4 Wrong Ways to Implement Car Dealership Security

By on January 31, 2012 in Video Analytics, Video Surveillance Systems, Virtual Security Guard Services

For years we’ve been trying to get the right formula for securing the outdoor perimeter of a car dealership.  So much money in inventory is just sitting there waiting to be stolen or vandalized and the insurance companies are trying to find every reason to hike up premiums.

Here is what Not to do:

1. Outside Motion Detectors:

This is one of the fastest ways to accumulate expensive false police dispatch bills (around $150.00 each time) and to quickly be put onto the “do not respond” list.  Any little thing will set off an outdoor motion detector and there is no way to verify whether it was a person or a raccoon.

2. Fence Sensors:

In order to add fence sensors, you will need to get a fence installed around your whole lot.  Although they are less prone to false alarms than outdoor motion detectors, there is still no way of verifing whether a person or raccoon is climbing the fence.  Without verification you will still be stuck with false alarms… maybe just not has many.

3. Guard Dogs:

Guard dogs may deter people from coming to your site but at the end of the day they are an animal and animals don’t provide the best security.  I’ve heard horror stories of dog droppings being left around the yard, scratches being found on the hood of vehicles, and, in one case, the fence was cut and the dogs ran out to eat a couple of steaks that where left for them.

4. Security Guard:

A security guard may solve your problem, but it depends on what service you decide to go with.  If you choose to get a “rover”, which is a security guard that passes by your site a couple times per night, then you might as well throw your money in the garbage.  The chances of a “rover” coming by at the exact time that someone is stealing from you is very slim.

If you choose to go with a full time security guard, then you will have to be prepared to spend a lot money.  This will not only cut into your profits but you will also be left with the uncertainty of not knowing whether the security guard is sleeping while on the job.  Unless you go with an expensive company the chances of getting a below average security guard are high.

So now that we’ve uncovered the wrong and expensive way’s to secure your car dealership, lets look at the right way.

Virtual Security Guard

With Virtual Security Guard, you will get a great combination of technology and people.  With the use of cameras and intelligent software, your outdoor area could not be better protected.  During non-business hours the camera software will constantly watch the lot and look for people or vehicles entering the scene.  Upon alarm, a live video feed will be pushed, in real-time, to a monitoring agent.  The agent can then assess the situation and determine whether to dispatch police, call the owner, or dismiss it as a false alarm.

Adding Audio

By adding a loud speaker to the lot, our monitoring agents can easily provide a custom Voice Down message to the site:

“To the person in the red shirt, Good evening and welcome to ABC Dealership.  We are now closed and we want to advise you that the site is being monitored by a live agent.  Feel free to browse the vehicles and if you need further assistance we will be opening at 9:00am tomorrow morning”.

With Virtual Security Guard you can better protect your valuable inventory, eliminate expensive security guards or dogs, and provide an extra level of customer service to your business.

 

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4 Rewards to Cloud based Access Control

By on January 24, 2012 in General

A growing number of building owners and property management companies are realising the benefits of integrating a cloud based access control system.  Most property managers with more than one building have dealt with the common issues related to server/software based systems.

Here are four ways you will be rewarded if you invest into a Cloud based Access Control system:

1. Connect to Any site, Anywhere, Any time

The best thing about Cloud based Access Control is that you never have to launch a piece of software.  You simply go to a secure website using any web browser on any computer or smartphone.  You will have immediate access to all your buildings and doors, and the ability to make changes on the fly.  When a new site is added (such as a new building) it will automatically appear when you login.

2. Automatic Updates and Patches

With Cloud based Access Control you can worry less about software updates and software fixes and more about running your building.  When a new software version or a feature is added all you have to do is login and you will see it.  Nowadays, any time you purchase software or hardware, it quickly becomes obsolete.  Every time you login to your cloud based access control, you are logging in to the most current version.  This means that in 1 year or 5 years, your system will never be obsolete.

