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3 Ways to Increase Profitability Using Video Surveillance with Analytics Why the Need for Analytics? For the past three decades, video surveillance has proven itself beneficial in helping businesses reduce costs, stop losses and increase productivity. However, these systems either require additional manpower to monitor video feeds live, or are only used to review recorded video, after the fact. Even then, the effectiveness of the video is only as good as the human's ability to comprehend what is seen on the live or recorded video. This problem is compounded with multitudes of cameras and hours upon hours of video. Today's advanced video analytics (intelligent analytics) has changed everything. It has taken the basic premise of video surveillance and recording to a whole new level, turning these passive monitoring and recording devices into active intelligent technology capable of analyzing the video streams in real time, and taking or initiating action based on a pre-es...

MonitorClosely.com offers multiple video monitoring solutions. We cover everything from basic video alarm monitoring to virtual guard and video valet services. Contact us for a solution customized to meet your exact needs. In addition, video monitoring may help reduce your insurance cost. Click here to read the full article.

"Residents can look up specific crimes in their area or provide anonymous tips.." Click here to read the full story

Video surveillance systems can play a very valuable role in tackling internal theft within businesses, according to one expert. Tom Reeve, editor of SecurityNewsDesk.com, said CCTV in the workplace can prevent such crimes from occurring and provide evidence if they do. "Internal theft continues to be a big, intractable problem," he remarked. "But if you've got good CCTV systems in place and employees know that, that can be very valuable as a deterrent." He added: "If it doesn't deter them, if you catch the few people that are committing most of the crimes you can reduce your losses considerably just by getting the evidence you need against a couple of people." However, Mr Reeve insisted that businesses should not rely on CCTV cameras as the first line of defence against internal theft and other instances of crime. He said they should instead provide an extra layer of protection on top of perimeter security and internal measures such as locks ...

Luckily this childcare facility had a video surveillance system in place which helped to dispute an abuse charge. Read the full story here . Is your childcare facility protected? If not, you owe it to yourself and to your clients - invest in a high quality digital surveillance system. Contact MonitorClosely.com for a free site survey. In addition, MonitorClosely.com maintains a secure portal which allows your clients to login and view select cameras. As a bonus, we handle any technical issues directly with your clients saving you valuable time. Offering this service to your clients also helps to generate additional revenue for YOUR business. Most customers are able to quickly recoup their initial investment and actually turn their video surveillance system into a means of generating additional profit! Contact us for more details. 828-273-1657 or sfox@monitorclosely.com

CBS News reports on the growing "slip and fall" scam. Is your business protected? Well, if you do not have a high quality digital surveillance system, the answer is no. More than ever, people who slip and fall in public establishments are turning out to be fraudulent. Sharyl Attkisson reports on one of the fastest-growing scams in the U.S. View the video by clicking here.

By Rick Moon Posted: Jan. 15, 2011 8:00 a.m. Katie Duelge figures that her New Berlin neighborhood is safe. The streets are quiet. Neighbors watch out for each other. Crime is almost non-existent. Still, she’s not taking any chances. Duelge added a security system to her home this past summer. It’s an extra layer of protection. One can never be too safe, she reasoned. Click here to read the full story

While analysts are cautiously optimistic about this year's holiday retail outlook, retailers need to take steps to prevent shoplifters or a dishonest employee from dampening a good selling season. Below is a list to help retailers protect their businesses this holiday season: 1. Make sure your video surveillance system is working properly. It may have been a while since you looked closely at your video surveillance system and confirmed that it was capturing images properly. Check to see that the cameras are still positioned to give you optimal coverage. Make sure the system’s digital video recorder (DVR) or network video recorder (NVR) is plugged in! Also make sure you have a UPS in place and that it has been tested. 2. Verify that your holiday decorations and displays do not obstruct your security systems. Watch out for decorations and displays that may obstruct video cameras or set off motion sensors. Mylar balloons are notorious for causing false alarms. 3. Test your hol...

