Networked Digital Video Can Help Improve Security While Cutting Costs
In the past, premise-based video surveillance mostly helped prevent loss from burglary, theft and inventory shrinkage. Today, a digital video system, especially if enhanced with networking, can provide operational assistance to boost productivity, logistics and workplace safety. It can also offer a risk management tool to help mitigate such issues as premise liability, workplace violence, drug usage and harassment. Here are representative examples:
- Video and audio alarm verification can help cut false alarms, speed public safety's response if needed, and provide two-way audio warning to scare off intruders;
- Remote guard tours can help provide greater coverage while reducing guarding costs;
- Unattended deliveries can help suppliers offer more delivery flexibility without a guard's presence, using instead remote video monitoring;
- Video escorts can help provide greater employee safety while reducing guarding needs;
- Video analytics can help discern retail traffic patterns to help optimize staffing, merchandizing and store layouts.
Such operational applications can help make compelling business cases for expanding video's use within a company. Remote video guard tours, escorts and unattended deliveries, for example, can help cut guard expenses by $30,000 to $50,000 or more a year, depending on guarding costs and how widely the applications are deployed. In a retail pilot, one store used a video audit to verify compliance with employee purchase policies, refunds, voids and back-door openings. Within months, shrinkage at the store dropped more than 60%.
