BEST PRACTICES IN VIDEO SURVEILLANCE

Remote monitoring security systems have become a must-have that provide peace of mind anytime and anywhere. How do we go about getting the best value for money invested in video surveillance for instance? What are the best practices to increase their overall effectiveness and lifespan? Here are our 5 best tips to enhance your video surveillance systems systematically.

PLAN AND BUY WISELY
Plan and invest your hard-earned money wisely to attain your purpose successfully. The infrastructure that needs the CCTV cameras includes cabling, power cabling. power supplies, fibre-optic components, adapters, and hardware. The main components of the infrastructure should last more than a decade. Cameras, however, will last significantly less than that period. Therefore, be sure to invest wisely in the basics, as they will outlast three camera generations at least.

REGULAR PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE & AUDITS
Regular checking of video surveillance footage is critical for any big or small video surveillance project. The system maintenance post initial installation is a critical component of an effective video surveillance system. In most cases laxity in regular audits result in loss of video data. The regular audits help to identify the crucial characters in the security incident (Theft, Attack, Stalking, or other serious crimes). The video surveillance footage if checked regularly, you may notice any unusual activity in the premises (loitering. Unknown person, suspicious activity etc) attempts by the serial offender at a particular site. Often oversight and negligence in having annual maintenance contract leads to loss of major video evidence, which defeats the very purpose of setting up Video surveillance system.
After you have ensured the proper setup of your system (again best performed by a professional), here are a few good tips for regular maintenance.

• The system should be continually running/recording 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Make sure to secure and hide your DVR/NVR.
• Keep data stored on a DVR/NVR stored in remote cloud storage. Storage on a DVR/NVR alone is not a best practice, preferable to have in cloud storage as it cannot have its signal jammed or hijacked.
• Save data for at least 30 days
• After finding specific footage, save it to an alternative source like a portable USB storage or external hard drive.

STORE DATA IN A SECURE LOCATION
Commercial environment video surveillance footage may potentially contain sensitive information about your business and/or customers. All efforts should be made to secure access to the system. Login information (including usernames and passwords) should only be provided to trusted managers who have been property vetted. Written incident logs should also be created and kept near the video surveillance system. The written log will allow any employee to record the exact time and date of an incident in case the individual with access to the surveillance system is not on-site. Documenting the exact time of an incident can reduce the time spent attempting to locate necessary footage.

NEED SOPS
Most of owners do not have any written policy or standard operating procedures (SOPS) regarding the appropriate use and retention of recorded video. A proper policy should be developed in concurrence with corporate counsel and should conform to the records retention policy of the organization. The policy should specify for what purposes the video images may be used and what type of authorization is necessary to access or copy them. It should identify them as to the appropriate level of confidentiality. It should specify what constitutes inappropriate use and what disciplinary action may be taken if personnel violate the policy.

GO FOR THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY
Using software technologies that are easily applied or even come included with the IP camera or Video Management System (VMS) can increase the overall effectiveness of your surveillance system and your security operation. While one-off, proprietary hardware technologies might be so unique they are not supported later, software technologies are usually less painful to resolve if they don’t work as desired.
There are many factors to consider when laying out a video surveillance system but applying the above principles when considering the scope and size of your CCTV system will help avoid some of the of the more common problems and pitfalls that can arise from poor planning.

If you need guidance in choosing the right security systems including video surveillance and alarm monitoring for your business, organisation or your home, contact our professional team of technicians here.