WHAT IS REMOTE GUARDING?

Remote guarding is the use of analytics-enabled cameras to serve as “digital guards” watching over large and/or multiple territories. Video analytics serves as the front line, using automated intelligence to watch every camera continuously for break-ins and security threats. Human guards – located anywhere in the world – are then alerted when a breach is detected. With video clips of the recorded event on their screens in seconds, along with live video feeds and two-way audio communications via IP networks, trained guards can do what they do best – act and respond.

Today, guard services represent a $40B - $50B market worldwide. The Remote Guarding Alliance believes that at least 20% of this business can be managed more effectively and less expensively through analytics-enabled Remote Guarding. In addition to the existing market, there is an even larger opportunity for new applications where guard services have been too expensive in the past, but where remote guarding can add personalized security protection at a practical cost.

Remote guarding serves to:

Prevent crime before it happens. Like any true guarded protection, remote guarding is far better than video systems that only record and provide evidence after the damage has been done. It is estimated that less than 5% of all surveillance cameras are monitored, making them reactive tools rather than pro-active methods for preventing crime. Catch intruders when first crossing the perimeter. Unlike on-site guards that rarely detect intrusions until much later, if at all, remote guarding uses two-way audio over IP networks, triggered by video analytics, to recognize intruders instantly. On-site guards can’t be everywhere at the same time, and they can’t be watching all cameras at the same time, but digital guards can.

Create a physical presence at the protected site. Unlike alarm monitored systems, live video and two-way audio stops intruders in their tracks, and allows the remote guards to guide police to fast apprehensions, when intruders ignore their warnings. This presence on the site sets it apart from alarm monitoring.

Guard Tours that watch all locations continuously. Even the best guard tours only patrol the premises once every hour. This means only a few minutes of review out of every sixty. However, analytics-enabled systems watch continuously, providing much better protection, and triggering notification immediately. Video analytics do not fall asleep, look the wrong way or even blink.

Protect outdoor grounds and assets easily. Traditional outdoor sensor systems are expensive to install, since they often require trenching for wire runs to the perimeter, while cameras can often be mounted directly on the central office roof to watch the perimeter. Traditional outdoor sensors are also notorious for generating false alarms, making such systems difficult and expensive to monitor. Video analytics provides immediate confirmation with definitive video verification of the incident.