The National Federation of Independent Businesses confirms what most already know - small- to mid-sized businesses in the U.S. are feeling the effects of labor shortages.
Unlike larger enterprises, many smaller, independent businesses – such as retailers, hotels, bars and restaurants, gyms, pharmacies, and commercial office-based organizations – simply don’t have the cash flow to significantly increase wages or offer sign-on bonuses.
So, it’s not surprising that they are becoming more cautious. Many are seeing supply chain disruption and inflation increasing their costs, while their customers are less inclined to spend.
Add to that the fact that high gas prices – over $5 a gallon in some places – is impacting employees directly, making it more expensive for them to commute. This is putting additional pressure on businesses by making it harder to attract new employees and retain existing ones.
At the same time, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are operating against a backdrop of the age-old problem of shrink; and, according to the FBI’s latest 2020 statistics, property crime, including theft, is also rising. A reported 921,505 aggravated assaults made that the most common offense.
While more recent figures are not yet available, 24/7 rolling news and politicized claims that crime is on a continued upward trend is likely adding a sense of urgency for business owners looking to strengthen safety and security.
However, they’re also mindful of economic headwinds and likely evaluating security tech that offers new ways to reduce costs. If they can make a relatively small investment that will improve efficiency without impacting the quality of the product or service they provide, so much the better.
Video systems that use NVRs for recording and storage score high marks on all counts.
The Value of NVR-based Solutions
The need for reliable and affordable video surveillance solutions is clearer than ever and this is one area where businesses can quickly reap some significant savings.
In sectors such as retail and hospitality, video is being deployed to reduce shrink, increase operational efficiency, and ease pressure on busy staff. NVR-based surveillance is delivering not just cost-effective, secure video storage but a wide range of additional functions.
On the question of cost, it’s important to remember that storage makes up the lion’s share of a typical surveillance system’s total cost of ownership (TCO).
There are significant lifecycle cost advantages for NVR-based solutions compared with cloud-based offerings. VSaaS solutions, for example, usually come with upfront equipment, installation, and commissioning costs, as well as annual license fees that effectively lock customers in with and limit their edge storage capacities to just 30 days.
Over time, the costs mount as businesses expand, add more cameras, open more sites, or adopt additional analytics functions.
For users who need to retain video for longer periods for compliance or for operational reasons, cloud storage becomes prohibitive.
Yes, on-prem storage can still account for most of the upfront equipment costs, especially for higher-channel systems, but it’s still far more cost-effective to add additional hard drives and NVRs than pay for increased cloud storage on top of licensing fees.
Robust, Compliant Foundation
Today’s NVRs feature powerful Pentaplex operation providing simultaneous live, record, playback, backup, and remote operation. They’re the most robust and cost-effective foundation for any scale of surveillance operation and prove particularly cost-effective for SMEs.
Ranges can extend from compact 4-channel models through to enterprise-PC servers that come pre-loaded with enterprise-class VMS that support up to 256 Full-HD streams
A 32-channel NVR configured for a 32-camera system will meet the demands of most small- to mid-sized facilities, often with channels left spare so that users can quickly and simply expand their system to address new areas of concern or blind-spots that become apparent. Slightly larger facilities such as schools, offices and specialized manufacturing sites will often opt for two 32-channel NVRs, which will cost-effectively satisfy their storage and camera requirements.
Smaller facilities such as coffee shops, boutiques, and pharmacies can take advantage of 4-16 channel NVRs with models that save space with wall or counter mounting. These can be matched with equally compact camera models.
It’s these NVR-based video systems that are delivering SMEs a return on investment within the first year.
Well-designed NVRs benefit from the latest H.265 standard to ensure that storage and bandwidth requirements are kept to a minimum, meaning businesses can adopt Full-HD or higher definition cameras to tackle a raft of security and safety challenges, without an exponential rise in costs.
NVRs that come with additional compression technologies can translate into an additional saving of up 60% compared to older H.264 systems. And if operators use Motion Adaptive Transmission (MAT) on cameras covering areas with little activity they can achieve savings of up to 90%.
Better yet, NDAA-compliant NVRs give SMEs the added assurance of a future-proof solution. Deploying an NDAA-compliant surveillance kit will allow them to confidently expand into federal business activities or apply for federal loans, without the need to rip and replace equipment.
At the same time, it means they are prepared for the Federal Communications Commission to publish its final ruling on the Secure Equipment Act 2021 in the very near future, which will determine if there are to be further restrictions of Chinese surveillance equipment.
All told, while there is much industry buzz around cloud and VSaaS, it is actually NDAA-compliant NVRs that are quietly humming to keep SME’s property, staff, and assets safe and secure.
Jason Burrows is IDIS America’s regional sales director, Western U.S., in charge of all sales operations in the western half of North America. With over twenty-eight years of security industry experience, Burrows has held key positions with the largest brands in video surveillance manufacturing and distribution. Throughout his career, he has worked closely with integration firms and large-scale end-users including military, education, cruise lines, theme parks, shipping ports, metro transit, and major municipalities.
