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Over the past decades, CCTV systems have become a big business, and their presence has proliferated across the globe. Consider that the United Kingdom employs roughly 2 million CCTV cameras across the nation, and that Statista foresees the value of the video surveillance market growing to $63 billion by 2023. That’s a lot of cameras humming and scanning and recording away all over the world. But as anyone who has dealt with technology knows, high-tech solutions can also lead to high-tech problems. CCTV cameras work great — until they don’t. Read More about 6 Ways to Know Your CCTV System is Working Properly »

Technological advancements can sometimes seem like a gadget-focused arms race — one that’s impossible for business owners to win. Just when they think that they’ve purchased all of the necessary hardware and software to process payments, enable online shopping, and safeguard their brick-and-mortar facilities, some new piece of tech emerges, instituting a brand-new upgrade cycle. The truth of the matter is that many technological “advancements” only offer minimal upgrades to current equipment. However, sometimes a true advancement comes along, one that revolutionizes the field, and owners would do well to upgrade immediately. Read More about Is 4k CCTV Worth it When You Already Have a 1080p System? »

Theft costs small businesses and major retailers immense amounts of money each and every year. A survey by Jack L. Hayes International, Inc. discovered that “just 22 large retailers” reported “over 184,000 shoplifters and dishonest employee apprehensions in 2020,” and they “recovered over $81 million from these thieves.” Additionally, the National Retail Federation found that the “financial impact of organized retail crime is considerable. ORC costs retailers $703,320 per $1 billion in sales.” Naturally, such stark realities have led most businesses to invest in security hardware and personnel. But smaller businesses have struggled to balance effectiveness and cost, and some have selected so-called self-monitoring security systems as an alternative to manned or hosted security systems. Read More about Pros & Cons of Self-Monitoring Security Systems »

New expenses aren’t exactly something that most small businesses welcome. Though the U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy notes that small businesses comprise 99.9 percent of all American firms, they face existential struggles year after year. One out of five small businesses fail within 12 months of their founding, and only half make it to the five-year mark. 

Those aren’t exactly heartening statistics, so the suggestion that a business needs to spend money on something more might sound suspect. But that’s exactly what we’d like to do. If your small business has vehicles regularly coming and going on your property, we’d like to urge you to consider a gate access control system. Why? Well, the best gate access systems not only protect businesses from theft, they can also lower operational costs. Read on to learn more.   Read More about Gate Access: Compelling Reasons Why Your Business Needs One [2021 UPDATE] »

Whether you need to safeguard a business or a home, the common need for a security system is plain when you simply look at the numbers. Consider that the FBI tallied up more than seven million property crimes in 2018 alone, an estimated 2,199.5 crimes per 100,000 U.S. inhabitants. The total loss during that period ran a startling $16.4 billion, and nearly three-quarters (72.5 percent) of those losses were due to larceny and theft. That’s the bad news. But a study from the Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice in Newark, New Jersey, found that “a steady decrease in burglaries in Newark between 2001 and 2005 coincided with an increase in the number of registered home burglar alarms.” Read More about 7 Reasons Why You Need to Switch to a Wireless Security System »

Over the past few decades, schools have needed to branch out from their primary focus on reading, writing, and arithmetic, and the reason why is clear: The kids — and the wider educational environment — are not alright. Though the National Institute of Justice notes that, “nationally, school crime rates have decreased since the early 1990s,” the actual numbers paint a more sobering picture. The Institute of Education Sciences’ 2019 “Indicators of School Crime and Safety” report revealed that, for the period from July 1, 2016, through June 30, 2017, 42 people died violently on a school property and 836,100 in total suffered from theft or non-fatal violence at school.

Such stark numbers and a spate of highly publicized school shootings has led administrators and school boards to ask about ways to improve school security and to seek out technology to keep schools safe. This post will highlight some of the most popular and effective public and private school security systems, as well as additional considerations that decision makers should know about. Read More about 4 Vital Features Any School Security System Should Have »

The topic of business theft makes many managers automatically focus on retail theft. It’s not hard to understand why. The 2019 National Retail Security Survey noted that the average shoplifting incident resulted in a loss of $546.67 and the average robbery cost companies $2,885.15. Those are significant numbers.

However, it’s worth remembering that many other types of business also face substantial theft risks. Citing statistics from the National Equipment Register, Construct Connect reports that the annual value of stolen construction equipment ranges from $300 million to $1 billion. Similarly, BSI’s Annual Cargo Theft Report shows that the median cargo theft amount in North America was $80,000, and eight such incidents occurred every day. And that’s just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when discussing business-equipment theft. Read More about Equipment Security: 7 Tips to Properly Protect Business Equipment »

When people consider security systems, they usually think about security cameras. It’s easy to see why. The scope of video surveillance has become nearly ubiquitous the world over because of its track record of deterring crime and helping manage its aftereffects. GOV.UK, the official website created by the United Kingdom’s Government Digital Service, stated that video surveillance footage “plays a major role in responding to incidents, investigating crimes and prosecuting those responsible. Such footage is useful in both low level crime cases and high profile incidents – it’s captured the movements of terrorists such as the culprit of the attack at Manchester arena in 2017 and helped to identify the suspects of the Salisbury Novichok poisoning in 2018.” Read More about 7 Video Surveillance Applications to Fully Safeguard Your Business »

The data is in, and there’s no doubt about it: Security systems help deter crime. A 2009 study by Rutgers University revealed that “neighborhoods in which burglar alarms were densely installed have fewer incidents of residential burglaries than the neighborhoods with fewer burglar alarms.” Newer research seconds that conclusion. In 2016, The University of North Carolina at Charlotte Department of Criminal Justice & Criminology published a study stating that more than eight out of 10 burglars would attempt to determine if a property had a security system prior to attempting to gain entry. If they realized that a property was safeguarded by a security system, about half of thieves would always stop the robbery with another third breaking off at least some of the time. Read More about Security Systems: Wired or Wireless? »

Residents love to hate homeowners’ associations. The internet positively teems with tales of HOAs run amok. Consider the 2018 tale of a resident who suffered a heart attack while desperately trying to install sod to avoid a fine. Or an HOA that got uppity over the color of a child’s playhouse. Or a resident who ended up with $19,000 in fees after planting a plot of pansies.

But despite those oh-so-popular horror stories, most homeowners’ associations want only the best for their residents — and that’s particularly true when it comes to security. Wondering what some of the best low-cost security solutions for HOAs are? Read on to learn what we recommend.

Read More about 8 Best Security Solutions for Homeowners Associations »