5 Key Factors to Consider When Installing a CCTV System

A CCTV system is a powerful deterrent when looking to protect the various assets of a commercial business. These primarily include people, but also can include buildings, product, materials and equipment. A commercial business is exposed to several different security threats, including theft, trespass, vandalism and nuisance, and also must guard against accidents and injuries to intruders and the possibility of liability disputes. The possible severity of these security threats will depend on factors such as location, the condition of the buildings, the nature of the operations and what other security measures are in place. A tailor-made CCTV system is one of the most effective security solutions you can put in place, but there is a lot to consider when designing the most suitable system.

There are many possible options and variables involved when designing a CCTV system, including quality of footage, what sharing facilities you will need and whether you need advanced video analytics etc. Other factors and options to consider will be positioning, AI, storage, GDPR, static, PTZ (pan, tilt and zoom) and fisheye cameras. Every business will have different needs, because they have different assets to protect and operate in different circumstances, hence they have their own unique security risks and objectives. But here we have gathered together five common factors that every business should consider, and which will help to establish the type of CCTV system your business will need.

1. Purpose

Generally speaking, common motivations behind wanting a CCTV system include deterring against a security threat, to monitor the area for possible security threats, to gather evidence of known security threats, to capture evidence of health and safety accidents and to monitor points of access and egress. In many cases a business has to consider all of these. But essentially you need to define your security goals and s to establish what your security threats are and how your site layout helps or hinders these threats. This will help you establish what kind of CCTV system you need and what key features it needs to have.

Ask yourself:

• Do you need high-definition images for facial recognition?
• Do you need heat maps and traffic control features because your site is a high traffic area?
• Do you need an ANPR facility because vehicles are involved in potential security threats?
• Do you need a smart search facility because you anticipate doing a lot of archive footage searching?
• Do you need cameras to mark out no stop zones? Or to identify illegally parked vehicles?
• Do you need cameras to detect a person or object moving against the usual flow of foot or vehicle traffic?
• Do you need to identify objects obstructing locations that need to remain clear?
• Do you need cameras to identify spillages to prevent slips, trips and falls?

All these features can be combined into a bespoke system, but you need to define exactly what your requirements are. You also need to consider scalability and what future needs you might have, as well as how the CCTV system integrates with other systems, both now and in the future.

2. Locations

A considerable portion of the cost of your system will be dictated by the number of cameras you need and other location factors, such as surrounding infrastructure, any civil works required and the ability to run cables. You should therefore think about where you need cameras and whether other security measures can compensate for the lack of a CCTV camera, known as a blind spot. Do you need indoor or outdoor cameras? Or both? Do you need PTZ functions or static cameras? Ideally you need cameras to cover critical points such as entry and exit points, and vulnerable locations where there may be a higher risk, such as high traffic areas, perimeter areas, open spaces and where valuable goods are stored.

3. Storage, sharing and monitoring capabilities

This relates to how you are going to use footage once it has been captured. From a tech point of view, do you require real time monitoring? Do you want data stored on a hard drive on-site or can it be cloud-based for off-site viewing? Then what capacity storage do you need? How long do you want to store footage for to allow for retrospective viewing? How do you want to share footage? How will you manage authorisation to share footage? Do you need remote access so authorised people can view and search footage from anywhere? Do you need footage to be mobile-optimised? Storage, sharing and monitoring are important considerations, but again, most needs can be accommodated in a tailor-made system.

4. Compliance

In most cases you don’t need anyone’s permission to install a CCTV system, but you do need to put up signage to inform people that CCTV cameras are operating. This often acts as a good deterrent as it makes potential offenders wary of being caught on camera. Operators of CCTV systems require a public space surveillance licence to operate, view, download and share CCTV footage captured. This comes under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012. There are other compliance issues regarding CCTV to think about also, such as stored footage and how this impacts on people’s data protection rights, and in which internal or communal areas of a building you can locate CCTV cameras. You also need to think about the scope of an external camera, and whether it actually films areas outside of your boundary. Potentially, if you are filming part of a neighbouring building as well as your own, this could fall under the realm of your neighbour’s data protection.

5. Budget

While this shouldn’t be the factor that dictates everything, it is inevitably going to be a major consideration. There are significant costs involved in a CCTV system, such as cameras, recording devices, installation, cabling, servicing and maintenance. It is important that you consider the results of your risk assessment and comply with your duty in making your site safe and secure for your business and its people. Therefore, while budget is an important factor, you should never compromise on safety and security.

Designing an effective and professional CCTV system with First Response Group

At First Response Group we can work with you to design a customisable, cost-effective and fully integrated CCTV system, which safeguards your business and considers all the above factors. We can design and install a system that covers all your practical needs while also enhancing your safety and security systems, so contact our team to discuss CCTV installations today.