Daily headlines remind us that businesses today are vulnerable to a variety of attacks from disgruntled ex-employees, criminals and others intent on doing harm. Failure to take reasonable steps to safeguard your people and property can inflate insurance costs, raise employee stress and attrition, and increase legal exposure.

Access Control

Many opportunities for workplace violence, theft, and damage can be avoided by installing an access control system that prevents unauthorized entry to buildings, offices, elevators, and sensitive areas such as a data center, utility room, and telephone closets.

Proximity card, magnetic stripe card, and biometric readers are just a few of the access control solutions available to guard against intruders. All send text and email alerts about critical events so immediate action can be taken. Such systems can even send an alert to a central monitoring center where fast, efficient and professional response is dispatched according to your preferred notification criteria.

The access control system can be monitored from a PC or mobile device where graphical maps can be viewed to point-point the exact location of an unauthorized entry. These systems also maintain a log of all entry activity, so suspicious behavior can be followed up or investigated.

For a more comprehensive security solution, the access control system can be integrated with video cameras over the IP network.

Video Cameras

Video technology costs have dropped to the point where even the smallest businesses can afford to implement premises security to safeguard their people and property. Today’s cameras boast high resolution to provide crystal-clear detail, even at night. They feature wide visible coverage areas and the ability to “zoom in” to specific image areas with amazing sharpness.

The IP video system can be integrated into any existing wired or wireless business network – all visible and operable over the Internet from any desktop computer, laptop, tablet, or smartphone.

Today’s advanced cameras offer everything you need for virtually any situation. Here are a few of the essential features:

• 180 and 360 degree views
• Pan and zoom

• Day/Night operation

• Multiple swap-out lenses

• Audio input, IR LEDs, Multi-sensor

• Power over Ethernet (PoE)

• SD card backup

• Network failover redundancy
• Weather resistant housing

Digital Video Recorders

DVRs come with mobile apps that enable 24×7 monitoring from remote locations. Other advanced features include:

• Terabytes of storage

• 1-Touch video backup, reverse playback & emergency recording

• Multiple input channels and high-definition video output

• Power over Ethernet

• Web-based client with multi-user access

• Unlimited scalability

• Email & text event notifications

Many small business users are issued a dynamic IP address that changes on a monthly, weekly or even daily basis, making it difficult to view security cameras in real-time or monitor the DVR remotely. A key feature of today’s video systems is Dynamic DNS. It keeps track and updates the IP addresses for all devices so you don't have to. This permits activity to be monitored remotely with high reliability.

Cover Your Assets

The technologies behind access control and video surveillance systems have made great strides in recent years. Even more remarkable is how affordable these systems have become. Implementation is easy too – your local technology provider will visit your location and conduct a comprehensive site assessment, make recommendations so you can make an informed decision, and implement the solution that best meets your security needs.

Spending money to lock down your computers and networks against cyber attacks is always a wise thing to do, but that investment may end up squandered if the absence of video surveillance and access controls allows intruders to walk right into your building undeterred, unimpeded, and unchallenged.

Jeff Nolte is President and CEO of CTS, a leading Voice and IT services provider based in Millersville, Maryland. He may be reached at (800) 787-4848 or jnolte@ctsmd.us. Visit: www.ctsmd.us.