The use of CCTV surveillance in business is proliferating. According to a recent report assessing the growth and trends in video surveillance, the market was valued at £40 billion in 2020 but is expected to reach more than £68 billion by 2026. This growth is largely due to the increasing need for physical security and the greater adoption of cloud-based services for centralising data.
A key consideration for businesses running CCTV systems is the increasing potential of unlocking additional operational value by integrating video surveillance with other building management systems already on the network. Jason Hillier, Sales Director for Frontline Security Solutions, a Chubb company, shares his expertise on CCTV integration.
Technology at the edge
In the last 5 years, video technology has moved on in leaps and bounds. Beyond just capturing an image, users have seen a lot more investment in what they can do with a camera.
Manufacturers are starting to put more technology into the camera itself it’s what users call ‘technology at the edge’, by making the cameras more intelligent to perform more tasks themselves rather than relying on lots of large servers and software.
Door monitoring
Data centres and the pharmaceutical industry have specific requirements for CCTV security
In particular, data centres and the pharmaceutical industry have specific requirements for CCTV security, where they use their system for much more than monitoring people entering a door.
Here they will start at the edge of their building, or the perimeter, and work their way back, which means users need to employ more technology in those cameras to give them the best detection they can get.
Mobile cameras
Similar to the mobile phone, cameras are also getting more powerful chips, so users can put an app on a camera instead of using expensive servers, and users can measure a variety of outcomes, for example, people walking to the left or people crossing a line where users don’t want them to go.
So instead of using the control hardware users can control all of this within the camera. This illustrates how users are seeing more investment in the camera and what it can do.
CCTV for COVID safety
At the beginning of the pandemic, there was a big push on cameras sensing heat to identify workers with a high temperature, and therefore, potential risk.
It was an interesting concept, and lots of businesses wanted it. In reality, though, these businesses found that not many people would come into the office with a temperature they would already be feeling ill and staying at home. So, this didn’t get off the ground.
Contactless access control
52% of businesses were exploring the use of cameras to identify and automatically provide access to employees
However, the pandemic did successfully stimulate increased demand for the addition of facial recognition video analytics with premises’ CCTV cameras. This enabled contactless access control as building owners could reduce high usage touchpoints, such as access control card pads, which pose a risk of COVID-19 transmission.
Nationwide research commissioned by a fellow security technology integrator last year, revealed that 52% of businesses were exploring the use of cameras to identify and automatically provide access to employees and pre-registered visitors.
The possibilities of CCTV integration
As an integrator of security systems, Chubb Fire and Security is seeing firms actively exploring tighter integration of CCTV systems with access control and intruder alarm systems.
Take an access control system, for example. In its simplest terms, as users enter a door, they badge the reader, and nine times out of 10 on a perimeter door, users would have a camera on the inside so they can see everyone coming through.
Instant verification
Businesses are attribute video with an access control event, so users can right-click on the event, allowing instant verification
Here businesses are looking to attribute the video with an access control event, so users can right-click on the event and bring up the video straight away, allowing instant verification. The security manager would have two screens in front of them; on one screen would be the access control event with the card holder's details and on the other screen would be the person coming through the door.
This is particularly popular in the banking and financial services sector, as it allows a business to verify that the right person is carrying the right card and entering the building at the right time.
Benefits of CCTV integration
Access control
A key benefit of integrating CCTV with access control is that it generates one cohesive report. So instead of users' access control system reporting ‘Mr. Smith entered the building at 11 am and then searched on the CCTV for the specific piece of film to verify this, linking the two systems removes the need for cross-referencing.
The security manager will simply receive one report and be able to right-click to see Mr. Smith entering the building.
Time is the most precious resource -so any activity that saves security managers the hassle of checking through reels of film to locate an event makes it easier to justify the benefit of integrating CCTV with an access control system.
Intruder alarm systems
Connecting CCTV to an intruder system allows users to visually verify that someone is trying to access the building
Users can also link CCTV to intruder alarm systems. Here it's more about verification. Connecting CCTV to an intruder system at key locations or in high-security areas allows users to visually verify that someone is trying to access the building or has gained unauthorised access.
With Infrared Cameras (IR), it's possible to take this a stage further, as they also pick up on the heat. The worst thing for cameras is light – if it's too light or too dark, the quality of a recording can be compromised.
The best pictures tend to be on a cloudy day as users get a very even spread of light. Using a camera that can see heat means users don't have to rely on just the quality of the video footage alone. This is particularly beneficial for dark areas, for example, a perimeter where cameras may be obscured by woodland.
Operational efficiency
When considering tighter integration, businesses should think about which operational requirements need sit. In many cases, businesses will be looking to improve operational efficiency. This is where CCTV integration excels. Rather than a security manager using multiple systems for verifying an event and matching one event to another, an integrated system can be isolated in less than 30 seconds.
This leads to ease of use –instead of having several tasks to coordinate, with an integrated system, this can reduce to just one or two, which ultimately means a security manager can provide and retrieve information much more quickly and securely.
Long-term cost savings
Of course, there is an upfront cost for CCTV integration, depending on the building management system users are integrating it with.
But when users compare this one-off cost to the amount of time a security manager can waste, regularly trawling through hours of camera footage, there is huge potential for long-term cost savings.
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