A MonitorClosely.com surveillance system combined with our Virtual Guard / Police Priority service will help protect your business from the destruction caused by copper thieves. Call us for a FREE site survey and let us help protect you from becoming the subject of an article like the one below. By George Diepenbrock August 15, 2010 One of Brenda Wilch’s instructors at the Lawrence Jazzercise Center called her earlier this month. It was 87 degrees inside the fitness center and getting warmer as the summer heat promised to increase outside at the strip mall, 3115 W. Sixth St. Wilch, who’s owned the business since July 1, asked her maintenance man to work on the two units in the alley. “They arrived. We looked outside and realized that one unit had been completely dismantled,” Wilch said. “The other unit was in pieces.” Thieves had been after the copper wire in the units. Since July 30, Lawrence police have taken reports of five other similar crimes. Sgt. Matt Sarna, a Lawr...

A Quick Background Color and black and white cameras both have their unique strengths for surveillance needs. Color cameras have the obvious benefit of providing the detail of…color. Being able to record the color of a suspect’s skin tone, clothing, or vehicle is beyond import – it can truly make the difference between solving the crime and the bad guy going free. In order for color cameras to accurately produce colors, during manufacturing an IR cut filter is placed over the imager. The cut filter allows the camera to only see light in the visible spectrum (400nm to 750nm). Consequently, color cameras fall short when it comes to producing usable images in low light scenarios. Conversely, black and white cameras don’t use an IR cut filter because they do not need to see color. With the absence of this filter, B&W cameras can make use of other light frequencies – such as infrared – which come from a variety of sources, including the sun, fluorescent lights, incandescent lights a...

Vandalism, including graffiti, can cost a business thousands of dollars. One way to reduce, and even eliminate, vandalism is with a properly designed and installed surveillance system. It worked for this dentist, watch the news clip - click here .

When looking for surveillance cameras, here are some of the top reasons to consider infrared: 1. Perfect for covert applications . Infrared illumination is in a frequency range beyond what the human eye is capable of registering as light. Conversely, most video cameras perceive infrared light just as they would any other type of light. So if your goal is to catch a bad guy in the act – and they usually strike in the darkness, then infrared is an invaluable tool to obtain irrefutable evidence of a suspect who believes he is not being watched. 2. Never get left in the dark . The day/night capability of IR cameras provide the best of both worlds, delivering vibrant color images during the day and high resolution b/w images at night. 3. Save on energy costs . Video cameras equipped with IR capabilities typically use LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) to produce infrared illumination. In comparison to incandescent lighting (normal light bulb), LEDs use 80% or less energy while still producing ...

Dome cameras can be the perfect choice for retail, medical, commercial, and residential applications that require a highly effective security solution while also maintaining aesthetics. Dome cameras come in a multitude of configurations such as vandal proof, day/night, wide dynamic range (WDR), infrared (IR), and even Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ). Their versatility allows them to be used both indoors and outdoors. Some dome camera housings can even be painted in order to match its environment. Another benefit is the ability to mount the cameras both vertically and horizontally. In addition, dome cameras can be configured with a smoked cover which makes it much more difficult for a criminal to determine which direction the camera is pointing - a feature other cameras styles cannot offer. So if you are looking for an inconspicuous security camera solution that will blend in with your existing decor, you may want to take a look at a dome style camera.

Everyone likes the thought of saving money. What could be better than saving money while also providing peace of mind for your family? Insurance companies really like seeing that a home is protected from risk, so burglar alarms and home security / surveillance systems will generate a discount in most cases. Usually your insurance company will require proof that an alarm / surveillance system was professionally installed and that a monitoring and/or service contract is in place. The amount of savings can vary between insurance companies, however, in the Asheville area discounts have been around 15%. Check with your insurance company to see what discount they provide and then give us a call, send us an email, or visit our site to schedule a FREE security site survey and estimate.

Well, according to a five year study conducted at Rutgers University School of Criminal Justice, the answer is YES! The study states that residential alarm systems do contribute to decreased crime in neighborhoods. In addition, the study notes that the deterrent effect of alarms can be felt across neighborhoods. "Neighborhoods in which burglar alarms are densely installed have fewer incidents of residential burglaries than the neighborhoods with fewer alarms," wrote study author Dr. Seungmug Lee. Contact us for a FREE Security Evaluation. 828-273-1657 or fox1097@monitorclosely.com