It’s never been more affordable for small businesses to protect your assets and keep your storefront safe. But selecting the best video surveillance system for a small store can be confusing. What exactly do you need to cover? How much recorded video do you need to store? Do you want to be able to manage your cameras from your phone or tablet? And how can you do everything you want to do within your budget?
Here are a few common scenarios you can use to find the best video security and surveillance to increase your store security.
Scenario: I want to monitor who’s coming and going from my front door
In many cases, owners of small shops just need to cover their front door to provide an audit trail of who comes and goes. In this situation, a single HD camera with a small NVR can provide quality video and 30 days of storage at an affordable price. To increase the level of security, many shop owners will add a public view monitor so customers will know they are being recorded, which adds a beneficial layer of deterrent. This type of system is expandable and can be managed from a PC, laptop, tablet or mobile phone.
Scenario: I want to cover my front door, and my cash register…and the back stock room would be great, too
By adding 2 or 3 additional cameras to the system above, you can obtain greater coverage of your facility and increase store security. With Point of Sale integration, you can combine existing data from your POS software with your video to gain clear understanding of each transaction. Audio can also be enabled on the cameras giving you access to your customer’s experience with your staff which provides useful information to improve operational efficiencies and training. Monitoring your back door is also crucial considering most shrink happens through the back door that leads to the inventory and stock rooms. Video surveillance allows you to monitor anything that happens while your back door is open.
Scenario: I want to focus on key areas, but would also like to cover my entire store – if possible
360° camera technology allows us to record a 360° pattern that covers all areas of your store while allowing you to highlight those key areas of concern. If suspicious activity transpires in a non-highlighted area, the play back option provides the functionality to review the area where the incident took place. Typically, the entire area of a small store can be covered with 1 or 2 cameras. Ask an expert to see if this solution is right for you.
Camera technology has improved dramatically in recent years, making video surveillance for small businesses more available and affordable. With a very small surveillance footprint, you can cover a large area.
