Video surveillance systems have become a staple in modern physical security technology. They offer a cost-effective means of continuous monitoring for sensitive areas and equip property owners, regulators, and law enforcement with the evidence collection they need to ensure all activities are conducted safely and securely. But are you getting the most out of your video surveillance systems?  

This guide will give a framework for evaluating a business’ video surveillance system strengths or weaknesses. We’ll discuss key factors in assessing a video surveillance system’s quality and effectiveness, such as ease of implementation, the efficacy of surveillance technology, video data quality, and costs, along with how they are used in achieving real estate and other business objectives. We’ll also show you how to choose a surveillance system that aligns with your business needs and how an advanced video surveillance solution can help. 

Key Influencing Factors in Video Surveillance Systems 

From crime deterrence and evidence collection to reducing liabilities and ensuring best practices, video surveillance systems offer multiple benefits to companies seeking to strengthen their security posture. Despite their advantages, many factors influence whether a surveillance system aligns with a business’s infrastructure and operations, so companies must carefully weigh their options. A few things to consider in the evaluation of surveillance systems are:  

• Business Objective: Is your purpose security, loss prevention, monitoring productivity, compliance, or other? Do you need real-time monitoring, recording, or both? Consider your business objectives and needs first and foremost. 

• Camera features: Higher resolution, field of view, night vision, and AI analytics capabilities are a few camera features to consider, and budget impact is always a factor. 

• Data storage: Think about where you want to store all the data from your video surveillance systems. Local storage (DVR/NVR) offers control but is inconvenient, while cloud storage provides remote access, shareability, and scalability. 

• Analytical strength: Can the cameras and/or software perform facial and license plate recognition, detect behavior like loitering, assess traffic volume over time, or deliver rapid AI-based image search across video recordings? Cloud-based video surveillance analytics for facial and license plate detection automatically identify both individuals and vehicles from long distances and under a comprehensive range of angles and lighting conditions. The result is greater visibility, faster and more accurate response, and a stronger security ecosystem for your property. 

• Scalability and expansion: Can your surveillance system grow with your business without replacement? Cloud-based solutions often allow easier expansion as your business scales. 

• Budget & Cost: Initial investment in cameras and installation versus recurring costs like storage, maintenance, and software should all be factored into your budget. 

Another key factor to consider is your system’s flexibility and accessibility. For example, cloud-based surveillance systems can not only provide remote monitoring to let you view your property from anywhere but also potentially integrate with your other security measures, such as access control or visitor management technologies.  

Cost Considerations 

Video surveillance systems carry multiple cost considerations. A key factor is installation, as video surveillance systems can require multiple cameras and hardware components, as well as significant labor costs to place them. This can make the upfront cost higher than other physical security measures, and hardware and software will need to be maintained over time.  

Another concern is whether a provider can effectively “take over” your legacy infrastructure to boost the overall capabilities without replacing the platform investment. Providers like Kastle can “digitize” analog cameras with gateway installations or overlay analytic capabilities on the back end of an existing camera installation.  

Privacy Concerns 

Video surveillance systems can improve the safety of your occupants and assets, but privacy and ethical issues can still be an issue. Overuse of security cameras can make occupants feel uncomfortable, resulting in user mistrust. This can hamper their experience and diminish loyalty to your brand, turning existing and potential customers away.  

To maintain individuals’ privacy, some industry standards have regulations that limit where security systems may be installed. For example, some standards may prohibit security cameras from being installed in areas where sensitive information is located or where occupant privacy must be respected.  

Evaluating Effectiveness 

Before you implement your video surveillance strategy, establish protocols and metrics that will determine its effectiveness. Here are a few metrics for assessing your system’s performance, along with how you can track them. 

• Camera uptime: This refers to the amount of time your camera is fully functioning, providing your monitoring team with a clear image. Track this metric by measuring the percentage of your operating hours during which your camera is active. 

• False positive rate: The ratio of false triggers to actual events is the false positive rate. A high rate can result in response fatigue and cause delays when an actual incident occurs, so it’s essential to keep this metric as low as possible. 

• Incident resolution time: This is the elapsed time between an incident’s initial detection and its resolution upon response. The metric evaluates how quickly responders handle an issue — which reflects upon your organization’s security — and indicates your system’s sensitivity.  

• Operator response time: While incident resolution time encompasses the total system detection and response time, this metric focuses on the responders themselves. It could apply to external agents, such as first responders, or internal team members, such as security guards or monitoring teams, so measure it according to the operator you’re tracking. 

• Area coverage: How much of your space does your surveillance system cover? Area coverage shows where blind spots are and where you may need to install additional cameras. Measure it by calculating how much area each camera covers as a percentage of your property area. 

• System reliability: This metric indicates how frequently your system fails to perform as intended. Track it by monitoring the frequency of any failures or errors. 

• Storage capacity: Simply the amount of video data your surveillance system saves for future reference before purging from the system (to make room for new data). Systems vary, but typically there is: 1) video stored on the camera itself, which is a continuous recorded feed, and 2) cloud storage for remote access, which typically only captures key events to save space and make it easily searchable. Storage is usually measured in hours or days of video storage, so you know how long you can access records for further analysis for forensic investigation after an incident.  

By tracking these metrics, companies can not only evaluate the performance of their current surveillance system but also identify any areas that need further security measures.  

Choosing the Best Video Surveillance for Your Business 

While many companies employ video surveillance systems to secure their property, few use them to their fullest potential. If you’re evaluating your surveillance systems’ current configuration, consider cost-effectiveness and performance over the long term, not merely installation. High resolution is also essential for providing the image quality needed for effective monitoring and evidence collection.  

Kastle is at the forefront of physical security technology, and we offer a host of video surveillance solutions. Our cutting-edge systems provide facial and vehicle recognition capabilities for more advanced monitoring and integrate with many surveillance and traffic management systems. 

Reach out to our experienced team of security experts to learn more about how video surveillance enhances safety or how to choose the best surveillance system for your application.