High-risk environments face countless, ongoing security challenges. To overcome them effectively, facilities need diverse security solutions. A multi-layered approach to security should include both physical and technology-based defenses, creating a proactive system of threat detection. Without it, your facility is more vulnerable to a growing number of dangers.
Some of the most effective security solutions integrate several systems. Modern video surveillance security systems do this effectively by using barriers, advanced video surveillance, and intelligent monitoring systems. Each element plays a role in protecting people, assets, and information in top-security government buildings.
Learn how these solutions work together to create comprehensive protection, the risks they address, and how to successfully integrate a video surveillance security system into an existing security infrastructure.
The Role of Barriers in Video Surveillance Security Systems
Physical barriers are the first line of defense in a security system. They might be gates, bollards, fences, or secure entry points to a facility. Barriers are designed to prevent unauthorized entry, guide movement through a facility, and create easily controlled zones.
However, barriers have another purpose in a video surveillance security system. While physically protecting the perimeter, they also create predictable access points, which will become the focus of video monitoring. For example, surveillance cameras near gates can monitor the movement of people entering and exiting a parking lot. Security teams can focus on key entry points and build situational awareness where threats are most likely to arise.
A lack of secure barriers can create serious risks. For example, in a notable incident at a New York airport, a stranded jet skier was able to climb over a fence, cross two active runways, and approach a Delta worker on the tarmac for help without being stopped or spotted by the airport’s security system. Incidents like this highlight the critical need for integrated systems that combine physical barriers with advanced surveillance and enable swift responses to unauthorized access.
Leveraging Advanced Video Surveillance Technologies
Video surveillance has come a long way from the first simple camera setups used in WWII. Modern systems offer high-resolution cameras, thermal imaging, night vision, and 360-degree coverage. These advancements allow security teams to effectively and efficiently monitor entire facilities, even in challenging conditions.
Advanced video surveillance often uses a two-camera system to maximize its effectiveness. One fixed camera monitors a designated area, while a second camera tracks movement and investigates activity. The two-camera setup can be critical for perimeter security, such as along fence lines, where cameras look both inside and outside of the property to detect potential threats, whether that’s a person, wildlife, or debris blowing in the wind. The video surveillance security system can analyze the footage and determine whether the activity poses a real threat.
In one facility we managed in the mountains, this type of system proved invaluable for tracking wildlife like bears and mountain lions that occasionally tried to enter the facility. By detecting the animals, the system could notify security personnel of potential dangers, help protect worker safety, and minimize unnecessary disruptions.
Five Ways Intelligent Monitoring Enhances Security
Video surveillance security systems are impressive in how they continue to evolve. They now integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to create intelligent monitoring systems, making video surveillance more powerful and adaptive than ever. These advanced systems improve security in numerous ways:
Object Classification
AI-driven systems can differentiate between objects, such as people, animals, and miscellaneous objects. Classifying movements as objects can reduce false alarms and allow security teams to focus on real threats.
Real-Time Alerts
When a threat is detected, the system instantly alerts security personnel. For example, if someone climbs a fence, the system can trigger an alert and provide footage to a central monitoring room in near real time.
Focal Point Direction
Intelligent monitoring systems ensure critical threats appear “center stage” in a control room. This helps keep security personnel engaged and focused, minimizing human error when monitoring for long periods.
Continuous Improvement
Machine learning allows video surveillance systems to learn as they go. They can start recognizing behavior patterns specific to the facility and flag any behavior outside the norm. Their accuracy improves over time, reducing false alarms. Teams can focus on the incidents that pose an actual threat without the burden of constant monitoring.
Rule-Based Responses
These systems allow facilities to create “playbooks” of automated responses. For example, if an intruder is detected in a restricted area, the system can immediately notify a supervisor, lock down the area, and activate alarms. Facilities can customize their playbook as much as needed, taking the guesswork out of how to respond to an incident and speeding up the response process.
Integrated Surveillance Systems for Top Security Facilities
The better integrated a security system is, the more useful and effective it will be. When elements like barriers, video surveillance, and intelligent monitoring can work together, they create a stronger defense against risks.
This is our preferred approach at Ariel Secure Technologies—designing a multi-layered, comprehensive security system for complete protection of high-security government facilities. Working closely with clients, we strategically select the solutions that will best detect and deter threats specific to a site. We also ensure the team is equipped to respond quickly and effectively to incidents.
Ariel has specialized in safeguarding high-security government facilities since 1989. With a keen understanding of the ever-evolving threat landscape, our team leverages cutting-edge technologies to develop robust and adaptable security systems.
Contact our team today to learn more about safeguarding government assets with integrated video surveillance security systems.
