How to properly secure company premises with video surveillance?

With a video surveillance system you can not only protect your company premises against burglary and vandalism. You can also secure interior spaces and prevent or detect theft or loss of goods. You can also monitor incoming and outgoing goods. Conditions of goods and products can be documented in a court-proof manner. By connecting additional systems, access and entry can also be controlled via video surveillance.

How does the software work with video surveillance?

The video management software manages the recorded video streams and stores them. It alerts, for example, in the event of attempted break-ins and makes it possible to search through the video and image data stock, for example to present evidence in court.

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Secure company premises

Video surveillance for your company premises

Are your company premises and buildings adequately secured?

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Protect yourself from thefts

Why you should invest in video surveillance

Thefts from service, office and storage premises are on the rise worldwide. A large percentage of these thefts can not be solved because the necessary evidence is missing. What is your situation? Are your company premises and buildings sufficiently secured?

Fences, gates and burglar alarm systems are standard. But the response times in the event of a real incident are long - and most of the time it is then again a "false alarm". Video surveillance offers more security, both preventively and in the event of an incident.

So: hang up the cameras, start recording and the company premises are already secured? Unfortunately, it's not quite that simple. You need to consider both technical and legal aspects. The first step is to decide what the video surveillance system should do.

How you benefit from video surveillance

Security

Secure and monitor grounds, parking lots and buildings against burglary, theft and vandalism

Theft

Warehouses and offices protect against theft and sabotage, whether by strangers or by inside perpetrators

Access control

Control access rights, for example to buildings or certain high-security zones such as server rooms

Access regulation

Automate access rules, for example control barrier systems

These are the obvious tasks of a video security system. But video surveillance can do even more. For example, you can:

Monitor goods receipt and goods issue
Visually document transfers of liability to logistics service providers when goods are received and shipped
Track goods and find seemingly lost goods or products quickly and easily
Mobile documentation of damage to products, goods or company property via smartphone or tablet
Control compliance with occupational safety regulations, for example, by only entering safety areas when wearing a helmet or face mask
Record and evaluate workflows for training purposes, quality assurance or process optimization

An investment in video surveillance is therefore worthwhile, especially if the system is used for other applications. Then it contributes not only to security, but even to added value.

Possible applications of video surveillance

You must observe these legal requirements for video surveillance

Always have the GDPR in view

In the European Union, the provisions of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) must be observed. This starts with the fact that you must post information signs about video surveillance. After all, the right to one's own image applies. Therefore, everyone must be informed that cameras are installed on your premises. Public areas such as sidewalks or streets may not be monitored at all. Strict rules also apply to employee recordings. For example, you are not allowed to carry out any surveillance at the workplace without a reason, and you must always involve your staff representatives in the decision. You can recognize reputable video surveillance providers by the fact that all these legal requirements are taken into account during planning and setup.

Pay attention to technical details & feasibility

When selecting the right solution, you should make sure that the systems are technically capable of meeting data protection requirements, e.g., by allowing recordings to be fully or partially pixelated. Works councils are also much more likely to be convinced to use video surveillance if images of employees are pixelated. They can also ensure that only an authorized group of people can access the recordings. The dual control principle provides particularly good security in this regard. A particular plus point is when the format in which the recordings are made is recognized as evidence in court.

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Status: January 2022

Technology and operation of a video surveillance system

Video Management

Video management - software is the heart of video surveillance

Good hardware is important, but the heart of any system is the software. The video management software (VMS software for short) manages the video streams generated by the cameras (whether permanently installed or from smartphones, for example) and stores them. When needed, it sends the recordings to operators, such as a control center or mobile device. The software also links the images to contextual information such as location and time, or to data from video analytics that detects and identifies moving objects, for example. In addition, the video management software can be networked with other security systems, such as an intrusion alarm system or an access control system. Based on all this so-called metadata and preset rules, it makes decisions about which images to display and when, or whether an automated response should take place, for example, a gate should be opened. So it helps filter out of the multitude of images, the ones that an operator really needs, and provides the appropriate contextual information about them. For example, you get an alert when a person tries to climb over your fence.

Video surveillance outside

When considering the technical requirements for a video security system, you need to distinguish between outdoor and indoor applications. Outside, video analytics can automatically detect critical events. However, the system must be set up in such a way that it reports reliably but generates as few false alarms as possible. Because this can happen very quickly: An insect or leaf flies in front of the camera, or a small animal such as a rabbit or squirrel runs across the lawn - these are all situations in which you do not want to be notified. After all, if false alarms are raised too often, there is a risk that the crucial alarm will be ignored. On the other hand, there is a risk that a system will be set incorrectly, in that it will virtually no longer trigger an alarm; of course, this must not happen either. Therefore, the so-called parameterization, i.e. the setup of the system on site, plays an essential role that the video surveillance works reliably. In the outdoor area, you can also use different cameras. For example, there are cameras that can be controlled and thus track an intruder. Or you can use thermal imaging cameras to detect intruders even when your outdoor area is not illuminated.

Video surveillance inside

Indoors, on the other hand, it is mainly legal issues that need to be considered: which area should be monitored, when and how. Here, too, there are options for defining certain areas and pixelating images, which can, however, be made visible again if necessary. It must also be ensured that no stranger can access your video data. After all, company secrets could otherwise be leaked to unauthorized third parties. Therefore, when choosing a provider, make sure that a trustworthy concept for cyber security is presented, including a software maintenance offer.

Latency

The question of how fast the images are to be transmitted also plays an important role. This is referred to in technical jargon as latency. Do not accept a delay of a few seconds, after all, these seconds can determine the success or failure of an intruder.

Save video recordings

Hardware components such as servers on which the recordings are stored are also important. It is important to clarify how fail-safe your system should be. After all, neither the camera nor the server should fail at the decisive moment. To increase fail-safety, redundant hardware (power supplies or data storage), but also corresponding software-based concepts (so-called fail-over solutions) can help.

Connect your existing system

Connect your existing video security system

A video surveillance system can be networked with other systems via interfaces. In many cases, access systems and video systems are interconnected, but other security systems such as burglar alarms or fire alarm systems are also frequently linked. An interface to fire alarm systems is also useful. In addition, an interface to merchandise management or ERP software is possible for tracking goods. Common systems can usually be connected without any problems. In any case, however, it should be possible to develop individual interfaces as well.

Reliable video surveillance for over 50 years - by Geutebrück

Now you have gained a first impression of what to look for when choosing a system for video surveillance of your company premises. Geutebrück GmbH has been providing video surveillance worldwide for more than 50 years, both for companies and public institutions. Learn more about our references. If you have any questions or would like to learn more about Geutebrück, please contact us. We will be happy to advise you - naturally without obligation and free of charge.

Video surveillance for your company premises

Are your company premises and buildings adequately secured?

Protect yourself from thefts