Need an efficient, affordable security solution for your cannabis business?
As more jurisdictions begin to liberalize the rules around the adult use of cannabis, dispensaries and cultivators are popping up in cities and towns across the U.S. The challenges for these businesses are unique, and many are grappling with how to follow the myriad of regulations pertaining to cannabis security.
The regulatory burden for those working in the cannabis industry is great – akin almost to the financial industry with layers upon layers of compliance rules. Depending upon your location, these rules can outline everything from the placement of security cameras to the length of time that video surveillance must be stored. Without a security plan that demonstrates compliance, jurisdictions will not grant a business a license to sell cannabis. This makes it imperative for cannabis companies to do their research upfront and invest in reliable security technology that is compliant with all of their local state and county rules.
But how do you find a fully compliant security system that can also be deployed rapidly? After all, the industry is growing, and once a state legalizes medical and/or adult use of cannabis, businesses want to be up and running quickly.
Here are four reasons why hosted video surveillance can be the optimal choice for new cannabis businesses.
Faster deployment –With a hosted solution, you don’t have to worry about setting up or configuring the central video server or any application software. That’s because your video provider handles this, allowing for faster deployment and more time to focus on running your business.
Less in-house maintenance work – It takes substantial resources to maintain a typical video surveillance network, from all the devices to the staff needed to oversee the infrastructure. Hosted video solutions are managed offsite by your provider, so they handle all of the software and firmware updates, configuration, health monitoring, and maintenance of the system. This is ideal if your business doesn’t have the network infrastructure or IT personnel to do this. It is also perfect for startups because as they grow their business, they can also grow their surveillance solution over time to fit their needs.
Valuable business insights – With some hosted video solutions, you can receive pre-defined reports on what is most important to you. For example, perhaps you want to review all voided transactions. You can build a report that shows you all of these transactions with corresponding video clips so you can investigate. If you’re using a video analytics sensor, you can also capture people counting, queue length monitoring or dwell time analytics and build this data into your reports. You can review this information over time to evaluate and improve your customer service practices.
Flexible payment options – Lack of access to traditional bank lending can make it harder for cannabis businesses to make a large capital investment into security. In many hosted solutions, you don’t need to purchase software licenses or worry about license renewals. You can skip the upfront costs by using your provider’s licenses and central server instead. Since you’re purchasing a service, you just pay a monthly fee, and your provider takes care of the rest.
From quick and simple deployment and maintenance to valuable insights and flexible payment options, there are various benefits to investing in a hosted video solution. I encourage cannabis business operators to think about the long-term needs of their business when choosing a video surveillance system.
About the author: Chris Jensen is the Cannabis Market Manager for March Networks, a leading provider of intelligent IP video surveillance and business intelligence solutions.
