Real-Time Monitoring: Taking Parking Lot Security to the Next Level

Are you seeking parking lot security solutions and systems to help monitor and secure your space? With the increased demand for safety and security, real-time monitoring is becoming a go-to choice for many businesses and organizations when it comes to their parking lot security needs. These solutions can provide surveillance and monitoring through advanced technologies and cameras, ensuring that any troublesome or suspicious behavior is immediately detected and addressed. With the help of parking lot monitors, businesses can have peace of mind that their parking lot is secure and the safety of their customers is always maintained. In this blog, we will discuss the benefits of real-time monitoring and how it can take parking lot security to the next level.

Definition of Real-Time Monitoring

As the name suggests, real-time monitoring involves reviewing security footage in real-time. With help from a mobile app, you can check in on your parking lot (or any other part of your business that you’re surveilling) and find out what’s happening.

Benefits of Real-Time Monitoring

Real-time monitoring empowers you to stay in the loop and trust that your business is always protected. It also helps other personnel, including your security staff, to gain a better view of what’s happening on the property and allows them to take action more quickly if they see something that seems suspicious. Here are some other, more specific benefits that real-time monitoring provides you, your team, your business, and your customers:

Increased Visibility

Maybe you’re wary of investing in real-time monitoring because you already employ a security guard or team of guards. These people can only be in one place at a time, though. With security cameras and real-time monitoring, you — and they — can see multiple views of the parking lot at a time, effectively allowing them to be in various places at once.

Improved Efficiency

Not only do security cameras and real-time monitoring improve visibility, but they also allow security personnel to work more efficiently. Because they can see many angles of the lot simultaneously, they can spot problems more easily and respond to them sooner.

Enhanced Security

Improved visibility and efficiency add up to create enhanced security for your parking lot. Parking lots are common sites of crimes, from vandalism to theft to assault. By installing cameras and using a real-time monitoring system, you can make the parking lot a safer place for everyone entering and leaving your business.

Overview of Parking Lot Security Solutions

You can choose from numerous tools to enhance parking lot security, including these popular security solutions:

Deterrents

Deterrents — you guessed it — deter crime. Examples of deterrents are lights, alarms, visible cameras, and visible security guards. When people know that some kind of security solution is being used in your parking lot, they’re more inclined to stay away.

Security Analytics Tools

Security analytics tools provide a more in-depth view of what’s happening in your parking lot. They let you know which areas experience the highest rates of crime or accidents (such as car crashes) and allow you to make informed decisions that benefit everyone in your business.

Technological Solutions

Long gone are the days of old-fashioned security cameras as the only line of defense against parking lot crime and accidents. Today, a myriad of technological solutions exist, including highly sophisticated cameras with real-time monitoring, solar-powered cameras, and more.

AI-Powered Tools

Some security solutions are also powered by artificial intelligence. AI-powered tools can detect crime, analyze situations in real-time, and make recommendations based on their analyses.

Traditional Parking Lot Security Solutions

The tools shared above can be used alongside more traditional parking lot security solutions, including these:

Access Control Systems

An access control system helps to manage who enters and exits a parking lot or garage. Things like gates or arm barriers — whether they’re operated by a security guard or are electronically powered — are a good first line of defense to keep parking lots secure.

Security Personnel

Security guards and personnel can operate a gate or another access control system, but they can also patrol the parking lot on foot, in a golf cart, or in a car. Their patrols allow them to catch criminals in action and offer prompt assistance to victims.

Security Cameras

Security cameras are the most efficient solution in many cases, as they allow security personnel to monitor various parts of the parking lot at the same time. When they’re equipped with real-time monitoring features, they also allow you to check on the lot from afar and ensure everything is okay.

Components of Real-Time Monitoring Systems

When you upgrade to a real-time monitoring system (or incorporate one into your existing security strategy), you will likely use a combination of the following pieces of equipment:

Surveillance Cameras

Real-time monitoring systems start with surveillance cameras. These cameras are typically linked to a mobile app that allows those with access privileges to see what’s being recorded, assess potential threats, and make informed decisions based on what they’re seeing in real-time.

Perimeter Alarms

Perimeter alarms are another layer of defense in parking lot security systems. Perimeter alarms can be triggered by trespassers when they try to access certain parts of the property and deter them from actually carrying out a crime.

Smart Sensors

Smart sensors can detect changes in temperature and alert you to the presence of people, animals, and other objects in your parking lot. They come in particularly handy when there’s no light available or when it’s very foggy, smoggy, or smoky outside.

Common Applications of Real-Time Monitoring

You can use real-time monitoring for many purposes, including those listed below:

Remote Monitoring

Security systems with real-time monitoring features are useful for all kinds of settings, but they’re particularly beneficial when it comes to remote monitoring. Suppose your business’s parking lot is situated far away from the primary building. In that case, real-time monitoring allows you and your security staff to keep an eye on it even when you’re not in the actual vicinity.

