Issue link: https://securitytechnologyexecutive.epubxp.com/i/557126
36 SECURITY TECHNOLOGY EXECUTIVE • July/August 2015 www.SecurityInfoWatch.com VIDEO SURVEILLANCE B y Bu d Bro o m h e a d A mong the heaviest burdens of today's Chief Security Officer is owning the responsibility for the vast and growing scope of risk facing their organization. From liability for on-site inci- dents to maintenance of compliance standards on the factory floor, the range of potential issues continues to expand along with the CSO's need for answers. We can all pinpoint the shift in attitude towards security to a Tuesday morning in 2001 – a day after which it became very clear that many of our fundamental perceptions about how to conduct business would have to change. Since that day, the pace of new technology development in the security field has accelerated exponentially, along with our expecta- tions for protection of people, property and assets. In the last few years, we have also seen the growth in importance of a C-level title for security – the CSO or Chief Security Officer. While adding security to the C-suite demonstrates an organization's commitment to safety, it also designates a specific individual who holds the ultimate responsibility for anything that might go wrong across the myriad facets of an organization. Today's CSOs Have New Options for Reducing Risk Keeping an organization free from missing video is no longer optional For the CSO, owner of all risk within the organization, the importance of video cannot be overstated. Two minutes of recorded video can save a corporation millions of dollars in a lawsuit, or keep executives safe from prosecution or incarceration in a criminal investigation. Image Courtesy of BigStock.com Since 9/11 the paradigm of professional security has changed. The Internet and the growth of IP-based net- worked security systems have given us access to reams of data, generated by a widening range of advanced technol- ogies for situational awareness, risk management, event response and communications. This reliance on data is cer- tain to continue growing as we look to security systems for more information to which we can apply sophisticated ana- lytics and data processing risk management algorithms. A significant share of this data is generated in the form of video. Video surveillance has gained tremendous pen- etration in literally every type of organization and facility all around the globe, and surveillance cameras are virtually always in sight wherever you go. Video is constantly being transmitted, recorded, watched, archived and analyzed, and data from video surveillance systems has become critical- ly essential for identifying criminals, gaining insights into events and protecting organizations from liability. For the CSO, owner of all risk within the organization, the importance of video cannot be overstated. Two minutes of recorded video can save a corporation millions of dollars in a lawsuit, or keep executives safe from prosecution or incar- ceration in a criminal investigation. Real-time video can help pinpoint the location of an active shooter and help to save many lives. Sophisticated analytics can identify an individ- ual trying to breach the perimeter of a critical infrastructure facility and send an alert to an administrator, prompting quick response to keep large segments of population safe from a wide range of terrorist threats. In all of these situ- ations, it is easy to recognize the disastrous consequences that would ensue if at the critical moment, when the video was most needed, for whatever reason the display screen was simply blank. Missing video is a risk that CSOs simply cannot take. The most common modalities to maintain video systems – spot- checking, scheduled maintenance and environmental moni- toring systems – cannot ensure that video will always be available and there will never be a missing segment. Further, as networks continue to grow in complexity it is becoming increasingly difficult to afford even those limited resources. Remote locations and small sites only add to the complexity. At times, even when all components appear to be working properly there can still be moments when the video stream