Best Practices for Managing and Maintaining Security Systems

You can only ignore the need for advanced building security until it’s too late, which is why it’s a great decision to install an integrated security system at your facility. In today’s threatening environment, business owners are seeing significant advantages to having integrated systems, including theft-prevention, employee safety and reduced liability.

Once the install is complete, however, you aren’t finished. To reap all of the benefits that an integrated security system has to offer, you must make sure that it is continually operating at its peak. Here’s what you can do to achieve this goal:

Manage video storage

Where are you storing your security video data? How long are you storing it for? How much are you able to store? It’s important to know the answers to these questions to protect yourself during any unforeseen issues. For example, if someone were to make a slip and fall claim six months after the event took place at your site, the last thing you would want is to discover that you don’t have the footage to protect yourself in a lawsuit.

By checking your storage capacity at least once a week, you give yourself the opportunity to make informed decisions about whether it needs an upgrade. Learn more about storage options here.

Check security cameras and angles

Nothing is less effective than a nonworking security camera, which is why is checking the functionality of cameras on a regular basis is critical to system maintenance. Even if the cameras are working properly, you must make sure their position is maintained. Recording hours of footage at an unintended angle can easily lead to a consequential breach, especially if the camera oversees a high traffic area. 

In addition to camera angles, it’s important to check the quality of the images on a regular basis. This is particularly valuable for nighttime surveillance, as nighttime recording is more susceptible to quality vulnerabilities.

Timing

The exact time of a recording matters when pulling footage later on. This is especially true in situations where a critical event took place, such as violence or theft on your site. In some cases, even seconds count. You must make sure that your system’s CCTV/ACCESS is connected to an NTP server that automatically syncs the time and is operating properly.

If the time on crucial footage is off and that footage is used as evidence in a legal case, then the opposing attorney can petition for it to be thrown out. Access control systems also need time syncing to be 100% accurate for the same reasons.

Backups

While security technology has surpassed humans in capability, it still isn’t perfect. System malfunctions happen all the time and you can lose important data at any given moment. You can easily prevent this by backing up.

Make sure your company has a policy for automated backups. That way in the event of a system crash, you won’t find yourself responsible for entering 200+ personal records manually.

Penetration testing

They say you must think like a criminal to avoid being a victim, which is definitely the case when it comes to security. There are plenty of steps you can take to ensure your system is criminal-proof.

Don’t use default or easy passwords. Keep an eye out for any physical security gaps, including surveillance blind spots and areas missing access control. Test employees and security staff to make sure all security protocols are being followed.

Invest in a security system maintenance plan

To have full assurance that your system is fully operating 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, you can invest in a system maintenance plan. A great plan should include:

• Preventative maintenance, which should even cover ancillary maintenance such as cleaning cameras lenses
• Customer training to help you get more value from your security system
• Unlimited on-site service visits and phone support
• No-charge repair and replacement of security equipment
• Bi-annual security system checks to ensure security system health and reduce downtime
• Discounted product and system upgrades to ensure your software takes advantage of the latest security features
• Security integration updates, including technician installation status alerts

Learn more about New York security system maintenance and management today!

If you’re interested in improving your New York security system, our team would be happy to go through the various steps you can take to do so. Give us a call today at (212) 688-2767.

Peace Of Mind Technologies has delivered site-specific, cost-effective security solutions to facilities throughout the greater New York Metro area since 2002. We aren’t your average security company, with a wide range of equipment and services for building security. New York facilities can contact us at (212) 688-2767 or info@pom-tec.com to request a free security analysis, or reach out via the contact form below.