Flexible, Expandable IP/Hybrid Camera & Recording Systems for Offices & Businesses

You can buy security cameras anywhere. But to have a truly functional, robust surveillance/recording/monitoring security camera system for your office in Tinley Park, IL, you need system design, installation, programming, and integration with your data network from someone who truly understands both. Don't get sucked into contracting services from a "camera installer" for whom IT networks are just a sideline or vice versa.

For decades, Andromeda has served the IT/Security needs of small-to-medium sized organizations like yours in the greater Chicagoland IL/Indy area. We have cultivated expertise in both the data network "brains" as well as the camera/access control/alarm/communication "arms and legs" of office systems and have years of experience integrating these together for a diverse cross-section of businesses, municipalities, and other associations/organizations.

Your timing for creating or expanding a current security camera surveillance system could not be better. There is no longer a need for an expensive, dedicated system to monitor your premises. We also provide great options for expanding an older security camera system with better/newer analog and digital technology without scrapping what you might already have! By leveraging your existing IT network for your security camera system(s), Andromeda can save you time, money, and lots of headaches with efficient integrated systems that can do more than you probably imagined: real-time alerts, automated responses, and more.

Security Camera/Surveillance/Recording Systems -Tinley-Park, IL 60477,60487

We are a certified Panasonic Network Camera Installer. We utilize the latest in IP Video Camera technology, which allows the cameras, DVR recording and viewing all to be performed on your existing computer data network. This allows you to use your existing investment in your data wiring and data systems and extend that network into the security camera/webcam arena.

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Panasonic Cameras and Recording Software

• Panasonic manufactures over 20 different types of network video cameras. The following are some of the features that are available:
  Wireless
• Outdoor
• Power-Over-Ethernet (PoE)
• Digital and Optical Zoom
• Very High Resolution
• Low Light, Night Viewing
• Motion and Thermal Activation
• Full Pan, Tilt, and Zoom with Scanning Presets
• 2-Way Audio with Microphone and Speaker

The ability to record and later playback is an important and necessary part of any video security system. There are many options available; from on-camera memory sticks to a full-blown, searchable recording system capable of storing months worth of video from all your cameras. The viewing software is very user-friendly and easy to use.

Andromeda Technology Solutions will work to understand all your needs and provide a solution that exactly fits those needs, and allows for future growth if necessary. Our attention to detail will ensure you receive a system that you will be 100% happy with.

Applications

There are many types of applications where it pays to see there, when you cannot be there. Here are just a few types of oranizations that have benefited from our security camera systems:

• Parking Lots
• Daycare / Nursery School
• Construction Sites
• Car Dealerships
• Retail Stores
• Restaurant / Franchise
• Self Storage
• Hotel / Motel
• Multi-unit Residential

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Flexible / Programmable / Expandable Surveillance Systems

You can start with just a few cameras and expand the system as you grow. It is very easy to add security cameras to the system, without throwing away any of your initial investment.

There are options to synchronize recordings with your POS receipts, so you can exactly match the video recording with an individual receipt transaction.

The wide variety of camera types and camera options make the system extremely flexible to fit almost any application.

We can also setup remote access for you to view live video or search through recorded video, from any remote location with Internet access. You can keep tabs on your business without having to be there.

Integration: Get The Most From Your Security Systems

How does Integrated Security work?

How does Integrated Security work?

Integrated Security works by allowing you to program a multitude of responses—both in the Cloud and as control back to external hardware—based on any number of triggers from external hardware regardless of origin/type (cameras, access sensors, alarm fault sensors, motion, smoke, temperature,...)

Why is Integrated Security better?

Why is Integrated Security better?

This allows the entire system and designated human responders to more accurately assess the detailed nature of a security event and respond in the most precise/appropriate manner, virtually eliminating undue responses to false alarms.

Triggers:
• Motion in ...more

I.S. Responses:
• Discontinue ...more

Triggers:
• Door opening ...more

I.S. Responses:
• Selective lock ...more

Triggers:
• Zone fault ...more

I.S. Responses:
• Set/Reset ...more

Triggers:
• Manual Pan/Tilt/Zoom signals to designated cameras
• Overrides of any current Access Control statuses
• Set/reset Alarm status

I.S. Programmable Responses:
• Alert Central Station
• Email/text alert to owner/designated responders
• Pop appropriate camera feed(s) to all responders
• Release of appropriate cameras to manual control

Integrated Security works by allowing you to program a multitude of responses—both in the Cloud and as control back to external hardware—based on any number of triggers from external hardware regardless of origin/type (cameras, access sensors, alarm fault sensors, motion, smoke, temperature,...). This allows the entire system to more accurately assess the detailed nature of a security event and respond in the most precise/appropriate manner, virtually eliminating undue responses to false alarms.

