Page 34 - Security Today, May/June 2021

Working from Home 5 questions to ask before choosing a security systems integrator
BTy Sean Foley
he COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent eco- nomic downturn have prompted an increase in phys- ical security threats across the country. A survey of security, legal, and compliance executives conduct- ed by the Ontic Center for Protective Intelligence
showed that 71 percent of the respondents had seen a dramatic in- crease in threat levels at their companies since 2020. Eighty percent of them expect to spend more on physical security in 2021.
All of these point toward the fact that having a robust physical security system with the right combination of surveillance camer- as, NVRs, video management systems, advanced monitoring, and video analytics is more important than ever before. But increasing your budget to purchase the best security solutions is not enough. Finding a suitable systems integrator who can understand the na- ture of your business and its unique requirements is just as critical.
There are several factors to consider when evaluating a sys- tems integrator. These include a combination of technical exper- tise, experience, and the ability to serve your business whenever and wherever you need them.
DOES THE INTEGRATOR OFFER
AN ADVANCED VIDEO ANALYTICS SOLUTION?
Gone are the days when cameras were just video recording de- vices. Yesterday’s security camera is today’s intelligent sensor, de- tecting objects, actions, and environmental conditions.
For instance, with video analytics, you can get instant alerts if there is human motion (as opposed to animals, lighting changes or wind) in your parking lot after hours. It can help you find out how many people are in your operation for staffing purposes or health-related reasons. You can even find out how many people are waiting to be served, how many are looking at a particular display, and for how long.
All of these features can positively impact the bottom line and add value across multiple departments, from marketing to operations and supply chain. The possibilities are growing with each new video solution release and can often be tailored to your unique business requirements.
But to take advantage of all this, your systems integrator must be able to offer, install and support a video analytics solution that can cater to both security and business intelligence purposes. Ide- ally, it should be an open-architecture solution that doesn’t wed the end-user to one manufacturer, be resilient enough to work even when there is occasional network downtime, and provide customer privacy filter options.
DOES THE INTEGRATOR OFFER
VIDEO VERIFIED ALARM MONITORING?
Often, integrators with central stations offer a simple intrusion alarm monitoring service, which provides alerts when a burglar alarm sensor or a panic device is triggered. This alert prompts a law enforcement dispatch, but they arrive with no clue of what is happening at the location. This is a standard, commodity burglar alarm service, and does not provide much value.
At a bare minimum, businesses should demand an integrator who can verify an incident as soon as it occurs using live video. In
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MAY/JUNE 2021 | SECURITY TODAY
“There are several factors to consider when evaluating a systems integrator. These include a combination of technical expertise, experience, and the ability
to serve your business whenever and wherever you need them.”
this day and age, where a business invests in both a video system and an alarm system, there should be some integration between the two for the delivery of video verified alarms.
Thankfully, video verified alarm service is replacing legacy burglar alarm service as end-users demand it and integrators ac- cept it as a foundational security offering. Better still, some secu- rity solutions add sophisticated two-way audio to the equation so remote operators can function as “virtual guards” to address any emergency issue at the location.
Studies show that 99.5 percent of commercial burglar alarm signals turn out to be false, and the police often take about 40 minutes to respond to them. By integrating video with intrusion detection devices such as motion detectors, glass-break detectors, and environmental sensors the speed and precision with which an emergency or burglary can be addressed is improved exponen- tially. There is simply no comparison to law enforcement receiv- ing yet another “blind” burglar alarm and a video verified alarm giving 911 a real-time account of a crime in progress. Choose an integrator that can truly protect your business and give police a fair shot at catching the bad guys.
DO THEY HAVE NETWORK EXPERTISE?
A security solution is only as good as the network upon which it rides. You can buy the best high-megapixel IP camera in the market, but if your network is not robust enough, it’s like buying a Ferrari and putting it on a dirt road.
Your systems integrator should not only have the expertise to deliver a solution that seamlessly integrates cameras, alarm sys- tems, and any other sensors, but the network expertise to ensure the critical video and data associated with those solutions is re- motely accessible. Smooth remote access is essential, particularly for multi-location businesses. As a business owner or security op- erator, you simply cannot be everywhere at once.
But to make all this happen, the integrator must have a thor- ough knowledge of network management and cybersecurity. Items to be factored range from broadband upload speeds, to re- mote cloud storage, to non-security applications (like store point of sale transactions) competing for bandwidth. Similarly, an inte- grator should know the best cybersecurity practices to ensure that your data is not vulnerable to hackers and malware.
DO THEY HAVE EXPERIENCE
IN YOUR INDUSTRY VERTICAL?
Every industry has its own set of security and business challenges. For instance, the needs of a quick-service restaurant chain are different
SYSTEMS INTEGRATION