As a globally renowned security company, we know the importance of finding smarter, faster, and more effective ways to serve our clients. That’s why we decided to incorporate video analytics into our suite of security and business solutions.
Charles Ethier, Director, Commercial Sales and Major Accounts at GardaWorld Security Systems, shares how this cutting-edge technology works, and how it will shape security and business going forward.
What video analytics can do
At GardaWorld, we’ve partnered with powerful video analytics firms that use artificial intelligence to analyze videos in real time. Video analytic tools can differentiate between people, objects and animals, as well as identify traffic flow and movement patterns. This state-of-the-art technology can also recognize faces and license plates.
In addition, video analytics can track an individual or crowd’s movements over a period of time. When a person’s movements don’t align with expected patterns, or when individuals enter areas that aren’t frequented, the software can send out an alert.
There’s an extensive range of business and security applications that this technology can be used for, and here at GardaWorld, we are embracing video analytics to better serve our clientele. Here are some of the key areas in which this innovative technology is improving our service offerings:
Preventing crimes and security breaches
Video analytics can send out alerts to security personnel when many kinds of suspicious activities are detected. “With facial recognition technology, video analytics could alert security personnel of the presence of a known shoplifter,” says Mr. Ethier. “Likewise, if a person is moving against the flow of usual traffic or in a suspicious manner, an alert could be sent out that would allow security personnel to intercept the individual.”
The technology has applications for commercial or industrial clients, as well. For example, the identification of a vehicle or person on the premises at an unexpected hour could trigger an alert. Clients could also deploy video analytics to recognize when objects have been left behind by an individual.
In other words, video analytics has an impressive set of tools to prevent criminal activity. “As security experts, we can help clients identify the unique ways that video analytics can aid in their specific situation,” explains Mr. Ethier.
Identifying suspects after a crime has been committed
If a crime does occur under the detection of a real-time video analytics system, the technology can be used to identify possible suspects. “With advanced search capabilities, video analytics can search for certain colors or objects, or highlight individuals who followed particular paths,” explains Mr. Ethier.
Specifically, with object recognition, video technology could determine the precise moment an object no longer appeared, combing through weeks of footage in minutes. “This has obvious benefits in identifying suspects, and saving hours of time in reviewing security footage in the process.”
Crowd management
Video analytics can be used to “count” the number of people in a crowd in real time, giving useful data on when a building has reached capacity. In addition, the technology can be used to identify when a crowd is moving into an unwanted area.
“Video analytics is increasingly being used for crowd management, such as at concerts, sporting events, and demonstrations,” says Mr. Ethier. “It certainly doesn’t replace the presence of experienced security guards, but it can complement the human-driven services being offered.”
Preventing screen fatigue
With real-time interpretation, video analytics promises to relieve the screen fatigue of security personnel who watch multiple video feeds. Video analytics can direct the security personnel’s focus to ensure that suspicious activity isn’t missed. For example, the technology could highlight when someone has entered the camera’s field after a period of inactivity.
Business applications of video analytics
Video analytics can generate heat maps and motion analyses to help clients understand customer behavior and business operations. These tools could determine common movement patterns in a department store to help with product placement, for instance. Understanding which areas of a retail location are busiest at which times can aid in staffing decisions.
But it’s not just retail; video analytics can help commercial and industrial clients as well. “Object counts and movement tracking technology can be used for a number of business operations, helping to identify manufacturing bottlenecks, deliveries and pick-up times, and much more,” explains Mr. Ethier.
Also, since video analytics technology can identify license plates and faces, it can allow for automatic entry in these instances, thus saving labor costs.
The future of analytic-driven security services
More than ever, security is a highly skilled service that leverages advanced technology. Video analytics is one area that will see explosive growth for a wide range of security and business applications.
“We are pleased to offer this powerful technology,” says Mr. Ethier. “By integrating it into our services, we can help our security professionals identify suspicious activity earlier, and we can help our clients better understand their day-to-day operations in order to grow their business.”
At GardaWorld, our in-depth knowledge of complex, commercial security system integration is our competitive advantage. We will work closely with you to identify areas of improvement in your existing security system, so we can prepare a truly customized proposal based on your unique needs.
As the world’s largest privately owned integrated security and risk company, we have earned the trust of more than 30,000 clients around the globe. Improve your business security while protecting your investments with the support of our first-rate service and cutting-edge equipment. To book an appointment, call 1 833 GARDA 33 (1 833 427 3233) or request a quote online.