5 Reasons Video Security is the Best Business Protection
Security Dog
Here in Savannah, we love our pets (and tourists love that we love their pets too!). Savannah is a dog-friendly city that boasts plenty of shops, restaurants, and tours in our downtown district that welcome your furry family member along for the ride!
Savannah’s Downtown area has over 200 businesses and averages around 14 million tourists a year. If you own a retail or restaurant, then your business is bound to see a lot of foot traffic.
Savannah’s booming tourism industry is great for business, but with all the hustle and bustle comes a necessity to safeguard your business against theft and property crime. Based on FBI crime data, Savannah has a higher crime rate than 68% of all other Georgia towns & cities (of all sizes). In 2019, the weekly average for property crimes in Savannah was 104 reported incidents/week and the weekly average for violent crime was 23 reported incidents/week. With all that foot traffic, the last thing you want is to miss out on new customers because of a broken window (or worse!).
Security for a business, whether big or small, plays a big role in the safety of your patrons, your property, your staff and yourself. And while your video security system should enable you to provide law enforcement with the data needed to catch the perpetrator, it should also be a tool to help you DETER crime in the first place.
Some people think that having a dog in the workplace will help deter crime, even if that dog is no Kujo. However, using a dog to “guard” your establishment against vandalism and theft has some major flaws...
While we all love our dogs (and our tourists love visiting with them too), there’s a limit to how helpful they can be as a crime deterrent. Let’s dive in.
So, how does Fido measure up to a commercial Video Surveillance System?
Fido Can’t Provide A Live Feed
Though you would like to see how your dog views you, it wouldn’t really be helpful with monitoring your business. Having a security system in place that includes advanced security solutions gives you access to both the past and present happenings in and around your business. Having video surveillance with remote viewing allows you to protect your business 24/7 with no interruption in coverage, even if Fido takes a belly rub break. With constant coverage, you have access to your footage from your phone or internet browser, allowing you to check in anytime, from anywhere. Can you say convenient?
Fido Can’t Provide Evidence to Law Enforcement
In the event that something happens such as a break-in, vandalism, or theft you would want to know who did it. Your guard dog won’t be able to give police a description of the intruder(s) height, weight, or color of the clothing they were wearing. The details that video surveillance captures could provide very valuable evidence that leads to catching the bad guy
Fido Can Get Hurt
Man’s best friend is loved by all...except for maybe those that have malicious intent against your business. Unlike vandal-resistant and exterior rated camera systems that can handle a little beating but still record the crime, our furry friends cannot. We don’t want our businesses to be harmed, and we especially wouldn’t want to risk the safety or well being of our beloved pets.
Fido Won’t Lower Your Insurance Premium
Though you have a name tag for Fido doesn’t mean insurance companies are going to recognize him as a certified safety measure for protecting your business. But, having a security surveillance with 24/7 monitoring by a security system company will entitle your insurer to give you a discount on your premium. Running a business that keeps Fido in the lifestyle to which he has become accustomed is expensive - who wouldn’t want some savings?
Fido Won’t Make Good Business Sense
As a business owner, you are constantly juggling multiple tasks and priorities. Being constantly busy and on-the-go can become tedious, especially when compounded with the pervasive worry that your business is secured. With all the hard work, time, and investment (let alone blood, sweat, and tears!) you have put into your shop, it just makes good business sense to protect your investments. A commercial video security system helps you be in more than one place, enabling business owners to keep an eye on everything that is happening both in and outside of your business and ensuring that your property and people are protected at all times.
Dogs have been a great ally, friend, and protector to humans for a long time. Though we appreciate their loyalty and love there are just some things that they can’t provide. By having reliable video surveillance coverage & visible signage warning off would-be criminals, entrepreneurs can rest assured knowing that the business, customers, and staff are being protected. And, in the event of an incident, business owners will be able to provide law enforcement and insurance agencies with the footage needed to recoup the costs of damages and pursue appropriate criminal action. With that newfound peace of mind, it’s time to take Fido for a well-deserved walk.