Safety and security are critical for any business, but especially small businesses. Small business owners have to wear many hats, especially in the early stages of business. It becomes paramount to find reliable, cost-efficient ways of protect their investments.
One neat device many small biz owners have incorporated in their arsenal is a spy camera. Today, these small surveillance cameras have evolved quite drastically, which only benefits business owners. Now they come equipped with high resolution camera lens, offer more features, better connectivity, easier installation and due to competition in the market, come at lower cost than 15 or 20 years ago.
Why Small Businesses Need Spy Cameras
Just like larger enterprises, small businesses too, are vulnerable to risks that endanger their security. Some of these threats are theft, destruction, occupational injury, embezzlement.
NFIB reported that approximately 64 percent of small businesses suffer from employee thefts that costs on average $1,341 per event.
Small businesses can overcome these challenges by using spy cameras.
Advantages of Spy Cameras for Small Businesses
- Covert Surveillance: Spy cameras are designed to be hidden. This allows you to monitor your employees, customers without drawing attention to the presence of security cameras. This covert aspect is particularly attractive for businesses that prefer to maintain a low-profile presence.
- Cost-Effective: Spy cameras are a budget-friendly alternative to traditional CCTV systems. They are typically smaller, simpler to install, and more affordable, making them accessible to small business owners or startups with limited budget.
- Remote Monitoring: Many modern spy cameras come equipped with remote surveillance options.
This means you can access live video feeds right from your smartphone or computer screen remotely, allowing you to keep an eye on your business even when you’re not present. - Theft Deterrence: The mere presence of cameras can act as a deterrent to potential thieves. In this case, you’d opt for overt security cameras or even dummy cameras, which are much cheaper option.
Employees and customers are less likely to engage in inappropriate or criminal behavior when they know they are being watched. - Incident Documentation: In the event of some kind of incident, spy cameras provide vital evidence that help greatly in investigations, insurance claims, or legal proceedings. This type of evidence can protect your business interests.
Choosing the Right Spy Camera
Selecting the ideal spy camera for your small business involves assessing several crucial factors, including:
- Camera Type: This can vary as spy cameras come in many shapes and sizes, and are suited for different surveillance purposes. Consider the following camera types:
- Hidden Cameras: These cameras are small and contained in everyday objects hence suitable for undercover surveillance.
- Dome Cameras: Such camera type is usually installed on the ceiling and can cover larger areas and intimidate intruders.
- Wearable Cameras: Wearable cameras, designed for personal use, can be fixed on clothes or accessories.
- Battery Power: Choose whether you need battery operated spy camera or one with constant power source. This is usually influenced by camera’s intended location and the duration of surveillance.
- Resolution: Video footage has to be of good quality for surveillance to serve its purpose. For the best image quality opt for a 1080p or better spy camera to avoid blurry or unclear imagery.
- Night Vision: For your small business needs surveillance during the night, choose the night vision enabled security camera. This enhances your camera’s performance since infrared light provides visibility during the night.
- Storage Space: Look at the storage of your spy camera. There is also a variety of models that include local memory or cloud-based storage solutions. Remote access is possible via cloud storage, while local storage provides instant physical access.
- Connection Type: Decide what kind of a spy camera you require: wired or a wireless, wifi or Bluetooth. The wireless cameras provide more flexibility and simplistic installation. Wired cameras don’t need battery replacement though.
After carefully analyzing these aspects, you’ll make a better choice when it comes to choosing the best small business spy camera for your needs.
Installation and Maintenance
After selecting the right camera for your small business, its effectiveness depends on installing and maintaining it the right way.
Here are some best practices to consider:
- Professional Installation: If you have any doubts about how to install the camera, consider hiring professional service to properly place the camera to make it function correctly without much hassle.
- Regular Maintenance: To keep recording high quality videos, make sure you clean and maintain your spy cameras well.
- Firmware Updates: Ensure that you update the software of your camera periodically to keep up with the recent security updates.
- Secure Access: Protect your cameras’ feed with strong passwords and maybe encryption as well, while still being able to access it remotely.
In Conclusion
If you’re starting out as a small business owner, you’re faced with many difficult tasks. While it’s not easy trying to balance starting a business and maintaining security, you have many tools at your disposal.
One of the most practical and best ways to protect your small business is by adopting security or spy cameras. You can choose to deter potential thieves. You may choose to record their criminal behavior secretly. It’s up to you.
Find the right camera, or spy camera system that fits your needs. Gives you top notch resolution video, maybe audio, wifi, night vision, rotation options etc. Once you have these installed, you’ll be able to sleep better at night, knowing your business is much more protected.
