With the rates of crime as they are today, it is a good idea to make your business premises as safe as you possibly can. Theft is not just limited to physical objects anymore: in fact, it is data theft that seems to be on the rise, and it can be even more dangerous than getting expensive assets stolen, as the perpetrator may have access to sensitive data that may be critical to your business. All in all, theft can cost you a lot more than having to deal replacing stolen machines or other physical devices.

When it comes to adding security devices nowadays, you will most likely think of video surveillance systems at some point. This is because the price of implementing such systems has slowly come down, making it possible for small businesses to afford this commodity. Furthermore, integrating a video surveillance system can be quite easy nowadays, due to most businesses already having an adequate local area network in place, complete with a POE network switch, to which video cameras can be connected almost seamlessly.

While your network may already be capable of integrating a video surveillance system, you may still want to make sure to do a few checks to as to be absolutely sure of it. Pay attention to the following points in particular:

Network Speed

The recommended network speed for video surveillance systems to work properly is a network capable of working at least up to 100 Mbps. If you want clearer pictures or want to add more cameras, a Gigabit Ethernet connection can also be considered. Most wired networks are usually in this speed range unless yours was installed many years ago. What you may want to keep in mind is that wireless network may not work with video surveillance systems due to the majority of them operating at 54 Mbps.

Router and Switching Device

A normal router and network switch should suffice to connect all of your cameras to your Internet network. Of course, a fiber optic switch provides higher speeds, but it also costs more to purchase and it isn’t absolutely necessary. You will need to change settings in order to provide your cameras with the required QoS and segmentation, so calling in an expert for help isn’t a bad idea.

Storage Media

The amount of storage you need for video surveillance systems depends on a few major factors: the quality of the video stream and the retention period of your video feed. It may be possible to get away with using smaller storage media by reducing the resolution or by only storing a few hours of video at any time. Nevertheless, this is not recommended due to how cheap storage space has become these days.