Some people ask us if there’s ever a good time to cease or pause video surveillance services. Throughout 2020, as the pandemic forced more and more workforces to operate from home, many business owners were left securing buildings and facilities that sat unoccupied for extended stretches of time.
Here’s the bottom line: it is absolutely imperative that businesses keep their security measures – including video surveillance – intact and operable even in the midst of an extended closure.
Consider the following tips, as well, when you plan to be away from the office for an extended period of time.
- Make certain cameras are positioned correctly. If possible, prior to closures, test your video surveillance systems to make certain everything is in working order and that all CCTV cameras are strategically placed with unobstructed views. Check with your vendor to confirm that storage capacity is sufficient to last the duration of your absence.
- Provide your vendor with a current emergency contact list. Include multiple authorized personnel who can speak on the company’s behalf in the event monitoring center employees are unable to reach those in top slots.
- Stay in the loop. Business owners implementing an intrusion alarm system should request real-time email alerts whenever the system is armed and/or disarmed. Additionally, arrange for real-time notifications in the event that motion is detected at, in, or near your facility. Quality security vendors will be able to provide you access to an intuitive user interface that can be accessed using any Internet connected device from virtually anywhere in the world.
- Update your access control policies as needed. Remember, you decide who is allowed to enter your business, where they are permitted access, and when. Be sure to continuously review reports from your security vendor for any unusual activity.
- Check to see when your fire alarm system last received maintenance. And ask your security vendor about intrusion detection systems that can be integrated with heat and temperature sensors to protect your business against dangers such as fire, flood, and other emergencies.
Even in the midst of the pandemic, your security vendor should be hard at work ensuring your facility is defended against intrusion, theft, damage, and more. Considered “essential businesses,” it is our duty to ensure you have a business to come back to once a vacation has ended, a holiday has been celebrated, or a crisis has passed. Secom can help. Reach out to us today and ask about our in-house financing.