 

3. Automatic Backup

Almost anyone that has a software based access control system will tell you that they’ve forgotten to backup the data and had to deal with a system crash.  When this happens, you end up wasting a lot of time and money trying to get your system restored.  With a cloud based access control system, your data is automatically backed up at an offsite location for 365 days.

4. Tiered Administration

Having tiered administration, with a system that has multiple sites and multiple users, will make your life much easier.  You can easily assign different administrators and give them access to different buildings, doors, and rights.  For a property management company, each property manager can manage their buildings and subsequently open up individual accounts for building managers.  Because it is all web based, there is no need to load software or purchase additional hardware for each user.

 

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Retail People Counting Systems

By on December 19, 2011 in People Counting System, Video Analytics

People Counting SystemsThe retail market is very competitive and one of the key’s to success is keeping your operation costs low.  Are you opening your stores too early or closing too late?  Are you over staffing during certain days of the week?  Are you spending your advertising dollars properly?

More and more retailers are turning to People Counting systems to help answer these questions.

I recently read a Software Advice article called Four Benefits of Integrating Traffic Analytics into POS Software, written by ERP Analyst Michael Koploy.  He explains that although point-of-sale solutions offer great information on sales transactions, they lack in providing information on sales opportunities of in-store traffic.

Many retailers understand the theoretical importance of conversion rates, but they often overestimate their own rates.  By aligning traffic counting with sales numbers within the POS solution, retailers could monitor their conversion rates and gain a more accurate view of how well they are leveraging their retail opportunity. – Paco Underhill in Why We Buy 

Michael’s views in his post are right in line with the benefits that our customer’s are seeing when they implement a People Counting System.

Follow this link to read the full article:  Benefits of Integrating Traffic Analytics into POS Software.

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PM Expo & Construct Canada Show

By on November 23, 2011 in General

Next week is the PM Expo, Canada’s largest property management exposition and conference. It will be held in Toronto at the Metro Convention Centre, South Building.  It is concurrently held with Construct Canada, Home Builder & Renovator Expo, Concrete Canada, and Design Trends.

Over 1050 companies will be exhibiting and over 23,000 people will be attending.

Double Vision will be exhibiting in Booth 2000

You can attend for free if you register here:  https://www.microspec.com/reg/CONCAN2011/ 

Stop by our booth to say hello…  Hope to you see you there!

 

 

 

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4 Reasons I Don’t Like Alarms but Recommend them Anyway

By on November 17, 2011 in Alarm Systems, General

Alarm systems have been around for ages and yet no real advancements in technology have been made.  When a door contact or a motion sensor is tripped, it sends a signal to a monitoring station, and the monitoring agent calls the people on the list.  My first problem with alarms is that the monitoring agent has not clue what is going on at the site.  They can’t see anything and even if they can hear what’s going on at the scene, it’s not enough to verify the situation.  My second problem with alarms is that they call the home/business owner and put all the responsibility on them.  The owner has to make the decision to call the police (or not), the owner has to get in the car and drive to the site, and if there is a robbery the owner incurs the loses.  My third problem with alarms…. statistics show that 99% of alarms called into police are false.  My fourth problem with alarms is that the police take, on average, 30-45 minutes to show up.

99% of alarms called into police are false

You may think that I am crazy, being from the security market and talking down one of our solutions, but the truth needs to be told.  I admit, I do not like alarm systems and it is true that they are an archaic technology, but at the end of the day they do serve a purpose.

Here are the top 4 Reasons why I still recommend alarms:

1. First Line of Defence:

They are the first line of defence.  Even though it’s archaic and gives the monitoring agent little information about the site, it will at least tell you that a door or window has been opened.  If you use this in conjunction with other security solutions (i.e. security cameras), then at least when you are alerted you have other measures of verifying if it is false or real.

2. Simple form of Deterrent:

It is a good deterrent for the average criminal.  If someone where to break in to your home or business, the siren will sound and at least scare the person away.  Further to that, it will also alert anyone in the home that someone has broken in.

