Why You Need CCTV for Your Business

Why You Need CCTV for Your Business
Shops, retail businesses and commercial premises all need to protect themselves these days. It used to be that getting a great CCTV service installed incurred a significant cost, in time as well as money. However, with developing technology, it’s now more affordable than ever and even provides new ways of checking on your premises such as online mobile apps.
If you live in London, Surrey and Kent or the rest of the Home Counties, you can rely on a company like South London Electricians to provide you with the experts who can help you make the right choices when it comes to CCTV protection for your business premises.
• Everyone knows that CCTV is there to help protect you against theft, vandalism or trespass on your property and can be a valuable deterrent apart from keeping an eye on things.
• It can also be used to monitor what is happening inside your premises, for example if you have a shop it can keep an eye out for shop lifters or check that the tills are manned properly.
• Your CCTV provision can be as complex or as simple as you like and can provide you with a high level of security as well as helping to keep your customers and clients safe whilst on your premises.
There are plenty of statistics around which confirm that having a visible security system dramatically helps to reduce the level of criminal activity.
Smart phones add another level of great functionality to CCTV operation. It means that you can check your premises while on the move and even when you are at home or out visiting clients.
Commercial CCTV Services for South London, Surrey and Kent
There are plenty of scare stories out there where premises have been vandalized or broken into, or where staff have been helping themselves to the stock, or money from the till. Most business owners understand the need to monitor their most valuable asset and what they need is an affordable and effective solution to their security needs.
One of the other advantages of CCTV, particularly if you have a HD system, will be that the prosecution of criminals ‘caught on camera’ is more likely. And it’s not just the shop lifters that a business has to worry about. We’d all like to trust the people we work with too, but it is often better to be safe than sorry.
CCTV Means Reduced Insurance Premiums
The cost of insurance is going up and having a good CCTV system installed in your commercial premises, shop or retail outlet can help bring down the costs significantly. It’s not just about stopping criminal activity. If someone has an accident on your premises then adequate CCTV coverage can help disprove your liability to any claim.
There’s no doubt that a CCTV system has a number of advantages for businesses and commercial concerns and is a sensible addition that can not only keep everyone safe but save you money in the long run.
At South London Electricians we believe in providing the right advice and the best service so that you get a CCTV system that is fit for purpose and geared towards your needs and budget.
 
7 Things to Consider When Installing a CCTV System
If you live in South London, Surrey and Kent and have commercial premises or run a shop or retail business, then the chances are you might be on the lookout for someone to install a good CCTV system to boost your security and keep your staff and visitors safe.
You might be looking to update your old system or build one up from scratch. Either way South London Electricians will be able to give the right advice and find the installer for your needs. Things have changed in the last few years – developments in technology and increased connectivity means that your old system may well not be up to the task anymore.
Does your system need updating? Have you got the best CCTV provision for your business premises? Is it a good idea to have a review of your security?
If you are thinking of upgrading then there are a few things you might like to consider:
1. First of all, do you have enough cameras? It might be a good idea to check around your premises and see if there are any blind spots. For example, if you have a shop, are there niches where shoplifters can safely go and not risk being seen? Are there areas of your property where people can get access when you are closed up?
2. Is it time for you to go HD? Yes, they are slightly more expensive than normal analogue cameras but they also give you a greater chance of getting prosecutions if someone is caught stealing or trying to enter your premises.
3. Does your system cope well at night? There are a range of cameras on the market at the moment that have night vision capability but they vary a great deal in image quality. Getting the right camera for the job is vital if you want an effective security system for your business or commercial premises.
4. Where are you going to store images? A simple CCTV system will store images on the camera itself but more complex units can be store data on a PC or Digital Video Recorder and allows you to monitor and save multiple channels.
5. How are you going to monitor? Do you want a dedicated control room with trained security staff or do you want to pay a third party to monitor things for you?
6. Do you want your cameras to stay in a fixed position or do you want them to be able to move and pan across a specific area?
7. Do you want to integrate your CCTV system with your other security measures such as alarms? For example, some systems can be set up to increase image resolution when the alarm is tripped.
There’s no doubt that setting up a CCTV system for your shop or retail outlet is a lot more complex than just putting in a couple of cameras. If you want it to work effectively then you need to have the right technology in place. At South London Electricians, you can get access to the right advice that means your security will be up-to-date and geared to your requirements.
 
