importance of video surveillance system at workplace and home

The security of any working place is a key concern for not only the employers but also for the employees, and customers in a customer-based working environment. Whether you are an employer or employee, video surveillance can help you in a number of ways. Video surveillance is beneficial to both employers and employees. If you own a business then your business can benefit from video surveillance. You might have heard and read countless times that how the introduction of CCTV cameras at offices, retail stores, or high street shops have significantly reduced theft, violence, workplace accidents, and other criminal activity. Video offers a far greater chance of conviction and recovery in the event of a theft or robbery, than other methods used by business owners.

Here are some of the best reasons why video surveillance is important:

Need for Surveillance
Video surveillance cameras are essential tools in the modern business environment. Video surveillance offers you the opportunity to not only know what is going on inside and outside of your office or company when you are out there, but also provide valuable evidence and deterrence against crime. Employers also use video surveillance to monitor the work habit of employees and evaluate their performance. Video surveillance cameras help employers to observe employee performance, dedication of employees, and create a more secure and controlled work environment.

Feeling Safe
Video surveillance cameras in the workplace can make customers and employees feel safer knowing that other individuals may be deterred from stealing, carrying weapons or harassing staff. There is no denying the fact that violence in the workplace has become a problem nowadays. Video surveillance can prevent violence from happening in the first place, along with helping employees, customers and employers feel safer and secure.

Loss Prevention
Video surveillance cameras are very effective when it comes to ensuring loss prevention of a company. Video surveillance discourages potential shoplifters and dishonest employees from taking merchandise, or office supplies. If individuals are aware of the presence of strong workplace security cameras then they may be deterred from theft or other criminal activity. Companies save billions of dollars as a result of loss prevention by using surveillance cameras.

Video surveillance cameras record acts of employee theft, and criminals who vandalize company property. Video surveillance cameras discourage criminals and dishonest employees stealing merchandises, or company property.

Protect the Employees
Video surveillance cameras protect employees in the workplace both directly and indirectly. Video surveillance cameras can record criminal activity in company parking lots and allow company security personnel to ensure that employees reach their vehicles safely. Video surveillance can record instances of abuses or harassments of an employee by another employee, or a customer. Security officers can watch live activity on monitors from the videos being broadcast by video surveillance cameras while such an incident takes place. Consequently they can rush to help the employee(s) being bullied or attacked. Video surveillance protects employees indirectly by monitoring and keeping a video record of visitors and any suspicious activity by them who comes into a building of an office or company. This ensures the greater safety of employees of the office or company.

Performance and Productivity
Employees may feel secure in the workplace when they know that video surveillance cameras can reduce the chances of being unfairly accused of stealing, bullying, using drugs in the workplace, and job negligence. This creates awareness among employees to perform jobs accordingly knowing that all actions are being recorded on camera.

The need for using CCTV cameras in building sites is crucial these days. Employers, or managers and supervisors can use video surveillance to monitor unauthorized access to certain places or premises of building sites. Video surveillance allows employers to monitor if employees are following company safety rules, and need improvement. Maintenance employees working in the warehouses, building sites, or other places use video surveillance cameras to detect if any equipment needs repair, and is working in an unsafe manner. In all these situations, employers can ensure increased performance and productivity of employees through the use of video surveillance without needing to hire additional personnel.

Closed-circuit television (CCTV), also known as video surveillance, is the use of video camera   to transmit a signal to a specific place, on a limited set of monitors. It differs from broadcast television in that the signal is not openly transmitted, though it may employ point to point (P2P), point to multipoint, or mesh wireless links. Though almost all video cameras fit this definition, the term is most often applied to those used for surveillance in areas that may need monitoring such as banks, casinos, airports, military installations, schools, Hospital and convenience stores.