3. Makes People feel Secure:

Most people feel more safe when they have a home or business alarm system.  For a business owner, when they leave the office, its a good feeling to know that at least someone can’t just walk in to your place without facing some type of deterrent.  For a home owner, when you leave the house or go to bed, its also nice to know that a siren will go off if anyone opens your door.

4. When integrated, it can be very powerful

If you integrate an alarm system with access control and cameras, it can become a very powerful security system.  There is a big advantage to being able to arm/disarm your alarm with a card, being able to verify on camera who is coming into the building, and to top it off, having much more usable information when an alarm is tripped.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is, alarm systems are the most common form of home/business security.  Almost all home and business in North America have an alarm system and it makes people feel safe.  The purpose of my post was to make sure people understand that although an alarm system will increase security, it will not prevent a good criminal from breaking in.  I have a lot of customer’s that purchase an alarm system and when their first false alarm occurs they are shocked that the police took 45 minutes to respond.  This slow response time is not a flaw in our alarm, its common to every standard alarm system in the world.

Let me know what you think.  Do you feel like your alarm system is going to prevent crime?  Does it make you feel safer?

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Top 5 Business that Get Robbed

By on November 16, 2011 in General

The bad news is that many businesses experience theft in some form or another. The nature of your business will determine the likelihood of being targeted. Over the years we’ve met a countless number of people that have experienced theft, some as little as $100.00, and some exceeding $1,000,000.00.

The purpose of this list is to help you understand which type of businesses we get called from the most.  The list is in no particular order, but if you are in one of these categories then you will already know the problems that you face.

Top 5 Business that get Robbed:

1. Plumbing Suppliers

Plumbing suppliers and contractors tend to carry large amounts of copper pipe.  This pipe can vary in size and it’s usually very difficult to find a place to store inventory.  Many times, this ends up outside in a yard or in a shed with minimal security.

2. Electrical Suppliers

Electrical suppliers and contractors are in the same boat as plumbing suppliers.  They carry large amounts of copper wire and it’s usually stored outside in a yard.

3. Transportation and Logistics

Anyone in the transportation and logistics industry will tell you that not only is it a tough business to make money, but the probability of theft is high.  A truck full of valuable electronics is an easy target for any criminal.

4. Warehousing & Distribution

Similar to tranportation and logistics, warehousing and distribution companies also experience high theft.  Usually in this industry, the theft is within the warehouse and most of the time involves employee’s of the company.

5. Retail Stores

If you own a clothing store and have a store with glass font windows, the probability of being targeted is close to 100%.  We have yet to meet a retail owner that hasn’t experienced a high value theft at their store.  Most of the time, criminals will come at night, smash the door in, steal all the clothes (in under 4 minutes), and drive away.

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VSaaS: Managed Video Surveillance

By on November 3, 2011 in Cloud Computing, Hosted Video Surveillance, Video Surveillance Systems

Managed or Hosted services have been around for a long time and are commonly reffered to as Cloud Computing or Software as a Service (SaaS).

The definition of SaaS is “a model of software deployment where an application is hosted as a service, provided to customers across the internet.”

The idea is that instead of purchasing software and servers to host your own system, you pay a monthly fee and all your information is hosted online.  In the IT and Data world, this business model has been around for a long time and makes lots of sense.  If you talk to an IT manager about Cloud Computing or SaaS, they will understand the concept immediately.

The idea is that instead of purchasing software and servers to host your own system, you pay a monthly fee and all your information is hosted online.  In the IT and Data world, this business model has been around for a long time and makes lots of sense.

Examples of everyday SaaS services:

  1. Email:  Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo Mail
  2. CRM: Salesforce
  3. Banking:  TD Canada Trust, BMO, Scotia Bank

Whether you are talking about security or data, the benefits of hosted services are the same.

