Here’s Looking at You
by Norman K. Willis Just about every business, even a small business, has to give some thought to security. This is especially true for companies that produce high dollar value products---the threat of theft is always very real. Given that reality, business owners have to answer a very important question---“How do we protect our business, and our employees?” For sure, having a physical security presence is an effective way to deter criminals from making off with merchandise or engaging in other unsavory activities around a place of business. The truth is, however, it isn’t always practical or cost effective. Even if physical security is a good solution during business hours, what about after hours, when no customers or employees are present? In addition, security officers, though many of them are very professional and competent, sometimes don’t show up for work, make mistakes, or have lapses in attention. In light of that, employing video surveillance may be the best solution for some businesses to protect themselves and their resources. So if you’re a business owner and you’ve made the decision to utilize video surveillance, where do you start? There are many important components to a surveillance system---monitors, cabling, video recorders---but the workhorse of the system is the camera. Choosing the right camera for your application can make the difference between having a system that does what you want it to do, or an expensive toy that just dents your pocketbook. Indoors vs. Outdoors A key factor in choosing the right camera is whether or not it will be for indoor or outdoor use. Cameras designed to operate outside will have special features that will protect them from the elements, so this is an important consideration. Be [...]