Page 42 - Security Today, July/August 2022

Adding Audio to
ROI Programs
Hearing is the key to everything we do as human beings By Kelly Lake
Across the globe, security teams are under pressure to justify what they do and how they do it. They need to continually make a strong case to internal and external share- holders for their budgets and activities. More than ever, security teams in enter- prises, big or small, are expected to think about Return on Investment (ROI) with almost every decision that they make.
The concept of ROI is simple. You in- vest time, money, and/or resources into the right security solutions to mitigate security and safety risks. Demonstrating how that investment contributes to a safer work environment is key to securing fu- ture funding.
Yet, the task can also be difficult, as security and safety business units do not usually generate a monetary return like other business units do. Security’s invest- ment pays for itself in risk mitigation: a security event didn’t take place today and employees went home safe.
AUDIO AND RISK OF INACTION
ROI does mean return on investment, but a more recent meaning of the term that is showing up in other industries is risk of inaction. It refers to playing it safe, by sim- ply leaning on established strategies and not knowing or acting upon all opportu- nities for improvement. Is there a risk of inaction with audio and intelligent com- munication solutions in your facility?
Audio should be an action, not an in- action, and it should be included in every security solution. Here is why.
Fundamentally, hearing is key to ev- erything we do as human beings. Imagine trying to watch a movie without sound or attending a music concert and not being able to hear it. Sound is everywhere, and we need it in our lives. We often hear some- thing before we see it: a loud noise or voice, a door slamming, a gunshot or breaking glass. Sounds trigger a response that impels us to act, to yell for help or to dial 911. As humans, sound is something that we have instinctively responded to since birth.
Most enterprise security teams today have a vast amount of technology such as IP video surveillance and access con- trol. Access control serves as the arms and hands of a security system; it can either keep someone out or allow them in. IP video allows a security team to re- motely position a set of eyes anywhere an IP camera can be placed on a network. A VMS allows security teams to see what is happening and decide how to respond. Yet, while “a picture is worth a thousand words,” video only tells half the story. The security guard may miss the event, the video may not catch the event or the event may be over by the time security responds.
Relying entirely on video, access control and other surveillance technologies to miti- gate threats is a missed opportunity to com- pletely understand the whole situation and
respond effectively.
THE BENEFITS OF AUDIO
In a security setting, there are many ben- efits of integrating audio and intelligent communications within security solutions. Here are four examples.
First, quality of the response. Picture a security guard who is protecting a facil- ity late at night, when an individual ap- proaches the entrance and wants to gain access. The security guard can pull up the video surveillance feed and see the individual and his movements, which ap- pear to be suspicious. But he also needs to hear him to decide the next decisions. Does he escalate the situation, calling for backup and for first responders’ response, or does he allow the individual access to the building because he works there and is
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JULY/AUGUST 2022 | SECURITY TODAY
AUDIO WITHIN SECURITY
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