  1. Lower up-front Cost:  no software or hardware to purchase
  2. Lower Maintenance & Operating Costs:  no hardware to maintain, no software to maintain
  3. Easier Accessibility:  access your system from anywhere/anytime
  4. Always up-to-date:  Every time you log on you will be working off the latest platform

In the past 5-10 years we’ve started to see the security market follow the cloud computing trend. Managed Access Control system’s hit the market about 10 years ago and we are now starting to see the large manufacturer’s follow suit.  In the past 3-4 years, hosted video surveillance providers began popping up and are now started showing benefits in the smaller camera count opportunities (4-8 cameras).

Hosted Video Surveillance  ”For Dummies”:

-          An IP camera connects to a network switch

-          When the camera detects motion, it pushes the video to secure website

-          Customers can access their video by logging into the website

-          Storage is typically 15 or 30 days

 

 

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Are you being notified?

By on October 25, 2011 in Video Analytics, Video Surveillance Systems

In security systems zero downtime should be the first priority, because it is the first line of defense for any business or home. Most of the time customers experience problems when they go to search for videos of events only to find out their DVR/NVR or cameras have crashed due to no maintenance or poor maintenance. One of the ways to reduce downtime is to be notified when there’s a problem and rectify it as soon as possible. The simplest form of notification would be a buzzer on the DVR/NVR where it would start beeping when there’s a problem, however, majority of the security systems are installed in an electrical or mechanical room where these sounds wouldn’t be heard clearly. The other form of notification is email, which is more efficient and can let you know the exact problem the system is experiencing rather than a general buzzer sound. Notifications are very simple to setup and can greatly increase the efficiency of a security system.

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Importance of Open Architecture Technology

By on October 15, 2011 in Access Control Systems, General, Video Surveillance Systems

As the security market catches up with the rest of the technology world, more customer’s are starting to see that a proprietary solution (or closed architecture solution) is a risky investment.  That being said, vendors and manufacturers are still introducing these solutions and customers are still buying them.

As a company, we choose to sell open architecture technology because we feel that it gives customer’s the most flexibility and the freedom to choose the best technology for each device (i.e. cameras, software, card readers, control boards, servers, etc).

Before we share our list of reasons why Open Architecture technology is a better choice, let’s first take a look at the difference between Closed and Open Architecture:

Closed Architecture

Closed architecture is technology that is proprietary.  This means that the solution only works with devices manufactured by the same company.  An example would be an access control manufacturer that makes readers, software and panels that only work with each other.  A better example, is a video surveillance company that makes software, cameras and servers that only talk to each other. 

The argument with closed architecture is that everything is made by the same company and it will work perfectly with each other.  And, if something goes wrong, there is only one person to blame.

Continue Reading →

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Importance of Camera Maintenance

By on October 15, 2011 in Video Surveillance Systems

Video Surveillance systems are generally low maintenance but a system check should be done periodically to ensure the system is recording good quality images.  This is especially true in reactive systems which are usually only checked when an investigation needs to occur rather than being actively monitored by security personnel.  Cameras sometimes become obstructed, knocked down, get dusty or lose their focus.  If the system is not in its optimal condition it may miss the required details when an incident occurs.  A simplified example is listed below.

The image on the left shows the pre-maintenance view and the image on the right shows the post-maintenance view.  The left image displays a decent view which can still provide some usability however it is not optimal.  The camera was knocked slightly out of position, there was a smudge on the housing and the focus was slightly off.  After a few minor adjustments, the camera provided the image visible on the right.  It is clear that the camera is no longer unnecessarily capturing the top of the building in front of it but instead concentrating on the area below including the third green door on the left side.  The housing was also cleaned and the focal length adjusted to provide a more crisp image.

Although the above example only had a few minor adjustments, we come across many cameras that are much worse.  They are either spray painted, knocked away from their position or just stop working and unfortunately these problems are not noticed until video retrieval is required.  With a properly scheduled maintenance these problems can easily be avoided.

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