Commercial security systems offer a critical line of defense against theft, vandalism, and other criminal activity. If you’re maintaining a commercial environment, having the right type of security on-site will help you protect employees, customers, and products. Keep your bottom line healthy and your facility safe with the right type of surveillance for your location.

Construction Security

Construction superintendents have many responsibilities on their plates, making it easy for security to fall by the wayside. However, several hazards can plague a construction site. The equipment and activities on a construction site pose a danger to both employees and the general public. Even a minor miscalculation can have disastrous consequences for those who aren’t careful on the job site.

Commercial security systems can help monitor activity on-site, allowing superintendents to evaluate employee activities as needed. It’s not possible for supervisors to have their eyes on all workers at once, but well-placed cameras can give them a broad view of what’s taking place so they can identify potential safety hazards, resolve disputes, and determine the cause of any accidents or errors that may occur.

Construction sites are also vulnerable to theft. The equipment and supplies that are stored on a job site present a major temptation for criminals. According to the National Equipment Register, roughly $300 million to $1 billion worth of equipment is stolen each year. Less than a quarter of this is recovered. Construction Connect advises that “the key to preventing construction equipment theft is deterrence.” Fences, lighting, and the presence of surveillance systems can all help deter criminal activity in this type of commercial environment.

Retail Security

A monitored commercial security system can help with loss prevention in retail businesses. It’s important for business owners to tailor these security solutions to meet their unique needs.

Some types of retail stores are at a higher risk of theft than others. Jewelry stores and electronics stores typically draw more theft because of the high-end items they carry. However, these stores also tend to display their items in a more secure manner, utilizing anti-theft measures like locked display cases, security cables, and RFID tags. A grocery store, meanwhile, does not implement these same measures for food and beverages.

Whether you’re selling smartphones or sandwiches, you can benefit from commercial security monitoring. This system will alert you to suspicious activity within your store. With live surveillance services, you can receive real-time notifications about customers who are attempting to steal products from your store. In cases where you don’t notice the theft until later, you will still have the ability to review your footage, see what happened, and potentially identify the culprit.

A retail security system can also help you analyze everyday activity at your store. Examining traffic patterns might help you better position your display cases. Assessing customer activity surrounding new displays will show you which type of advertising causes customers to slow down or stop. Well-placed cameras can serve myriad purposes for your establishment.

Dealership Security

Car dealerships are at a high risk for automobile theft, due to both the number of vehicles on-site and the ease with which criminals are often able to access them. In one study, 22 percent of offenders noted that car dealerships are considered easy targets for car theft. Car theft is more prevalent at businesses than at residential locations, and car repair shops and dealerships are among the top targets.

Dealerships typically suffer from late-night theft when no one is there to witness the crime. Commercial security monitoring can help mitigate some of your risk in these situations by providing you with a valuable set of eyes on the lot. When you can’t afford a live commercial security guard on your premises, remote monitoring can offer a more affordable and efficient solution.

Intelligent analytics draw the attention of the live security personnel who are watching your cameras. This combines the functionality of modern technology with the essential discernment that is possible only with a human staff. You can supplement these security measures with features like enhanced lighting and physical barriers, such as fencing and locked gates. Mindful business practices can also help. This includes having a sales professional accompany customers on all test drives so potential criminals are never left alone with the opportunity to copy a car key.

School Security

In 2016 alone, students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported 749,000 instances of theft and nonfatal violent crime in school. This translates to 29 cases of victimization per 1,000 students. Fortunately, instances of victimization are declining. The rate of victimization at schools fell 65 percent between 2000 and 2016. This coincides with an increase in security measures. In the 1999-2000 school year, just 19 percent of public schools used security cameras. By the 2015-16 school year, this had risen to 81 percent.

Installing commercial security systems in schools can provide powerful peace of mind for students, parents, and teachers. These cameras help capture incidents of all kinds, from simple theft to violent assault. With monitored cameras in place, it’s possible for remote surveillance professionals to alert staff members and law enforcement to suspicious activity as soon as it occurs. This will ultimately help these institutions establish a safer environment for children.

Commercial surveillance systems can also help resolve disputes after the fact by clearly identifying the culprit and clarifying what took place. Administrators can benefit greatly from the presence of cameras on campus. Well-placed cameras will discourage bullying, theft, and violence. They will also make it easier to identify patterns of harassment or assault when they do take place.

Apartment Security

Though burglary is on the decline overall, there are still around 2.5 million burglaries every year. Only about 13 percent of these crimes are solved by police because there’s often a lack of physical evidence or reliable witnesses. Commercial building security systems can help solve this problem.

Installing a security system at your apartment complex offers several benefits. First, the presence of these cameras will give your residents greater peace of mind, assuring them that the property is always under a watchful eye. This creates a more desirable setting where you may enjoy higher occupancy rates or find that you can command a higher rental rate for your units.

Security cameras will also help you prevent criminal activity both by deterring criminals and by alerting authorities promptly to suspicious activity. Should crimes occur on the premises, you can refer back to your security camera footage to identify the criminal. This footage can also help you resolve disputes between residents or see who is responsible for violating property rules.

Industrial Site Security

If you’re in charge of property management for a warehouse, manufacturing plant, or factory, it’s important to have the right security systems in place. Business owners can’t keep eyes on all parts of the facility at once. Even with a live security team, some parts of the building will likely be unsupervised. Commercial security systems give you a way to constantly observe all parts of the building.

A monitored security system will help you identify criminal activity and respond as quickly as possible. With automated alerts and live remote supervision, you can keep a smart eye on the activity at your industrial facility at all times. This will help you decrease theft and identify criminals. Well-placed cameras can also give you useful insights for improving productivity at your plant. You can review footage to identify bottlenecks and improve your supply chain management.

Critical Infrastructure Security

Critical infrastructure refers to the essential systems and services provided to society. This includes electricity and water as well as communication and transportation systems. Though these services are widely used by the public, most are privately owned. This infrastructure is critical to the safety and comfort of individuals throughout the country. If you operate a power plant, water treatment facility, transportation facility, or other business that’s part of the country’s critical infrastructure, security is a prime concern.

Critical infrastructure is vulnerable to theft and vandalism in many forms. Financial institutions that are part of the country’s critical infrastructure have a predictable appeal to criminals. Other facilities may be at risk for theft of raw resources. Data theft is of major concern to business in the critical infrastructure industry, as well.

On-site surveillance is one of many measures that property owners should implement to protect critical infrastructure. Remote live video monitoring goes above and beyond standard video surveillance, to provide the added benefit of live observation. Intelligent analytics will alert security personnel to unusual activity using features like motion detectors. Implementing commercial security systems in this sector is a smart way to protect products and services that are essential to the American public.

Identifying the best security solutions for your particular industry will help you put critical protections in place to keep your inventory well-protected and your clients comfortable. Monitored security systems provide a wealth of benefits in any commercial sector. No matter where your primary threats lie, having live monitoring on-site will help you avoid major issues and identify criminals in those instances where crime does occur.