This article originally appeared in the December 2020 issue of Security Business magazine. When sharing, don’t forget to mention @SecBusinessMag on Twitter and Security Business magazine on LinkedIn.
In these unprecedented times, the global health crisis and its effects are reaching all of us on every level. Organizations of all sizes have been greatly impacted and forced to respond quickly by changing their business models.
Some have been forced to shutter locations, while others scramble to keep up with a surge in customer demand. A shock to the economy of this magnitude will unfortunately lead to an increase in crime, theft, burglary, and fraud; in fact, The Wall Street Journal reported in April that New York City saw a 75 percent increase in burglaries of commercial establishments in a one-month span.
Now more than ever, operations, IT and security professionals are working overtime to find ways to address these concerns and leverage various technology solutions that will help them secure and scale their operations. Many end-users are working hand in hand with a managed service provider as an extension of their in-house teams to help identify the best and most effective solutions.
If you have considered shifting to a managed services model for your traditional security integration business, the current climate – with COVID cases on the rise and more potential lockdowns and limitations on business in the future – may be the perfect reason.
Verticals Affected the Most
Businesses that are currently at greatest risk are those in the retail and casual dining space that have shuttered or severely limited operations due to government mandate. Without employees on premises on a regular basis, these businesses become exposed to a range of potential threats, such as looting and burglaries. If these businesses have just a basic alarm system without video integration, they are particularly vulnerable.
With law enforcement currently focusing more on mission-critical, health-related issues, they are unable to respond as easily to a commercial burglar alarm signal sent to a 911 center from a door contact or a motion detector, for example. On the other hand, a video-verified alarm system that clearly demonstrates an imminent situation will prompt law enforcement to move more quickly to the location. Video verified alarms can not only save valuable police time, they can also save enterprises hundreds of thousands of dollars in false alarm fees.
While many businesses are struggling with closures and reduced activity, essential businesses are busier than ever, and that comes with its own set of challenges. Grocery stores, convenience stores, and restaurants offering curbside pickup or delivery services are all running fast, have more inventory, more customers and more employees working than usual and, most importantly, have more cash on hand than usual.
In this type of environment, security is more imperative than ever. Interactive monitoring with live video and two-way audio, verified video alarm services, point of sale exception reporting and business analytics can all play a critical role in combating these security threats while at the same time, streamlining overall business practices.
Managed Security and Business Services on the Menu
An interactive monitoring solution with video and two-way audio capabilities enables trained security staff to see, hear and communicate with employees to ensure their personal safety and make sure the premises remain secure 24/7. Virtual guard services connect to live audio and video feeds remotely and scan the location to look for any potential threat throughout the day and night.
This powerful layer of security ensures there is a security presence on hand and warns potential bad actors that there are eyes on the location. In the event of a threat, employees can rely on the immediate response of a trained, live professional who will properly assess the situation and walk the employee through the appropriate steps of how to safely address it.
For essential businesses that remain open, automated voice down message services provide the ability to make public announcements to remind customers and employees about proper social distancing and safety practices. The messages are scheduled throughout the day and play through an organization’s existing speaker system.
While businesses have seen a rise in vandalism, theft and burglaries, employee shrink also remains a concern. Point of sale exception reporting for essential businesses is extremely important. Video surveillance and alarm integration enables loss prevention professionals to quickly identify anomalies and prevent shrink.
A cloud-based remote auto attendant can also be a powerful tool to help reduce an overload of incoming calls to a business and reduce stress on staff so they can focus on more important tasks at hand and handle immediate requests from customers. Many businesses have converted to VoIP solutions with cloud automated attendant features for simple and cost-effective calling services that result in 50 to 60 percent fewer calls directly to a location. Here, when customers call a business, the phone is actually ringing to a remote, cloud-based auto attendant. It presents the caller with recorded options, such as directions, business hours or instructions on ordering online or curbside pick-ups. If the customer needs to speak directly with someone at the location, there is an option for them to transfer.
There are also additional networking and security solutions to consider, such as added bandwidth to support increased digital applications on networks, and wireless WAN services for instant pop-up networks across locations, contactless access control systems and temperature monitoring solutions.
Adapting to the Future
Despite the dramatic autumn increase in COVID cases in the United State and elsewhere, businesses will eventually move from crisis mode to a longer-term, post-pandemic strategy. As more employees return to the workplace, managed services will be a tool to help end-users support and enforce new security and safety policies in place.
For example, physical distancing practices in the workplace are expected to remain for some time; and there will be very stringent requirements regarding food safety. For distributed enterprises involved in customer service, retail, QSR and casual dining, it will be imperative to have an always-open window into their operations to track the business and enforce policies.
As these businesses will not be at 100 percent capacity for some time and high-level management will not be able to be everywhere at once, they can rely on interactive video surveillance solutions and audit specialists to remotely check these locations. Remote audits, for example, can ensure that people are not overcrowding and getting too close together in a retail space or that tables at restaurants are not placed too close together.
There are already a number of large U.S. retailers looking to employ these types of solutions. While every business may not need a high-end security system, it should at the very least have a quality video system that is integrated with the alarm system. If an alarm system and a video system are not connected, it is simply a waste of resources.
A managed service provider can bring to the table a combination of expertise, relationships with OEMs or vendors, and experience in solving security and safety challenges businesses are facing. Many of these advanced security solutions can be implemented rapidly and can show results – as well as a demonstrable return on investment – in less than a few weeks.
Brent Duncan is President and Chief Operating Officer of Interface Security Systems (https://interfacesystems.com), a managed service provider based in Missouri.
