By Ian Siemer, Vice President of Product and Marketing, OpenEye.
Every second counts when a security threat emerges – yet traditional surveillance still relies heavily on on-site guards and constant human oversight. This dependence not only drives up operational costs but also puts staff in harm’s way during high-risk incidents, especially when confronting potentially violent offenders.
As threats evolve, organisations are urgently seeking ways to strengthen security without solely relying on in-person guarded protection.
This article examines modern strategies for remote monitoring that reduce the need for continuous human involvement.
It explores how an overreliance on manual processes can slow efficiency and how intelligent, cloud-powered video solutions can relieve security teams of routine tasks – freeing them to focus on higher-value responsibilities that improve overall safety and operations.
Limitations of manual surveillance
Organisations have traditionally relied on guards and monitoring teams to surveil facilities, respond to incidents and keep people and assets safe. While human oversight remains an important component of surveillance, it brings complexities that can affect both productivity and safety.
Cost and resource inefficiency – employing security staff complete with on-site guards requires significant resources. Overnight or weekend shifts often result in substantial salary expenses and overtime payments. In many cases, multiple staff are needed to ensure complete coverage and reduce the possibility of blind spots, further driving up operational costs. As many businesses struggle to incorporate these costs into their budgets, finding solutions that are more cost-effective while still providing complete security coverage becomes vital.
Difficult coverage and remote sites – no matter how skilled or dedicated security staff may be, on-site personnel can only monitor a limited area at a time, inevitably leaving blind spots and vulnerabilities. This situation becomes further complicated for remote, low traffic sites that need continuous coverage but cannot justify round-the-clock physical guarding. These realities highlight the need for alternative security approaches that can ensure round-the-clock vigilance.
Susceptibility to threats – on-site security roles involve personal risk, especially when dealing with potentially aggressive or violent individuals. In high-tension situations, security personnel can quickly become the focus of confrontation. Incidents can escalate suddenly, leaving little time to react and increasing the potential for injury. Beyond the immediate danger, these encounters can have lasting effects on a guard’s mental wellbeing. The reality is that even the most experienced and well-trained professionals operate in unpredictable environments where safety cannot be guaranteed. These risks highlight the importance of monitoring solutions that can manage threats effectively.
Intelligent video monitoring tools
Intelligent video monitoring tools, including active deterrent cameras, video analytics, multi-region analytics, virtual arm/disarm and two-way audio, can alleviate the burden on teams by providing additional cost-effective monitoring tools.
These tools provide a security network across a facility, ensuring your building is protected even if a security guard isn’t present. By having these solutions in place, your team can proactively respond to threats without putting themselves in harm’s way.
Virtually arm and disarm your location – virtual arming and disarming capabilities in a cloud video platform unlock new flexibility for remote security management. This feature uses your video security system to arm or disarm a location from any device, anywhere, as opposed to using a traditional intrusion alarm panel. With virtual arming, operators can set an armed state that can then be tied to alert on specific events to further cut down on noise, limit false alarms and reduce inefficiencies for staff. Security managers can remotely implement location schedules so facilities are armed automatically when they need to be. Security systems can be configured to issue alerts only during designated hours. This ensures personnel respond solely to critical incidents.
Strengthen security with active deterrent cameras – active deterrent cameras are programmed to activate a bright light, or audible notices, when specific events occur, such as the detection of a person or vehicle, effectively discouraging unwanted activity. In cases of attempted break-ins, trespassing or vandalism, the sudden light, combined with the awareness of being recorded, can prompt offenders to abandon their actions and leave the premises. Strategically placed in high-risk areas, these cameras can help de-escalate incidents and reduce risk to staff.
Leverage intelligent video analytics alerts – AI-powered video analytics can accurately identify genuine threats, often with greater efficiency than human operators. Smart detection algorithms analyse video and alert based on a variety of events, including unauthorised entry, loitering, license plate recognition and person and vehicle detection. Video analytics help cut through the noise of events by only alerting on those that matter most to your business. This approach helps businesses remain protected while minimising false alarms. Additional video verification by remote monitoring teams could help further confirm whether an incident requires intervention or can be dismissed as a harmless anomaly. This also streamlines response times, as the events that make their way back to human teams can be quickly identified to help construct a proper incident response plan. With video analytics capable of recognising a variety of incidents, businesses can fine-tune their protocols.
Strategically escalate alerts with multi-region analytics – multi-region analytics take the power of AI analytics one step further by enabling operators to set up multiple separate analytic areas within a camera’s view, providing options for how an event is escalated based on where the detected object is in the frame. For example, if an intruder nears a fence on your property, the first region triggered can enable an alert that flashes an active deterrent camera’s light. If the intruder continues closer, the next region can notify monitoring teams to leverage two-way audio to communicate with and deter the trespasser. This feature ensures only the most pressing events are escalated to the point that your teams are notified. If an activated light is enough to deter the person, that saves valuable time and resources from having to verify every event, without worrying your team won’t be notified in the situations that matter most.
Respond to intruders remotely – two-way audio, through integration or enabled on the camera, helps further enhance remote intervention capability. Teams can listen in and communicate directly with individuals captured on camera, helping deter suspicious activity in the moment, regardless of their location. This is helpful for persistent intruders who are not immediately repelled by a white LED light. Additionally, two-way audio can help benefit other workplace processes, such as communicating information to a delivery driver on site after normal business hours or speaking with an employee who needs assistance or has suffered an injury. This capability to communicate directly with individuals captured on video enhances security monitoring while streamlining operations.
Improve business security
Intelligent video monitoring tools enhance security operations by optimising workflows, reducing unnecessary actions and helping stop events before they become incidents. Leveraging these tools in a cloud video platform is a powerful way to improve safety and operations.
About the Author
With over two decades of physical security experience, Ian has been actively involved in digital video surveillance and associated technology since its inception in the industry.
