By Jon Marsh

Though corporate cybersecurity is certainly a hot topic these days, it?s important that we never stray too far from the essential role of physical security. And when it comes to those in the corporate and commercial market, such as business offices or corporate campuses, this concept is crucial. There?s no arguing the importance of ensuring that a facility, and those within, are protected from outside threats through the use of efficient and reliable physical security devices and systems.

For a long time, however, this meant simply locking a building?s doors overnight (and keeping them unlocked throughout the day). But we?ve been forced to accept that the times have changed, and no level of physical security can be considered too much when it comes to mitigating today?s risks. The corporate and commercial market now must contend with a variety of vulnerabilities and threats, such as active shooters, workplace violence, internal theft and natural disasters.

These risks require the prioritization of employee and asset safety through the use of a comprehensive and innovative technology solution. And for this solution to be as effective as possible and provide the most benefits, corporate and commercial facilities must place video and the intelligent use of it at the center of their security strategy.

Surveillance is Power
One of the best ways to establish a proactive security strategy and tend to incidents in an efficient and timely fashion is to monitor the activity that?s taking place 24/7. But this can?t always be easily achieved with human resources: guards cannot always be present and outdoor areas can be challenging to cover comprehensively. That?s where surveillance technology comes in.

But not just any surveillance camera can meet all the unique needs of the corporate and commercial market. Facilities in this industry need to eliminate blind spots when it comes to video coverage to ensure that no suspicious behavior is missed. To achieve this goal, the corporate and commercial market can take advantage of 180- and 360-degree wide-angle technology that allows them to experience a variety of benefits.

At the top of the list, panoramic surveillance technology gives security operators the ability to simultaneously see an entire scene while also focusing on areas of interest. This expansive picture adds a strong layer of security when it comes to intrusion prevention, facilitating a preventative approach. When you combine this with intelligent technologies such as analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) operators can proactively identify abnormal behavior or suspicious individuals, increasing situational awareness and response times.

Corporate and commercial facilities can also leverage panoramic technology to view the activity taking place inside the building or on campus. For example, when it comes to health and safety regulations or litigation protection within the cafeteria of a corporate structure, the entire area can be monitored in both live and recorded mode, meaning that no incident will go unseen. And in case of stringent compliance standards, stainless steel panoramic surveillance cameras can be used to ensure the ultimate protection.

Simplifying Operations
A 360-degree surveillance solution can also help corporate facilities reduce the element of human error, an advantage that Siidcul Business Park in India experienced. When one security operations center is responsible for monitoring multiple buildings and operations across a campus, relying on human resources can create challenges and unnoticed critical events. By leveraging 360-degree cameras, Siidcul Business Park was able to automate this process and receive alerts as events take place.

This incorporation of automation is critical for campuses that are host to multiple, high-level events across a vast landscape. For the Indian Habitat Centre, which serves as a new vision of a traditional office building and is surrounded by shared, expansive outdoor spaces, a robust surveillance solution is necessary to increase situational awareness around the facility?s perimeter. Through 360-degree technology, the campus can provide multiple clients different views from the same camera simultaneously, expanding the scope of how the surveillance system can be used.

Going Beyond
In today?s world, corporate facilities are always looking at how they can optimize their solutions and increase ROI, and implementing camera surveillance can do just that. Beyond improving safety, these devices can impact business operations in a positive way. For example, as far as office collaboration, surveillance technology can give personnel a broad look at an office layout to determine if its a burden to efficiency by monitoring and analyzing employee traffic.

Business offices and corporate campuses tend to house precious and valuable assets; whether it?s staff members, visitors, company data or property, these facilities cannot afford to be left vulnerable and operations must be running smoothly at all times. Wide-angle surveillance technology ? ideally integrated with additional components, such as a video management system, access control, analytics, etc. ? can help establish a proactive and exhaustive approach to security.

About The Author
Jon Marsh serves as Vice President Product for ONVU Technologies with responsibility for all group products. The product team as a consolidated group create and drive the product roadmap and develop the existing portfolio for all of the ONVU Technologies subsidiaries including Oncam and ONVU Learning.

Jon has more than 17 years of technology development knowledge and experience, having started out in engineering. He began creating products and businesses including online video and media management, SAS and mobile software development, hardware and software product consulting, and most recently advanced camera and video analytics technology.