The Best Features of Remote Video Monitoring in Commercial Settings

Editor’s Note: This is the second of a two-part blog series on the features and advantages of remote video surveillance technologies. 

When implementing remote video monitoring monitoring and surveillance within your commercial property or small business, you needn’t worry about who’s minding the store. Adding devices such as security cameras with real-time surveillance, advanced video analytics, motion detection, and two-way contactless communication can be the difference between protecting your employees, property, and assets.

Such precautions are becoming more and more essential, as commercial burglaries and thefts continue to rise. According to a 2020 survey of retailers conducted by industry trade group the National Retail Federation (NRF), in-store organized crimes more than doubled in the past five years, costing more than $700,000 per $1 billion in sales.

Complementing these technologies are smart devices, such as 24/7 Central Station Alarm Monitoring, smart door locks, fire and life safety devices, keycard entry access systems, and intercom systems. Any of these boast real-time alerts via your security provider’s mobile app.

Remote video monitoring also improves team productivity through Alarm.com Business Activity Analytics. Examining insights and data such as open/close reports, crowd gathering, queue monitoring, and people counting, this information can help with operations and marketing efforts. 

Here’s a helpful breakdown of this technology’s benefits, advantages, areas of use, smart features, and more.

Benefits of Remote Monitoring
& Video Surveillance

Knowing your commercial property and employees are protected—even when you’re not on site—is one of the most important benefits of remote video surveillance. Properly placed security cameras at entryways, doors, reception and check-out areas, stockrooms, and shop floors, can capture unsavory activities and unauthorized personnel. This is especially helpful if you’re running an operation with after-hours shifts.

The first line of commercial property defense are indoor, outdoor, and front door cameras with video surveillance. Built on 24/7 protection, these provide easy viewing and recorded playback. Additional features include contactless communications via two-way audio and video. All this can help law enforcement identify and apprehend alleged persons of interest.

Detecting disturbances before they happen can also help boost loss prevention, and minimize destruction from vandals, trespassers, and thieves. With many crimes committed during evenings or after hours, video surveillance with remote monitoring can also help with stabilizing insurance costs. While some providers offer up to 20 percent discounts on premiums, security cameras with surveillance can possibly help lower rates.

Accompanying Smart Technologies

Smart technologies can be useful within commercial settings through motion detection, video analytics, and intercom/entrance systems. These can help deter vandalism, property loss, injuries, and other unfortunate scenarios. 

Motion Detection

Knowing your commercial property and employees are protected—even when you’re not on site—is one of the most important benefits of remote video monitoring.

This technology activates and records only when actual movement occurs. Programmed to recognize frames via analysis differentiation—also known as pixel matching or frame referencing—it picks up any prior unmatched footage, while conserving memory and storage.

Video Analytics

When you can’t be at your place of business, video analytics reduces false notifications by identifying actual threats and breaches. It differentiates between motion from outdoor animals, authorized personnel, and passing vehicles otherwise deemed threats. Virtual tripwires and customized geofencing rules can be pre-programmed should someone cross over into unauthorized areas.

When implementing features such as Alarm.com Perimeter Guard with compatible security cameras, intruders will be greeted by loud sirens and blaring, red LED lights.

Intercom/Entrance Systems

Placing a watchful eye on employees, property, and asset protection, two-way intercoms with front-door cameras grant safe, contactless communications with visitors, delivery personnel, and other guests.

Video Surveillance for Analytics & Insights

Alarm.com Business Activity Analytics is designed for strategic monitoring and data best practices. Setting rules with motion detection via virtual tripwires provides invaluable information for occupancy management and people counting, as well heat mapping, queue monitoring, and crowd control insights.

Here is a useful breakdown of several of these extraordinary features: 

Occupancy Management & People Counting

Suitable for high-traffic areas such as retail stores and concert venues, this monitors each time someone crosses a pre-set virtual line. It also sends alerts if designated occupancies are exceeded.

Heat Mapping

This measures customer location and time spent at displays or attractions via transparent maps for data, sales, and marketing insights. 

Crowd Gathering

Providing useful data, this function also alerts if individuals are loitering in an unauthorized location.

Queue Monitoring

This enables users to manage queue lengths to avoid frustrations deriving from long wait times.

Common Areas of Use

While video surveillance with remote monitoring is suitable for businesses of all sizes and industries, Business Activity Analytics is useful within the following:

Retail Stores

Measure where customers are gravitating toward, while detecting and monitoring unsavory in-store activities by customers and employees.

Healthcare Facilities

Hospitals and medical offices can effectively set rules during more active times to satisfy social distancing, compliance, and wait time protocols. 

Supermarkets

Measure where customers are gravitating toward, while detecting and monitoring unsavory in-store activities by customers and employees.

Event Spaces/Stadiums

Ensure important safety protocols are enforced, such as crowd control, social distancing, and fire and safety codes.

Who's Minding the Store? 

Implementing extra security precautions for your property and employees when you aren’t there can prove invaluable. Working with a reputable service provider such as General Security can help determine how and where you want to protect your place of business, regardless of your location.

General Security provides reliable, effective commercial security systems. Contact us for an on-site survey and inspection, and free quote today!