How Mobile Apps are Revolutionizing CCTV in London
In the past few years a quiet revolution has been under way. If you have a CCTV system for your commercial business, shop or retail outlet then you may have heard of the new developments that are making security ever more accessible and affordable.
It begins with Wi-Fi and ends with the not so humble smart phone. It means you can access your CCTV cameras with the computer in your pocket, whether you are at home or in the office. It short, it gives you chance to keep a track of your office and shop security on the move.
There are now iPad, iPhone and Android apps that allow you to add and monitor multiple cameras, take snap shots that are saved to your photos page, and swap camera views around. All this wouldn’t be possible if we did not have Wi-Fi and 3G and now 4G connectivity. It allows you to keep in contact with your security system anywhere in the world where there is a connection.
An IP/wireless based CCTV system has a number of advantages including:
• It reduces cabling requirements and can be integrated with other business security measures such as the alarm system.
• It can be accessed using a smartphone which reduces the needed for onsite staff monitoring cameras.
• Analogue cameras have a lower resolution and therefore are not as useful if you want to ensure criminal convictions. If you want to see how true this is then try zooming in on an analogue image and then do the same thing with a digital one.
• Digital IP based CCTV systems are more flexible and offer higher definition images. There really is no competition. That image quality also transfers easily onto your smartphone and can be saved to the hard drive with just the click of a button.
• Scanning moving objects is more efficient and much clearer and also of a higher resolution with digital cameras rather than analogue, which means you can capture a clear image even if a person is running away from your premises.
Hi-Tech Solutions are Making London Businesses More Secure
There are major developments on the way with new technology. Not only can you use your smartphone to keep track of your security systems it can also allow you to do other things, such as lock doors, turn heating on and off, and monitor energy usage. Many commercial concerns in London, Surrey and Kent are moving to more technological solutions to meet all their needs. It is helping to reduce long term costs and provide more secure and efficient ways of operating.
Digital Wi-Fi based cameras for CCTV are the way to go and getting the right advice and service from a provider is one of the main concerns for businesses in London and the Home Counties. Trading for the last 24 years, South London Electricians prides itself in providing the highest level of service to its customers, making sure they have the right solutions for the job in hand.

Which CCTV Camera Should I Choose?
Take a trip around London, Surrey and Kent and you’ll be sure to see a wide range of CCTV cameras, both old and new, hi-tech and low-tech. From banks and building societies, streets and parks, shops and warehouses, they seem to be everywhere.
If you run a shop or small business or retail outlet then you may well be unsure which CCTV system is the best if you want to update or install a brand new one.
Often, it’s a good idea to take advice from the experts, a company like South London Electricians who have been dispensing good advice and quality service for the last 24 years.
To start you off, here is a list of some of the CCTV cameras that are on the market at the moment:
• Simple Black and White: Many cameras are monochrome and provide high quality images. They are most often used for home security. If you run a business or commercial premises you might like to consider whether colour will add anything to your security. The answer is probably yes.
• HD Colour: Having high definition images can make a big difference for shops if you want to get a conviction against, for example, individuals who have been shop lifting on your premises.
• Infrared: It may sound too high tech but most infrared cameras can switch between that mode and colour, often depending on the light. So at night it will work in infrared allowing you to capture images in store when the light is low.
• Weather Proof: If your camera is being placed outside then you obviously need something more robust. It also protects you from vandals who decide it would be fun to try and break your surveillance cameras.
• Dome Cameras: These are encased in a dome which makes it difficult to see where the camera is pointing. They are more often than not found in banks and post offices.
• Pan Tilt and Zoom: These are movable and can be controlled by a central service to give you a wider range of visibility. Fixed cameras obviously point in just one direction but there are pros and cons for each type.
• Wireless and IP cameras: These connect to the internet or can be accessed wireless by gadgets such as smart phones. Wireless cameras are becoming more and more popular particularly in London, Kent and Surrey as the technology improves.
• Fish-eye: Anyone interested in photography will know that a fish eye lens gives a broader angle of surveillance and is a great if you are using just a single camera to cover a particular area.
Whichever system you choose then it pays to think about your needs and what is possible for your business premises. A shop will have different requirements to a retail factory or warehouse where there is a greater space to cover.
For great advice and to fully discover your options you need to contact the experts. To make sure your security system is maintained and installed properly then South London Electricians can help