AndroPedia Tech Library

As part of our service, it is important to keep our client-partners well informed on Security Camera system developments, news, and best practices. Here is just a sampling of typical items from our AndroPedia^SM library archive:

Whether you have a camera system already or you’re looking into installing some professional security cameras at your offices, there are some common areas that you’ll want to consider.

Additionally, you’ll want to consider the different purposes/reasons for your cameras. Things like:

• Safety
• Loss Prevention
• Monitor Traffic
• Quality Assurance

An Integrated Security Company like Andromeda can help you set your system up with these purposes in mind. There are also opportunities to integrate your professional security cameras with other technologies at your business like your phone system or access control solution. Make sure to discuss this with your security vendor or give us a call.

Without further ado – here are the top 5 areas you’ll want to think about for the CCTV Camera System at your office.

1. Parking Lot

Parking lots see a lot of activity every day. Your employees come and go, clients, vendors and more. With all of this traffic the risk of an accident increases and you’ll want to think about whether that risk impacts your business.

By monitoring your parking lot you will have recordings and evidence for things related to deliveries, car accidents, slips & falls, visitors and also any suspicious activity during off hours. This will help you avoid false claims, deter criminal activity and more.

2. Major Entrances / Exits

Monitoring traffic in and out of your buildings is one of the first items most business owners and property managers discuss when looking for a camera system. You want to know who comes and goes at your offices.

By monitoring entrances and exits to the building, you’ll deter wrong doers from bad behaviors or criminal behaviors

It is important to consider entrances and exits within your building as well for this type of surveillance. Do you need to record activity in a server closet? An area with confidential records? What about different zones at your facility? These are all things to consider.

3. Storage Areas

Depending on your business and services, you may have a storage area where you keep supplies, ingredients, parts or more. It is important to address what security solutions you need to make sure that things are organized and secure at the same time.

Setting up a security camera to monitor activity in a storage area can help with loss prevention but it will also protect you in the event of an accident.

4. Break Room

The break room is often an afterthought for professional security cameras but this is a space many businesses are beginning to consider as a part of their security vulnerabilities. Break rooms are an area where employees hang out. This means that there is opportunity for disagreements and disputes. Setting up a camera creates record in case this occurs.

Also, break rooms are places where accidents are likely to happen. Spilled drinks, food etc. can increase the chances of slips and falls. Setting up a camera in this space helps you protect the business and the employees from risks like these. Plus . . . with cameras, employees really think twice about grabbing drinks, snacks and food that aren’t theirs.

5. Staging Areas

Depending on your business, you may also have an area where product is staged for shipment, delivery or installation. If that is the case you will certainly want to have a camera monitoring activity here. Setting up a camera solution in this spot will deter employees, drivers, vendors and all other visitors from suspicious activity.

Beyond criminal or suspicious activity, monitoring a staging area allows you to collect important data.

A delivery driver says they never picked up a shipment – you’ve got footage.

An employee believes they forgot to include an item or items – you’ve got footage

You need to know the exact time a shipment left your facility and the paperwork on it went missing – you’ve got footage

There are other areas and things you’ll want to consider for your CCTV camera system but if you are just getting started, these five spaces are a great first step.

It should be said as well that installing professional security cameras will not prevent accidents, crime or other bad things from taking place. Security cameras capture evidence for you and serve as a deterrent for bad behavior. Most criminals will think twice if they know they are on candid camera after all.

Cameras also serve to protect BOTH your business AND your employees.

When it comes to putting together a strong security solution for your business, you’ll also want to consider things like access control (keyless entry), burglar alarms, integrated solutions and more. When you tie these systems together you can do some truly amazing things – just ask our team!

If you have any questions or comments you’d like to share please reach our team at (815) 836–0030 or send us an email at Contact@WeNetwork.com.

The post 5 Areas Every Chicagoland Business Should Consider For Their Professional Security System & CCTV Cameras appeared first on Andromeda Technology Solutions.

If you’ve made the decision to install CCTV Specialty Cameras at your office or facility, chances are, you’ve got some specific reason in mind.

For some, that reason may just be that you want to make sure that your offices are as secure as possible. For other individuals, camera installation comes as a direct response to an incident on site.

We believe the most important question when it comes to security will always be ‘why’. Until you answer that question, it is very difficult to gain a true understanding of the full scope of work. On top of that, we want to make sure that the basic motivation for any installation is exceeded.

Sometimes that ‘why’ is going to mean that a business needs something beyond a basic camera installation. Sometimes the ‘why’ points towards more advanced integrated security options or training.

And other times, the ‘why’ simply means that a customer needs a speciality camera or program setup to get the job done.

With that in mind, we’d like to introduce you to three CCTV Specialty Cameras and their uses.

