5 things to know before buying a commercial security system

The security industry has grown significantly over the past few years. This means that there are numerous commercial security system options in the market that offer different security features. As such it is important to have due diligence before investing in a commercial security system. You need a system that addresses your unique security needs and of top quality to ensure long-term service. So, before you buy a commercial security system for your business, answer the following questions.

What quality of stream does the camera offer?

The best camera systems are ones that offer HD streaming. They will provide clear and concise images. However, the best among them offer 20+ megapixel loss free HD images. The HD streaming feature is also critical and should be handled with care. If it fails to compress at a very high speed, it causes packetized data that contains hitches and scrolling difficulty. This means that you can easily miss a security breach or important details during an emergency when you rely on crystal clear images to make quick decisions.

How easy is it to scale up the system?

Cheaper commercial security systems are recommended when you are starting off. When the business starts expanding, it is advisable to invest in high-quality security systems that can be integrated with additional security features as well as scale up with ease. The ideal security system is one that allows you to expand infinitely despite the number of business branches you have. Security experts advise on investing in a fully networked system that is controlled from one desktop station.

Can the system integrate with your current IT hardware?

Avoid buying a security system that must be operated on a system that is totally separate from your current IT system. Such a system costs more because you must invest in maintaining its separate system and also creates a problem when you need to scale up your operating system. Your access control management system should support open field security hardware from leading security system manufacturers.

Installation time

Different security systems are designed and installed differently. Some systems require cross-company installation on a number of workstations; a process that is not only time consuming but also demotivating. So, focus on commercial security systems that are easy to install. The ideal system should install quickly and competently on as few workstations as possible. Quality systems will install within an hour on your current hardware.

How does the system behave when power surges and outages occur?

Power surges and outages mean that your commercial building gets dark. Darkness is a burglar's favorite friend, so, your business is prone to break in the event of power outages or surges. Good commercial security brands offer auto-failover or hot-standby features that ensure the system is always on and backed up to a cloud-based server. Such products switch to the backup system immediately a failure occurs.

Bottom line

Commercial security systems are designed to be tailored for different security needs. As such, the trick is getting the security system that addresses your security concerns and is within your budget. You do not have to break the bank to buy a system because a certain business has one. Focus on your security needs and budget.