Security is the fundamental concern of every business. Nowadays, they talk a lot about the importance of a decent cybersecurity system. However, that is only one part of your company’s security set-up.

It is vital to have good physical security to protect your employees, your office (or another kind of property), and your valuable assets, including intellectual property and data. Thus, favourable physical security solutions may improve your cybersecurity as well.

The first thing to consider when planning out your business security is installing keyless locks, CCTV cameras and systems to secure your location. In our post, we will focus on the problem of choosing business CCTV equipment.

Security Cameras

There are few CCTV companies in Sligo offering their best surveillance cameras, so how do you decide the most appropriate camera for your business? Your first step is to understand the goal of your surveillance system. Here is a list of questions you need to ask yourself:

Do you want to be able to track employee behaviour or prevent theft by customers or staff? Or do you just want to monitor people entering the office?

Do you need outdoor or indoor surveillance?

Will the cameras operate 24/7, or only when the facility is closed?

Do you need an infrared camera for monitoring premises at night?

How long will you store video footage? What kind of storage system do you need?

With highly available Internet connectivity and advances in technology, a CCTV camera becomes affordable for virtually any budget. You can choose a small camera to monitor your office’s work or a large pan, tilt and zoom style camera that can automatically detect and record moving objects.

CCTV Systems

Depending on the size of your business and your security needs, you may need just several security cameras. In such a case, you can even try to handle a set-up alone. However, for a more sophisticated security system, you will have to find the best CCTV company in Sligo to do the job.

CCTV systems will include several cameras and some additional security solutions, such as motion sensors, intrusion detectors and door alarms. The company you will use to install your system can usually provide you with a monitoring service.

Most vendors can suggest you a highly customizable system. It means you can tailor the system to your specific needs. There is a solution for every business, whether you need a system that can cover multiple spots, or several cameras to monitor your location.

What to Consider Prior to Buying a Business CCTV System?

There are several factors to consider before deciding on a particular video surveillance system for your small business. They are:

What Parts of Your Business Require Protection

It is the most crucial aspect of the whole process as it will determine the types of camera you buy. It is necessary to understand exactly where you need to set up your surveillance. Let us say you need to monitor your back door. Then you will most likely choose a weatherproof outdoor camera with motion alerts and PTZ functionality.

Type of Camera

In general, video surveillance systems fall into two main categories: analogue and internet protocol (IP). Analogue cameras have been used for a long time and are considered traditional.

Nowadays, most users favour IP cameras, which can offer more capabilities and features than analogue ones. IP surveillance cameras are networked devices. They can capture images in a higher resolution and enable video analytics, automatic alerts and more.

Type of Storage

There are three kinds of data storage for video surveillance to choose from: DVR (digital video recorder), NVR (network video recorder) and hybrid. Systems with digital video recorder use analogue cameras, whereas systems with network video recorder employ IP cameras. Hybrid systems allow combining both IP and analogue cameras.

Required Features

There are plenty of various features available for a video surveillance system, such as motion detection, night vision or pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ). Go through a security risk assessment to define your weak areas and evaluate which features your business needs.

Then you can select your cameras and CCTV system accordingly. For instance, if you need a system in the main to monitor your business at night, choose the one with 24/7 alerts and strong night vision capabilities.

Ease of installation

Often small businesses do not have much space to surveil. So, you do not need several different cameras to set up. As we mentioned earlier, in such a case, you can install a camera yourself. However, for multiple locations, you may require a system with complicated setups. Then hire an experienced CCTV installer to do it.

Price

The price depends on the size of your business, the number of cameras and the type of storage you want. Moreover, the more advanced features, such as motion detection or video analytics, a camera have, the more expensive it is.

Generally speaking, video surveillance systems start around €200 for simple one camera systems and can go up to thousands of Euros for advanced systems with many cameras.

Even though IP cameras cost more than their analogue counterparts, the total cost of a full IP system can be lower than the cost of a comparable analogue system. An IP system has a wider field of vision. Therefore, it may work with fewer cameras than an analogue system.

Keeping your employees and assets safe is imperative whether you own an office downtown or work from your basement. The top CCTV system installer in Sligo would advise you to find a balance between video quality, value, durability, and functionality for your prospective surveillance camera system.

When choosing the system, keep in mind the following factors: your business security risks, the installation place, price, required features and types of cameras and storage. One of the most effective ways to cope with this responsible task is to address a professional business CCTV consultant and request a free quote for a start.