Security Equipment: Is it the deterrent you think?

When installing security equipment, you have to ask yourself, “Is this stuff really protecting my property?” For more and more security clients, the answer is becoming a solid “NO”, and it’s not hard to see why. In a world of minute-by-minute advancements, if your security hardware and procedures aren’t keeping up with the latest updates, it can mean disaster for your property.

Since 1853, when the burglar alarm was patented by Reverend Augustus Russell Pope of Somerville, Massachusetts, there’s been an arms race of continually improving equipment versus criminal ingenuity. Until recent years, most market offerings for security measures would take the shape of a company coming to install some free or inexpensive equipment, coupled with a multi- year agreement and some fancy signs to post. These signs would warn the bad guys that if they tried to break in, they’d be met with a loud alarm and the police would be on their way.

As things progressed, criminals either found their way around those more basic security systems or just knew that if they were quick enough, the cops wouldn’t have enough time to react before they were long gone. So, in an effort to get back ahead, companies started to install security cameras to further instill fear in bad guys that their efforts were now being recorded while doing their dirty deeds.

How can I keep my property secure?

The good news: Quality security cameras at an affordable price have become almost commonplace in most buildings and businesses.

The bad news: The bad guys are still one step ahead!

What have the bad guys learned now? “As long as I don’t show my face and hold up my ID, nobody is really watching!” With fewer than 10% of the cameras that you see installed today being actively monitored, you start to understand why they simply aren’t acting as the deterrent they once were and have remained a reactive method in preventing crime.

The GREAT news: There are options! With so few live, active monitoring companies in the marketplace it’s not surprising that people aren’t privy to the fact that this cost-effective alternative is available.

Often referred to as Virtual Guard or Virtual Monitoring, this service has been around for over 10 years but has only really started to come to the forefront 

over the last 2 or 3. By implementing this option, it allows the customer to off-load the burden and responsibility of monitoring their own cameras, allowing them to rely on trained surveillance operators to watch over their property for any customizable period of time they prefer.

How does Virtual Guard work?

When signing up for Virtual Guard service, your security system is fed into a central location and watched along with other companies on a rotation basis by certified safety and security specialists. Couple this hands-on approach with the advanced analytic features in your system’s software and the solution becomes not only efficient but eminently affordable. In comparison to more dated solutions such as on-site personnel or guards, you can see savings of up to 70% by implementing a virtual guard service.

What are the benefits?

Having the ability to now see and react to situations in real-time has already proven powerful but what is really changing the game is the ability of some of these systems to also incorporate talk-down technology. This feature allows these virtual security specialists to speak out and have an immediate impact on almost any environment. With vagrants, loiterers, and trespassers always being a challenge for some properties, this gives security specialists the ability to let these folks know that they are being watched and if they don’t move along they will be dealt with accordingly. This is now acting as true crime prevention as it allows you to stop most undesirable activities before they occur.

Seeing returns on your investment

Whether you’re looking to purchase security equipment for the first time or simply trying to unlock the power of the equipment you have, you must first ask yourself one question…

“Why?”

Ask yourself: What am I trying to accomplish in making this investment and what am I trying to see?

We see it too many times where companies make an investment in state-of-the-art equipment in an effort to protect their asset, but then grow frustrated when they learn that all they really purchased was a recording device.

By implementing live monitoring you are now able to get ahead of the bad guys and realize the ROI that you had hoped. Get the value that you deserve by bringing your cameras to life and becoming pro-active in the safety and security of your environment: it’s the only way to stay ahead.