Theft Prevention

Naturally, real-time monitoring helps to prevent theft (as well as other crimes like vandalism and assault). Because you can spot suspicious activity as soon as it occurs, you can dispatch security personnel or sound an alarm to deter a criminal and prevent them from carrying out any nefarious acts.

Automated Alerts

Many security systems equipped with real-time monitoring provide automated alerts. That saves you from having to watch the camera feed continuously while you’re busy trying to handle other aspects of your job. You can trust that you’ll get an alert when something questionable occurs, helping you to stay informed without becoming obsessive.

How to Select the Best Real-Time Monitoring System

Are you ready to experience the advantages of a real-time monitoring system? Here are some essential factors to keep in mind:

Understand Your Security Needs

Start by evaluating your existing security needs. Consider elements that make your business’s parking lot unique, such as the size, the location, the ease with which security guards can move through the area, etc. Once you have this information in mind, you can make choices that work best for your lot.

Compare Security Solutions

Don’t go with the first security system you find. Do your research and compare and contrast multiple options to find the best one for your business. Be sure to get several quotes, too, so you can compare prices and ensure you’re getting a fair deal.

Choose an Expert Security Provider

Finally, remember to ask each security system provider about their experience. Ideally, they will have several years of experience securing parking lots and working with businesses like yours. They should be able to explain in detail how their systems work and what makes them superior, too.

Challenges and Solutions of Real-Time Monitoring

Growing pains come with making any kind of adjustment to your parking lot security strategy. Here are some potential challenges you might run into when switching to real-time monitoring, along with tips on overcoming them:

Cost

The initial cost of setting up security cameras with real-time monitoring features can be steep. Keep in mind, though, that it’s typically less expensive to install cameras once than to hire and pay salaries for more security guards. It’s also less expensive to install cameras than to deal with the financial and reputational ramifications of a crime committed on your property. If you’re worried about the cost, be sure to get quotes from more than one system provider. That way, you can trust that you’re getting a fair price.

System Monitors

For a security system to be legitimately helpful, it must be monitored. It’s not enough to have the cameras there if no one is watching them, after all. You might worry about having time to keep an eye on the security footage, especially when you’re busy handling other tasks. If you invest in a real-time monitoring system, though, you will likely get automated alerts, meaning you don’t have to watch your camera feed at all times.

Maintenance

All security cameras, including those with real-time monitoring features, require maintenance and repairs from time to time. This maintenance can, in some cases, be costly and take your cameras out of commission for a while (sometimes for an indefinite amount of time). When choosing a camera provider, look for someone that offers maintenance services for example, Mobile Video Guard. That way, you will know whom to call if something goes wrong and won’t have to add searching for a repair professional to your to-do list.

Best Practices for Implementing Real-Time Monitoring

Once you’ve chosen a real-time monitoring system and provider, your next job is to implement the new solution into your parking lot security strategy. Here are some best practices that can simplify this process:

Conduct a Risk Analysis

A risk analysis provides you with a clear idea of the potential crimes and catastrophes that could affect your business. The more you know about potential threats, the easier it is to develop a security system that covers all of them and offers maximum protection to your business.

Train Employees

Make sure your employees know how to use the remote monitoring features of your security system (as well as any other relevant features). Teaching them how to do this empowers them to take action in the event of a crime and protect the business.

Establish Policies

Establishing transparent policies about how the business should operate, particularly from a security standpoint, will ensure that everyone is on the same page right from the start. That way, there’s no confusion about how to respond in a particular situation, how to prevent something from happening, etc.

Potential Impact of Real-Time Monitoring

After setting up a real-time monitoring system for your business’s parking lot, you can expect to see the following changes:

Lower Insurance Costs

Your insurance provider might offer you a discount on your insurance premiums after you install a security system with real-time monitoring capabilities. Knowing that you’ve taken extra steps to protect the business might encourage them to reward you with additional savings.

Increase in Revenues

You might notice an increase in people patronizing your business after you take the time to install a more robust security system. People want to work with companies that value their safety, so going the extra mile could help you win over more customers.

Greater Customer Satisfaction

Speaking of winning over customers, enhancing your security can also lead to greater customer satisfaction. When people know that you value their safety, they’ll be more likely to speak positively about your business and recommend it to their friends and family.

Key Takeaways

The Benefits of Real-Time Monitoring

• Increased Visibility
• Improved Efficiency
• Enhanced Security
• Lower Insurance Costs
• Increase in Revenues
• Greater Customer Satisfaction

How to Select the Right System

• Understand Your Security Needs
• Compare Security Solutions
• Choose an Expert Security Provider

The Necessity of Best Practices

• Conduct a Risk Analysis
• Train Employees
• Establish Policies

Conclusion

Real-time monitoring can help you take your parking lot security to the next level. If you’re ready to invest in a real-time monitoring system, Mobile Video Guard has high-quality, reliable solutions that are perfect for your business. Contact us today to learn more or request a free quote.