Visual Monitoring System Benefits
The Benefits of a Visual Monitoring System
One of the best ways to keep track of your assets and keep a property safe is to watch it. That’s why a visual monitoring system is such a powerful tool. When you are able to watch over an asset or an area 24/7, you can react quickly to protect it if anything goes wrong. However, not all tools can perform this role.
For example, consider an alarm system. This tool is designed to alert you when there is an issue. However, it only tells you that there’s a problem once the problem has actually occurred. Since alarms aren’t actively watching the property, the only way you’ll know if someone has caused trouble is if they break a window or open a door or do something else that triggers the alarm.
With a visual monitoring system, you’ll see what happens and be able to react to it before the situation escalates. However, for this to be possible, you’ll need to have live monitoring.
Why a Live Monitored Visual Monitoring System Matters
What is live video monitoring?
It is a system that involves having surveillance cameras watched by professionals at a remote monitoring station. With monitored cameras, a property is always secured by trained agents. If cameras are not monitored, you won’t know what’s happening at your location until after the fact. This means no one will be able to intervene and prevent a situation from escalating.
For example, if your cameras are monitored, agents will be able to see someone lurking around outside your property, trying to figure out how to best get into your building. If you don’t have monitored cameras, you won’t know that anything is happening until they break through a window and your alarm sounds. You can then check the footage from your unmonitored cameras to see what happened, but this sort of setup won’t prevent the crime.
The footage can potentially be used to identify the criminals and hopefully assist the police with their investigation, but even this is unlikely. That’s because criminals know they can wear hoods or masks and, as long as they leave the scene before police arrive, they’ll be unlikely to be caught or identified.
When you have a live visual monitoring system in place, agents can react as soon as they see a potential issue. A live monitoring system includes more than just cameras. Agents will also have the ability to communicate with the site directly through two-way speakers. Depending on the set up, they may also be able to use lights or other tools as well.
Security agents are trained to watch for suspicious situations and respond to them. This could mean using the two-way speaker system to inform the person that they are being watched and that further action will commence if they do not leave the scene. This can include contacting security guards or police to deal with the situation.
The fact that monitoring agents can contact the police while the criminal is still on the scene is another powerful benefit. Unfortunately, many traditional alarm systems suffer from false alarms. Police know this and they may consider unverified alarm calls to be a lower priority due to the likelihood of a false alarm.
When security professionals watching live cameras call police to say a crime is in progress, not only will they know that the call is being made to report a verified emergency, but the information provided by the agents will help them better deal with the situation.
Other Reasons for Choosing a Visual Monitoring System
In addition to preventing crime, there are many reasons why you may want a visual monitoring system at your property. Monitoring agents can take responsibility for access control, for instance, remotely signing in guests at the gate or front desk. They can also assign parking spaces and use the cameras to verify that these assignments are followed.
Furthermore, monitoring agents can watch over your staff, ensuring that they are following safety protocols and company policies. Agents can intervene if all procedures are not being followed.
For more information on visual monitoring system benefits, or to speak with a security professional about how to improve safety and security at your company, please contact Birdseye Security Solutions today.