Video surveillance technology has come quite a long way since businesses in the 1970s started using it to protect themselves from theft and other security concerns. Today, a video surveillance management system can do more than simply document who enters a property and their actions. Video monitoring and surveillance systems can offer data that tracks behaviors, manages risks and allows security teams to respond efficiently and effectively to emergencies.
Using analytics models from the surveillance data allows security teams to identify and monitor areas of specific interest depending on behavior patterns, with more or less surveillance at any given time. And because a modern video surveillance management system operates in near real time, security teams can also receive alerts if a threat is detected.
Benefits of a video surveillance management system inside and outside of your organization
You need to not only protect assets, but also people. Discouraging crime and identifying potential suspects are among the most popular reasons why organizations install video surveillance systems. Surveillance systems can provide a broader range of uses that include:
- Situational awareness: Using a video surveillance system to capture a comprehensive view of an incident or situation in near real time can help public safety monitor and maintain situational awareness of the crisis at hand.
- Protection in critical areas: Global supply chains mean it is not just the site of your business that can benefit from surveillance—particularly considering in the U.S., supply chain theft costs businesses and consumers $35 billion per year. Surveillance systems can be used in conjunction with asset tracking solutions to enhance workflows, improve utilization, track maintenance and extend the life of your assets.
- Protection from legal action: Even minor lawsuits could cost over $50,000 if they go to trial. And there is a big difference between someone saying they injured themselves on your property versus having a video on file of someone falling (or not falling). Surveillance can help protect an organization from lawsuits.
- Reducing staff misconduct: Employees engaging in sexual harassment and similar behavior can cause not only legal costs for companies but also increased absences, lower productivity and employee turnover. Meanwhile, employee theft costs $50 billion annually with small and medium businesses targeted in 70% of cases. Surveillance can provide a deterrent to these and similar behaviors.
- Decreasing costs for physical security: Staffing shortages are everywhere, and good security workers are hard to find and keep on board. Security video systems can decrease the number of security personnel needed for the job.
- Evidence Management: Footage can also be archived for evidentiary needs.
Types of video surveillance camera systems
A video surveillance management system begins with the camera. There are two types used for monitoring physical spaces:
- The traditional analog camera, which requires an external storage component—such as a DVR—to store video.
- The internet protocol (IP) camera, which connects to a network or cloud, has sharper camera resolution and crisper video shots, and can generate data for analytics and alerts.
A company or agency may decide to use a hybrid surveillance system of analog and IP cameras and storage options, especially if it is building onto an on-site analog camera setup.spected.
Surveillance in the cloud and on the edge
Nothing slows down and hinders public safety efforts like inaccurate, incomplete, or inaccessible information. Traditional video surveillance (utilizing analog cameras) typically stores video feeds on a hard drive or external storage device that then takes a team of security personnel hours to watch and manually spot risks, after the event occurs.
The video surveillance market is projected to grow from USD 42.9 billion in 2021 to USD 69.1 billion by 2026, at a projected CAGR of 10.0%. This report also states, “Intelligent video surveillance systems are now becoming essential for upholding security and safety as well as identifying trends and patterns.” With intelligent video surveillance (utilizing IP cameras), alerts are triggered so the right authorities and security personnel can review the most relevant clips and respond to unusual or abnormal behaviors, enabling faster and better informed decision-making.
Organizations or businesses can easily add or subtract devices as needed when using video surveillance management systems (VMS) that use cloud computing.
Video surveillance management system
These modern surveillance systems (IP based cameras) are able to transform video more quickly into actionable insights through the use of a wide variety of hardware, video analytics software, local storage devices, and wireless or wireline connectivity options. Advanced analytics enable the review of hours of video in minutes, which can help dramatically increase investigation productivity. Most video surveillance systems utilize a 4G connection, however, with the power and bandwidth that 5G can provide, wireless cameras can capture high-quality video, which is analyzed to identify unusual or abnormal behavior and trigger alerts using artificial intelligence software. This provides a massive boost to both live-streaming and remote monitoring capabilities so that authorized personnel or first responders can have near real-time situational awareness, allowing them to be better equipped for response. Video streaming and remote monitoring from 5G enabled devices can provide a smoother, more immersive experience.
Intelligent Video solutions can work in high and low traffic areas and allow for multiple locations to be monitored centrally. It also provides a scalable solution, being able to be used with more than 100,000 cameras and integrated into other security solutions.
Learn more about how Verizon can help protect your community and assets with Verizon Intelligent Video solutions.
The author of this content is a paid contributor for Verizon.