt for one or the other of these two traditional approaches.
Here’s a brief overview of the “pros” and “cons” of both options:
Advantages of a Security Guard Service
Having a human security presence on-site certainly has tangible benefits. For example, security personnel can physically intervene in situations where the threat of bodily injury or crime is imminent. Simply being on-site can serve as a real deterrent in many situations.
In addition, a security guard service offers these advantages:
- The ability to patrol all areas of a facility.
- Quick response for intervention or reporting to authorities.
- Security checking for personnel and belongings.
- On-site response to utility issues and weather damage.
Disadvantages of a Security Guards
A security guard service does have limitations, however. The most obvious is the need to hire security personnel, or outsource these services, and the costs this entails. And these costs are even greater to obtain a 24/7 security presence.
There are other downsides to on-site security services:
- Poor training can lead to deficient performance and create possibility liability issues.
- Obtaining a security guard service requires the need for additional insurance coverage.
- Issues from lackluster hiring practices, high-turnover, and the threat of bodily harm.
- Management for security patrolling can be a high-stress function and expensive.
Advantages of a Traditional Video Surveillance System
Traditional video surveillance systems make use of closed-circuit television, or CCTV, cameras. The earliest CCTV surveillance equipment was bulky and limited by the video technology of the time. Today, digital video technology has enabled most video surveillance systems to be less obtrusive and visible, and provides high definition imagery.
Video surveillance can be a valuable resource for documenting criminal activity and even for identifying perpetrators.
Quality, state-of-the-art video surveillance system benefits include:
- Low maintenance 24-7 coverage
- Consistent long-term cost
- Easy access to secured archived video data for analysis
- Passive deterrent
Disadvantages of Traditional Video Surveillance
On the other hand, there are also some real concerns with video surveillance as a stand-alone security system. For example, while it can act as a deterrent in most situations, a determined or disguised intruder may simply disregard the passive video surveillance.
Among the other disadvantages:
- Surveillance cameras cannot take any actions to stop or deter threats.
- The visibility and range of the cameras can be limited.
- Cameras can be vandalized or disabled.
- Video surveillance can record an incident but not prevent it.
Combining Video Surveillance and Security Guard Services
For those businesses and enterprises with the resources to do so, combining on-site guard services with a network of video surveillance cameras can provide comprehensive security.
This option can potentially leverage the best of both approaches with each approach negating the downsides inherent in both.
Incorporating surveillance cameras can vastly improve the coverage that on-foot or mobile patrols can provide, while minimizing the risk of threats to on-site security guards. The presence of cameras can help deter intruders and mitigate any violent actions that might otherwise occur.
However, this is also an expensive endeavor and many, if not most, businesses would be hard pressed to afford such an elaborate security and surveillance program.
A Fourth Option to an Old Security Problem
The choice, however, does not have to come down to either on-site security guards or a video surveillance system.
In fact, there is another option that is an optimal solution and that provides the deterrence and intervention that can replace live guards at a lower price, but still provides the full site protection that video technology provides.
An effective technology solution is preferable to a human presence solution in most security surveillance situations. Cameras don’t have to take breaks, don’t fall asleep, get sick, or quit for a better job.
But existing CCTV technology still falls short of an optimal solution, which is why on-site personnel are still added many times.
So, what would the optimal solution look like?
A system with the capability for processing analytics to trigger a response to a security protocol breach, for example.
An optimal technology security solution would have the capacity to detect the dwell time and direction of travel of individuals on camera using advanced AI technology. And it would possess barrier detection and advanced, on-board speaker technology accessible by real-time surveillance technicians.
This means the benefits of issuing audio warnings, which can reduce the risk of false alarms. In addition, AI technology can reduce the time needed for surveillance.
In other words, an optimal solution would be a security system that gives you the best of both worlds.
Blue Eye can provide you with a solution that provides just that. And at a surprisingly affordable price.
Our solution is an AI-empowered managed service platform that requires no up-front capital costs. Give us a call at 855.258.3662 or email us at [email protected]. Let us design an effective solution for your business!
Thank you for weighing all the pros and cons. Surveillance cameras can stop and deter threats if it is a live video monitoring. With this security solution, you have a team of professional monitors that observe all coverages simultaneously and when there is unwanted activity on your property, monitoring agents can engage audible alarms and voice broadcast to remove the suspects.
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