Three CCTV Specialty Cameras

Traditional PTZ Camera

A PTZ Camera simply stands for Pan Tilt Zoom Camera. This means that the CCTV specialty camera can pan, tilt and zoom around in its assigned field of view. These cameras cannot see EVERYTHING but they are very useful in situations where you have a lot of ground to cover but desire the ability to zoom in on specific fields of view from time to time.

These cameras can also be programmed to constantly move across a designed view path to deter criminals or wrong doers.

Example: Often we install these cameras to look over parking lots or busy staging areas for businesses. By installing a traditional PTZ camera in a parking lot, you can zoom in on suspicious activity or trespassers at any time. It is important to mention though that the PTZ camera can only capture the field it is currently monitoring. This means that if the camera is panned over to the left of its field of view, the right side of the field of view may not be recorded. To avoid blind spots, Andromeda recommends to place fixed CCTV specialty cameras that will cover the whole desired view at all times. That way, no matter where the PTZ camera is pointed, you never miss a thing.

PTZ Cameras With Tracking

A PTZ Camera with tracking has the same functionality as your traditional PTZ camera. It is able to pan tilt and zoom to capture the frames you desire. The neat thing about these cameras though is that they are able to utilize new technology to automate image tracking. This means that with proper programing, your camera is able to spot abnormal activity in its frame, zoom in and even alert assigned contacts (either you or even the authorities).

The first thing we should mention when it comes to ‘tracking’ cameras is that these come in a variety of optional setups. Some tracking cameras have pre-configured software that gives them the ability to ‘track’ for movement or pattern disruption, other cameras will simply need additional programming to enable this function.

Example: Continuing the example from before, if you install a PTZ camera with tracking in a parking lot, the camera can be programmed to monitor movement outside of business hours. Or, you could have the camera monitoring for movement during the day. You could even have the camera track and zoom in on every person approaching the building during the day to alert security or reception of visitors etc.

Options are really open to your needs and desired outcome (within reason of course!)

License Plate Cameras

License plate cameras are probably the most common request Andromeda sales engineers receive. And that makes sense. If you are looking to monitor who comes in and who leaves your facility, what better way to do that than with an image of their license plate right?

Absolutely.

But, these CCTV specialty cameras do come with a pretty hefty price tag. This is because the high quality images required to capture a license plate AND make sure that the characters on the plate are legible cannot be attained by just any camera.

These CCTV specialty cameras may also require special programming for license plate recognition if required.

Example: A busy warehouse or fulfillment center has trucks coming and going all hours of the day and night. For security purposes the facility manager wants to alert the staging area and the office to who is on their way for pickup of goods. So – a license plate camera is installed at the gated entrance of the facility. The camera captures an image of the license plate for security to review and validate. Once the truck is cleared by security, the driver may enter and have goods loaded. This allows for a more secure facility and even increases productivity because the staging area is able to be organized in anticipation of trucks already on site.

These three examples are only a few when it comes to specialty cameras. There are also options with enhanced night vision, 360 degree field of view, ultra HD image capture, extreme weather proofing and more.

Every camera installation is different and has its own set of needs. Once you really nail down the needs, it is easier for your technology and security partner to provide a solution that will not only meet them but will exceed them as we’ve outlined above.

If you believe that you have a specific need or a unique request, feel free to reach out to us and let’s see what our engineers can come up with.

We love a challenge!

The post How To Secure Your Professional Building With Three CCTV Specialty Cameras appeared first on Andromeda Technology Solutions.

There's a new worm making the rounds on Windows and Linux-based servers that you should be aware of. This nasty bit of code has been spreading rapidly, using simple brute-force methods to break into public facing-services like Tomcat, MySQL, Jenkins, WebLogic and others. Unfortunately, the prevalence of weak passwords protecting these public-facing systems has made the brute force attacks that much more successful.

Once the worm muscles its way onto a vulnerable system, the hackers controlling it are using it to drop copies of SMRig onto the compromised system, using it to mine cryptocurrency on their behalf. As malware goes, that's one of the least damaging options the hackers could have chosen, though it is still problematic. It still ties up an increasing percentage of your system's resources, putting it to work for the hackers. Still, it would be a trivial matter for them to swap out the payload with something far more destructive if they saw fit to.

This is not a sophisticated piece of code, but as the hackers controlling it have demonstrated, they don't need it to be. The sad and simple truth is that far too many people rely on rudimentary, easy to guess passwords, which makes it easy for even simple brute-force techniques to succeed. In short, there's so much low-hanging fruit on the web that the hackers are enjoying solid success without having to try very hard.

Don't fall victim to this worm. If it's been a while since you've reviewed security on your company's network, now is a great time to do that. Start by making sure that your passwords aren't so simple that it only requires trivial effort to crack them. Be sure you're taking backups at regular intervals and that if you have any "smart" devices connected to your network, they're as secure as you can make them. Stay vigilant, this is a minor threat in the larger scheme of things, but it's a problem you don't want to find yourself having to deal with.

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