As a New England business owner, you may not think much about your various security and surveillance systems — until you need them. That means your existing solutions may have become outdated, suffer from gaps, or are just plainly obsolete and not fully functional.
It may be too late to address these security shortcomings by the time you realize them. This is most relevant in areas where the growth of new technology, such as the Internet of Things, is creating even more risk than before.
Is Your Security Ready?
With the arrival of COVID-19 and new safety and health regulations, businesses face a whole new set of challenges to protect their employees, customers and partners. As the Boston Herald notes, a failure in protection might lead to a crippling lawsuit that could financially ruin a small firm.
Members of your company, or your partners, may be working remotely in unfamiliar environments or conditions, as mentioned in a recent Boston Business Journal article. Your security procedures and solutions may be vulnerable, given they must function across geographically distributed locations, or at hours and in circumstances they weren’t designed for.
Protection Assessment and Evaluation
Given the current situation, here are five indicators to consider if you’re in doubt about how current and robust your current business security system is. You might want to consider an upgrade or revamp if:
- You can’t view/record activities in key areas for ongoing compliance and safety. This particularly applies to customer-facing businesses, such as restaurants or retail stores. Given the new rules around hygiene, you must be able to demonstrate you follow social distancing and similar guidelines.
- Your business has changed or expanded substantially since the last surveillance/alarm installation. Are you in the same location? Did you expand your existing one? Are new areas sufficiently protected? You have to regularly re-evaluate your existing infrastructure to match your growth.
- You can’t respond in real-time to disruptive or risky situations. Thieves or vandals can strike at your business at any time. Plus, given the various restrictions caused by COVID-19, members of the public have lately demonstrated disruptive behavior, as mentioned in this blog post. A high-resolution camera system feeding into a 24/7 control system can enable the fastest, safest responses.
- You lack communications and/or power redundancy. Thieves are shrewder than ever. They can take out your landline to prevent a burglar alarm reaching first responders. As we’ve previously noted, you should have backup communications in place, such as cellular connectivity. Likewise, if the power in your facility goes out, back up battery power will ensure the alarms stay live until electricity is restored.
- It’s been years since you upgraded your surveillance/security systems. High tech criminals never rest. They create new viruses and hacking schemes. You can help defeat that by making sure your network has all the latest software patches and security protocols in place. Can your cameras clearly record all activity on your premises? High resolution cameras improve regularly and enable ever better visibility into your facilities or shop floors. Cloud-based solutions can provide further security by allowing securely encrypted off-site video storage and streaming 24/7.
If any or all of these situations applies to you, it’s worth considering a security upgrade. New surveillance and sensing systems can protect you and your business in this ever changing and challenging commercial environment.
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Stay up to date on security topics such as home alarm systems, business security systems, video surveillance systems, IP video networks, remote video monitoring, fire alarm systems, and fire alarm inspection.
How to Disguise Hidden Home Security Cameras Indoors and Outdoors
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamHow to Disguise Home Security Cameras
This makes security cameras a very important tool for both the safety of the home and the homeowner. Yet, an effective camera isn’t enough. You also need effective camera placement.
In some cases you may not want your cameras right out in the open where they can be tampered with. Instead, you want to ensure that they are well hidden, yet still placed in prime position to capture any would-be intruder.
Here are a few great places to hide your indoor and outdoor cameras to ensure that they are as useful as possible while remaining undamaged by potential burglars.
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Keep Your Security Cameras Free of Insects
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamKeep Spider Webs, Bugs or Insects From Security Cameras
Spider and insect interference may be a bigger problem than you might realize, particularly for homeowners with exterior camera-based security systems. Spiders do in fact habitually spin webs across lenses, as this industry blogs notes. This can create blind spots in your surveillance system, in effect disabling it.
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Returning to School: Security Tips for Parents
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamDepending on your state, county, city or town, your child may be returning soon to the classroom. With the threat of COVID-19 remaining here in New England, you’ll want to take the best approach to ensure your child’s safety in and outside the school or playground.
The challenges for successful reopening and education are considerable, as a Mayo Clinic article on the subject notes. It states, “As schools reopen, they must balance the educational, social and emotional needs of their students along with the health and safety of students and staff in the midst of the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.”
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Security Technology to Help Find Lost Items
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamWhat’s more, Americans spend over 2.7 billion dollars per year in replacement costs for lost goods. Yet, in 2020, there’s no need to waste money replacing what’s been lost. Here are several technology tools you can use to ensure that you always keep track of your most valuable possessions.
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How Burglars Think: How to Outsmart Them
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamEvery New England home or business owner wants to protect their property from burglars. Such invaders are a real threat today. According to the FBI, in 2018, the most recent full year with available statistics, there were 1.2 million burglaries in the United States. This represents some 17 percent of all property crime.
Naturally, you can take basic steps to defend yourself, such as locking doors and windows when you are absent, alerting neighbors if you are going on vacation, and so on. To take it a step further, however, try to think a bit like a burglar and develop your defensive strategies accordingly.
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How to Secure Your Home Without Breaking the Bank
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamIf you want to ensure that you do not become part of that statistic, you’re not alone. Homeowners are looking for better ways to secure their property – that don’t come with a hefty price tag.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to achieve greater home security that don’t involve a lot of additional investment. Often, some creative thinking matched with wise decisions are all it takes to ensure that your home is safe from would-be intruders.
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Tough Commercial Security Questions to Consider
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamAs a New England business owner or manager, you probably have questions about security that you weren’t sure how to ask. Here we have assembled a list of common, reasonable questions to help guide you in the future as you evaluate new (or existing) security solutions.
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Four Tips to Improve Productivity by Leveraging Commercial Security
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamOne of the best ways to do this is by implementing a stronger commercial security infrastructure. These added measures will fortify your business against wasted hours, employee distrust, and other productivity stealers. The following four tips show you how to use commercial security to increase productivity among your employees – across all areas of your business.
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5 Warning Signs You Need to Upgrade Your Business Security
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamIt may be too late to address these security shortcomings by the time you realize them. This is most relevant in areas where the growth of new technology, such as the Internet of Things, is creating even more risk than before.
Is Your Security Ready?
With the arrival of COVID-19 and new safety and health regulations, businesses face a whole new set of challenges to protect their employees, customers and partners. As the Boston Herald notes, a failure in protection might lead to a crippling lawsuit that could financially ruin a small firm.
Members of your company, or your partners, may be working remotely in unfamiliar environments or conditions, as mentioned in a recent Boston Business Journal article. Your security procedures and solutions may be vulnerable, given they must function across geographically distributed locations, or at hours and in circumstances they weren’t designed for.
Protection Assessment and Evaluation
Given the current situation, here are five indicators to consider if you’re in doubt about how current and robust your current business security system is. You might want to consider an upgrade or revamp if:
If any or all of these situations applies to you, it’s worth considering a security upgrade. New surveillance and sensing systems can protect you and your business in this ever changing and challenging commercial environment.
NEXT STEPS:
Stay up to date on security topics such as home alarm systems, business security systems, video surveillance systems, IP video networks, remote video monitoring, fire alarm systems, and fire alarm inspection.
5 Summer Fire Safety Tips
/by American Alarm Blogging TeamFire-related incidents are responsible for thousands of deaths and injuries each year, as well as millions of dollars in property damages. The best way to stop a fire is to prevent it from starting in the first place. Consider these five summer fire safety tips to greatly reduce your risk of a fire taking hold of your home. Using caution, campfires, cookout grills and more can be safely enjoyed all summer long.
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