WyzGuys Tech Talk

Enterprises across the globe are subjected to different levels of vulnerabilities, majorly impacted by the products or services they deal in. Some major threats that most if not just high-end businesses face are that of theft, burglary and vandalism. These acts of criminal activities can lead a business down a deep hole of enormous debts and once the news gets mainstream, it can negatively impact the general public’s opinion of the enterprise. Even when insurance claims may help businesses restore their monetary and asset value, the image of the business once lost is difficult to replenish. This makes the employment of a security system a basic need for any business. But not every business is the same, and neither are their security concerns and requirements.

It is absolutely essential for enterprises to not become one with the herd, to hear precisely what their premise requires and act upon the same. Before investing in a cloud camera solution, an enterprise has to focus and search for its own pain points, categorize and prioritize their security requirements and then find a system best suited for their needs.

While evaluating security surveillance solution, the organization must consider the following: 

1. Expertise of the solutions company

While choosing a security provider, it is essential to know the background of the company. Knowing how long the company has been in the business how many enterprises they have helped and the overall opinion their customers hold of them can play a big role in deciding if the company’s product is worth being invested in. With high end technology becoming the go to solution for every surveillance company today, the services they promise to provide hold less priority the services they are currently providing.

Finding out how reliable a company is, going by the words or reviews of their customers rather than the company itself can be a major eye opener.

2. Which industries they have secured

If the company has had a long and if not, at least a substantial experience in providing security solutions to certain companies, there is a possibility that most of their customers belong to the same or similar sets of industries. While solution providers portray their solutions as the answer to every security issue across every industry, as a consumer one has to be specific about the security requirements before going into the search for a surveillance partner. Looking through the company’s customerst can in itself be an indicator towards the kind of solutions provided.

One has to remember that every industry has a different set of security needs which may or may not be substitutable. While a quick service restaurant (QSR) security solution would be required to maintain a certain temperature to avoid food spoilage and an alarm system to keep the threat of a fire at bay; a banking solution would require real time monitoring and alert mechanism with a two-way audio system and ability to contact law enforcement if necessary.

3. Are the security systems customizable?

Even when considering a solutions provider that specializes in providing solutions to enterprises similar to yours, a static, one-fits-all solution should be evaluated well before investing. A company that takes out time to visit your premises, renders a thorough inspection and then proposes a customized solution best suited for your business, keeping in mind your requirements, is the company to consider.

4. How scalable is the solution and who’s responsible for upgrading it?

Even though it’s common knowledge that with the rapid technological advancement that we are witnessing today, surveillance solutions need to be scalable without having to dispose of an outdated solution and replacing it with a newer one. Constant upgrades in technology, hardware and software can be too demanding, especially if the solution is a static one.

Make sure the solution you are investing in would last your company a long time without the requirement of being replaced.

As a business evaluating a serviceable solution for their facility, you should know how often the system would be upgraded, who would upgrade it and whether it’ll be done on site or remotely.

5. What are the mobile solutions?

In this era of remote working, literally, with the onset of the 2020 pandemic to its ongoing challenges of social distancing and the virus’ communicable attributes, hundreds and thousands of employees are still operating their work space from the safety of their homes. That being said, it is a necessity for employers and other authorized personnel responsible for securing a premise to be able to access these facilities remotely from their smart phones.

Before signing a contract with a solutions provider, one must be absolutely clear about all the mobile operations authorized personnel can perform.

6. What is the average response time?

Knowing who responds to the tickets raised and how long they take to respond can be the make it or break it point for your enterprise. When securing your facility, you would want to partner with a company that not only provides you with a reliable system but also a reliable workforce. Irrespective of whether the company supports an in-house command center or a third-party command center, as long as they employee experienced and trained personnel and transparently provide you with the average response time; the security of your premises can be entrusted to them.

It is your responsibility, as a buyer trying to safeguard your premises, to get all the specifications from the solutions provider and then compare it to your own security requirements.

7. What does the basic security package look like?

While security solution providers customize their solutions according to the requirements of their customers, it is an obvious assumption that they have a basic security structure that they add other features onto, making it the perfect solution for your enterprise. As customer you should ask the providers about their basic security solution that meet most security needs, along with a complete quote on the same. Be wary of providers who provide you with cheap plans only to add on other subsidiary costs later. If the company is unable to give you a basic no-obligation quote, you can move onto the next one.

8. Do they deliver end-to-end integration?

Today’s solution providers bring it all at one table; consultation, design, implementation, deployment, monitoring, maintenance, and upgrading. As a consumer you do not need the constant bedlam of jumping between solutions even though they might seem more economical; remember, the purpose here is to make securing your premise easier and more reliable. Not being able to access the complete structure and pursuing different vendors for different issues will make your experience anything but easy. It is important for you to opt for a service provider who does the complex work for you.

Some ending words of advice:

Security has always been a big issue for enterprises, but today its more than just about securing the assets; companies these days greatly rely on their social standing in the market. If you can guess just how easily a company’s reputation can be tainted due to its lack of a secure and vulnerable structure; you’d realize why these solution providers are the experts in their offerings.

With the multitude of video surveillance solution providers in the market, it is important to choose the one with a similar outlook towards preserving the holistic value of your business. Finding the right surveillance system has to come from your enterprises’ internal need for security.

Before signing a contract with any surveillance provider, be sure to ask your questions, quench your curiosity and then choose the right one for you.

Author Name:- Pratik Salia

Author Bio:- Experienced Professional with a demonstrated history of working in startups & conglomerates. Skilled in Operations, E-commerce, Customer Experience, ABM Marketing, B2B Marketing, B2B Brand Positioning, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Market Research, and Management.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/pratiksalia/