The Wide Range of Benefits CCTV Cameras Can Bring to a Business Environment

In order to protect a business, owners implement a variety of security measures, from key card entry systems to motion sensor alarms and heat detectors. However, many overlook one of the most glaringly obvious ways to add an extra layer of protection to your business, the use of CCTV cameras. At first glance this term conjures imaginations of infringing on the privacy of your employees and a rather draconian measure; however when you consider that the UK features the greatest number of CCTV cameras than any other developed country in the world, the addition of one such camera in your workplace should not cause alarm.

There are many ways in which CCTV cameras can assist in securing your business, firstly they can protect against employee theft. Whilst you may not have experienced this before, in many different organisations the number of cases of employee theft are constantly on the rise. Secondly, a CCTV camera can protect against customer theft. Again, you may not have considered this but it is a rather prevalent crime in retail outlets. Finally, a CCTV system can also protect against theft in general, be that when you are on holiday or overnight when your business will be most vulnerable as it will often be left unstaffed. The remainder of this article will therefore discuss each use of a CCTV camera within a business setting.

You may be interested to know that some reports suggest that up to 75% of employees will steal from their employers at one point during their career. By no means does this mean that 75% of employees will steal a significant item from your business, this figure also includes those who will steal a simple pack of pens, but the statistic is worrying for many as if an employee successfully steals a lower value item then the risk remains that they may move onto removing items of greater value at some point. A CCTV camera will allow you to monitor key areas of your business, be that a store room, checkout and materials areas or any other area you can think of, and if sales figures do not match up with a stock check at the end of a month, or if you are suspicious that items may be being removed or that other theft is being committed then you can simply playback the images from where the camera is positioned to satisfy yourself of what is actually occurring. Such cameras can further protect your business from customer theft. Whilst cameras have often been used in this way in retail stores many businesses such as hardware stores still do not utilise them and this is certainly an aspect of your security to consider improving in the future.

Finally, you cannot be expected to watch over your business 24 hours a day; 365 days a year, but a CCTV camera can in effect achieve this for you. Depending upon the type of camera purchased and installed they even provide the capability to record in darkness, meaning that if your business is broken into by chance overnight or during a holiday period you will have a much greater chance of ascertaining who the culprit is, or you will at least be in a better position to assist the police.

Of course with any CCTV or hidden camera system you will need a way of recording the images, and what is usually favoured in this day and age is a hard drive or HDD (hard disc drive) as it is known in the industry. You have many options open to you as a whole host of providers supply differing brands and models, but one model which has caught the attention of the media in a positive light in recent years is the swann dvr4-950 recorder and this should probably factor into your considerations when deciding which type of hard drive recorder to purchase.  

Also included in this category of camera products is a helmet camera. Whilst this is obviously not suitable for an office environment it does serve to demonstrate the versatility of products in the surveillance camera range, which like CCTV in general is not solely limited to security and can be used for leisure activities also. But by way of a short conclusion, the use of CCTV cameras in businesses of every type and size serve many useful purposes, from the protection of company assets from employees, customers and more general theft to providing a more generalised extra layer of security for your business.  

About the Author

Iain Jenkins writes articles for Fly on the Wall, who sell and supply a wide range of CCTV cameras online. Aside from the standard CCTV equipment, cameras and DVR DVD recorders such as the swann dvr4-950 system, they have wildlife cameras and also helmet cameras. Wildlife cameras can be placed to monitor natural wildlife in the garden, whilst a helmet camera can be mounted to a cycle or security helmet, allowing for recording of events, days out or even cycle races.