The End Benefits of Remote Monitoring and Services

​Traditionally, security personnel have been portrayed as having to sit around for hours on end staring at video monitors, without being able to focus on anything else. Recently, this routine has come to an end as the benefits of remote monitoring and services have shown immediate value to business owners and organizations. Video surveillance continues to be a critical security component, especially for businesses that are integrating these technologies with remote monitoring and services.

Video surveillance that does not integrate remote monitoring and services can leave businesses managing equipment and software issues, which can be frustrating and time consuming. But by integrating remote monitoring and services with security systems like video surveillance, businesses can ultimately operate more efficiently and become more cost-effective by being able to stay ahead of problems before they arise.

School Districts

One industry that can't afford unexpected downtime or system errors is education. Unfortunately, the increasing incidents of school shootings and other emergency response-related events have intensified the need for effective security measures.

As school budgets dwindle, many find the idea of upgrading to an integrated security system daunting. However, by installing a more effective system, schools can not only become safer, but they can simultaneously save money.

School districts often use individual facilities to handle different security components. During an emergency, schools should not be waiting for their video surveillance facility to alert their access control plant to a potential intruder. For more efficient monitoring, schools can implement integrated systems that cover their day-to-day security needs and manage them through a central command center that also promotes remote services.

By connecting remote services, personnel can react faster to a potential situation—whether emergency or maintenance related. For school districts, district-wide door-access technology saves administrators time and provides better peace of mind. In an emergency, administrators can lock the doors remotely. System upgrades can be made easily and on time, ensuring the school district is always working with the most up-to-date technology. Running regular health checks remotely can also save districts money on unnecessary checks that are typically scheduled by the manufacturer.

Remote Services

End users are starting to see the value that a comprehensive security system with remote services can bring to their organization. When problems do arise, remote access often eliminates the need for service calls. In the school district example, remote services may also play a critical role in emergency situations like an active shooter or other lockdown-related occurrences. Businesses should also have a plan with their security provider in the event of a system error to ensure business operations don't suffer while systems are being fixed.

The future of effective security systems will continue to revolve around remote access to all day-

to-day building maintenance systems. As buildings integrate more technologies, it's important for security to keep up with the emerging trend. Manpower will never be eliminated, but remote monitoring and services will continue to be important in thoughtful building integrations.

Joe Oliveri is vice president and general manager, security, for Johnson Controls Building Solutions North America.