In industrial plants, CCTV equipment may be used to observe parts of a process from a central control room, for example when the environment is not suitable for humans. CCTV systems may operate continuously or only as required to monitor a particular event. A more advanced form of CCTV, utilizing Digital Video Recorder  (DVRs), provides recording for possibly many years, with a variety of quality and performance options and extra features (such as motion detection and email alerts). More recently, decentralized IP cameras, some equipped with megapixel sensors, support recording directly to network-attached storage devices, or internal flash for completely stand-alone operation. Surveillance of the public using CCTV is particularly common in many areas around the world..

Prior to the introduction of security alarm into the world, security camera gadgets have long been in use in most advanced nations. A security camera is a device that is designed to provide security surveillance, monitoring and recording of events for later viewing by the user.

A security camera system can be installed indoors or outdoors and we would briefly discuss these two options.

BENEFITS OF SURVEILLANCE & MONITORING SYSTEM

1, Prevention of counter-productive tendencies from Employees

Obviously, if employees are aware that their managers are watching every move they make they are less likely to be fraudulent or unproductive. The best way managers can maintain a constant presence is with highly visible security cameras set up to monitor employees that have little day-to-day supervision

2, Protection against Burglars and unauthorized persons

A video security is a better deterrent to burglary or vandalism. Studies show that burglars think twice about breaking into any property or business establishment that has a video surveillance system installed.

3. Virtually every area can be monitored directly and remotely

You monitor a variety of areas in a particular location, such as;

• Driveway and reception
• Upstairs
• Work or production area

4. Flexible and customized application

You can;

• View your cameras on a Visual Display Unit (VDU) such as a monitor or TV.
• Watch camera feeds over the Internet while away from office or at work
• View all areas of your home or office with leaving your bed or desk.
• Watch the repair man, the baby sitter or cleaning personnel.

Benefits of CCTV Systems for Homes, Offices, School, Parks and Driveways

Home/malls Security:  CCTV systems are increasingly becoming more popular as a more cost-effective way of protecting your family, homes, outdoor areas, shopping centers, Hotels, Schools, driveways and gardens from intrusion and other crimes.

Keep watch on your Baby sitters/Nannies/Maid:You are out to work but you know little or nothing about how your baby is been treated and handled at home.You can watch the recorded footage when you are back from work with a cctv system, you can also watch in real-time.

Control your staff and save thousands:  Do you know what your staff is doing? Do you know what time they arrive and leave?what time they take off for breaks ? Your staff could be costing you more than you think.  

Fear reduction – Most people have often confessed that the presence of CCTV cameras makes them feel safer.Feeling safe gives peace of mind to Business owners, employees and homeowner. 

Increase Business Efficiencies and Improve Profitability: In addition to providing a safer environment for employees and business owners, CCTV security system can greatly improve business efficiencies and profitability.Thieves and shoplifters are less likely to strike a business that is protected by closed circuit television cameras

INDOOR INSTALLATION SYSTEM

This involves the installation of cameras in strategic locations inside the house, room office, and car e.t.c. A monitoring screen is place close to viewer who can see what is going on in the area under surveillance. Please note that only events within the coverage area can be captured.

OUTDOOR INSTALLATION SYSTEM

The Outdoor system as the name implies focuses on installing cameras in strategic locations outdoors limited to the area of coverage while the monitoring unit can be located either indoors or outdoors according to the interest of the user. The outdoor system has a wider coverage than the indoor system.In most cases the user may combine both systems depending on the complexity of the coverage area. The consultant would advice the client on what systems to install after a detailed site survey.

DIGITAL VIDEO RECORDERS

A digital video recorder (DVR) is a device designed to run for 24hours (preferable on an inverter power source) used to record events captured by a security camera. The DVR is a system unit that has been reinforced with tenaciously strong microchips SNS integrated circuits that communicate unbreakably data to and from the basic input (camera) and output (Monitor) devices and captures such formatted or unformatted data digitally on large capacity hard disk drive this outwitting the mundane video cassette recorder that is easily prone to damage.

The DVR as we have said earlier is designed to run for 24 hours and shares resources to the various channels i.e. 4,8,9,16 and 32 channels (cameras) depending on the numbers of channels opted for.