When technology advancements align, great advances in operations can be made. This holds true for security operations as well.

Not too long ago, many security professionals invested in video analytics only to find that the software combined with low resolution cameras available at the time lead to a string of technology abandonments. Worse, it caused a distaste for the idea of video analytics that has lasted for years.

Today, video analytics have a new chance to be a productive part of security operations rather than a costly distraction. Advancements in the analytics algorithms combined with high resolution cameras are providing security teams with a new tool that solves many challenges.

• Challenge 1 – Reduce Investigation Time – more cameras in video surveillance systems today means more investigation time is required to review the video evidence.

• Challenge 2 – More Cameras Than Are Manageable – As the quality of security footage improves and the cost to store the footage declines, security operators are challenged with which cameras to view at the control room.

In this two-part series, we take a closer look at both challenges and how they can be solved today.

Part 1: Investigation Time

As the cost of security cameras comes down and the resolution they can deliver increases, they become more valuable to security as well as other departments like safety, human resources, operations, and more. At the same time, the cost to store the increased data flow streaming from the cameras is reducing exponentially.

With more cameras comes more data. And, when an incident occurs, there is more footage to review and piece together.

Traditionally, an investigator would need to review every camera that was near an incident in detail. Now investigators must review nearly every camera at a facility to see what preceded an incident. What’s worse is that this could be the case for days prior to the event occurring. For example, a suspect may have scouted out the facility in advance of the breach or violent act. There was essentially no realistic way to review every camera for up to 30 days – if that much retention was even possible – without sitting in front of the video software for days without end.

Today, systems are available that can create a timeline of activity that involves multiple cameras, thus revealing a story for investigators across more cameras for a longer period. Then, the systems can play the footage back in a way that looks to the viewer like a single camera stream, much like a television show appears at first glance. Software systems like this make video searchable, actionable, and quantifiable. Deep learning is leveraged in order to enable rapid review, search, facial recognition, and other advantages never seen before prior to recent advances in video analytics, camera density, resolution improvements, and data storage expansion.

Saving Time

The Vision team is ready to help you protect your students, employees, and visitors by establishing a comprehensive live and playback video surveillance solution that leverages the newest, proven technologies. We will deploy systems that reduce investigation time, allowing your resources to research more cases in greater detail, faster than ever.

We can help implement immediate improvements and design new, long-term solutions. We will navigate initial discussions with all stakeholders by clearly explaining the various technologies and how they operate and impact the overall safety and security plan.

Once a plan is approved, our experienced and professional design and installation team will ensure your facility and surrounding grounds are protected.

Contact Vision today to get started on a fresh video surveillance strategy.