Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) may not be characterized by as large revenues as companies in the corporate market, but they are no less important to the growth of the economy. According to the World Bank, formal SMEs provide up to 40% of national income (GDP) in emerging economies. They represent about 90% of businesses and more than 50% of employment worldwide.
SMEs face limited budgets, fewer administrative resources and a shortage of in-house IT professionals, especially in the face of the unique challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as technology advances and more products come on the market, resulting in lower costs, SMB security systems are evolving and becoming more advanced.
A proactive approach with artificial intelligence
Security installers around the world are being asked to find the best solutions that can help SMBs balance their budget and security needs. Due to a lack of administrative resources, SMB customers are less likely to have dedicated security personnel to oversee day-to-day operations and security management. Sometimes when a security breach occurs and a loss is incurred, there may be a security breach for an extended period of time until it is noticed.
Today, technology has taken video surveillance to a new level with increased accuracy and performance thanks to advances in artificial intelligence and deep learning algorithms. There are plenty of industries and markets where AI is already making a significant impact, including small and medium-sized businesses that used to be faced with thousands of recorded videos that found evidence of an event. Now they can get accurate alerts and alarms in real time and have fewer distractions. They also get a proactive approach, identifying potential hazards before they happen. And all with little additional cost to the business.
Vision with clarity and color
Surveillance cameras have been evolving in resolution for some time, from 480 pixels, 720 pixels to 1080 pixels, and now 4K. People want to see more detail when they need to. For SMB customers, this is not an area they risk compromising on security. Why? Imagine if they found a video clip containing key evidence of an event, but the video images were grainy and fuzzy. It would make it hard to see a face or distinguish the color of clothing or a car. All the effort would be in vain.
Research shows that color is important to improve clarity and enhance object recognition. It also shows us that there is a “strong correlation” between street camera performance and color accuracy in the surveillance world. The ability to see detail and color in darkness is one of the most important aspects of a CCTV camera, and there are many technical factors that influence this ability. For example, image sensor sensitivity, surveillance lens aperture and applied image processing.
Current technology has made it possible for today’s cameras to see better in all lighting conditions and in high resolution.
Looking to the future
In addition to their security and monitoring options, SMBs are using a range of new technologies, such as artificial intelligence, cloud services, and technological convergence, to solve a number of problems. Whether it’s using a proactive approach to security to protect their people and assets, or by upgrading their standard security system to high definition to look clearer and act more accurately. On top of that, security is often augmented with audio, intercom and access control to automate processes or remotely monitor day-to-day business operations.
All in all, they are quickly leveraging the capabilities offered by today’s next-generation video surveillance systems to maximize return on investment while minimizing cost of ownership. With international organizations such as the World Bank providing more services and improving their access to finance, SMBs will continue to grow and take advantage of more opportunities and innovation.
