5 super quick reasons commercial video surveillance is great for business

Many brick-and-mortar businesses have started to rely on commercial video surveillance systems to monitor their physical assets. They’ve decided to invest in technology to do what security guards or upper management used to do.

But why?

What are the benefits of commercial video surveillance and how can this technology improve your business?

Let’s lay it all out.

To strengthen security.

Of course, an obvious benefit of commercial video surveillance is security. Install some cameras, set things up properly, and you can both deter AND catch bad guys.

That’s obvious. So let’s move on.

To avoid other costs.

When you think about it, video surveillance could be the equivalent of using workflow automation (or robots) to handle repetitive tasks.

You’re removing the human element and the price it takes to hire those humans to complete mundane, repetitive tasks (like with manufacturing). At the same time, you’re also removing the hidden costs — for example, the potential risk associated with jobs involving dangerous activities (like with heavy machinery).

In the case of video surveillance, you don’t have to pay a guard to patrol your business (whether this just be overnight or 24/7). On top of this, all the danger associated with an overnight patrol is no longer your burden to carry. Your technology takes on that burden.

You’re reducing (or avoiding) costs and eliminating some (if not all) of the danger.

To do what a human can’t.

But even if there wasn’t any risk involved and even if it cost less to hire a human than to install video surveillance equipment, this still doesn’t mean that a person trumps technology.

In some situations, sure. But in this particular situation, no.

You see, people get tired. They get sidetracked. And they get downright lazy. Because of this, things will be missed, and you’ll never receive that true 24/7 surveillance that you want and need. But with technology, things work differently.

Of course, hardware could always break down. It could malfunction. And it could stop working. But this might be a once-a-year or once-a-month type thing. In the case of a human, it’s a once-an-hour type thing.

You decide which is better.

To monitor remotely.

Let’s say that your video surveillance equipment registers movement. It’s two in the morning, and your equipment picks up something within its sensors. It sends you a notification; you log into your admin console, and you’re able to see what’s going on in real-time.

From here, you can make a data-driven decision to do something or to do nothing.

Now, let’s imagine this same scenario but without video equipment.

Oh, wait … this wouldn’t happen. Either you don’t have anything in place that monitors your business or you’re paying a human to possibly be in the right spot at the right time. Is that a gamble you’re willing to make?

To improve productivity.

It’s easy to assume that, internally, video surveillance is simply in place to deter employee theft. While this is definitely a possibility, it’s not the only internal benefit.

Most people fail to think of the productivity that can be gained (or maintained) with a little surveillance. It’s not even that an employer needs to sit behind his computer monitoring employee behavior 24/7. It’s the “idea” that the video exists.

Employees will feel the drive to consistently work because there’s actual proof if they don’t. A little video will go a long way …

The benefits of video in business don’t stop here, though. There’s also the world of videoconferencing to consider. Learn about the difference between teleconferencing and videoconferencing and then take a quick look at a few great (and inexpensive) webcams for HD video conferencing.