Remote Video Hosting - Doing (Much) More With Less

By Dr. Jumbi Edulbehram, Axis Communications

In recent months, it's been a real struggle for small and medium-sized retailers to afford the cost of installing and maintaining video surveillance systems. Yet the very nature of an economic downturn tends to increase the incidents of shrink, necessitating greater investment in loss prevention programs and technology. As the economy remains weak, that gap between need and funding resources is becoming harder to bridge. A surveillance system — whether analog or IP-based — requires significant capital commitment upfront for the myriad components that comprise a security system. In addition, retailers need to factor in the ongoing costs of maintaining DVRs or network video recorders at each store location and of keeping loss prevention staff on the payroll to review the video. In light of economic pressures, it's time for retailers to rethink their video surveillance operation. If, instead of an onsite video system, retailers move to a hosted video service they can be more frugal in their capital outlay while improving their surveillance protection and overall business operations.