Retail Theft Up $4 Billion from 2009

A study published from the latest National Retail Security Survey (NRSS) reveals that retailers lost more than $37 billion to theft in 2010.

The survey's preliminary results shows that this is a $4 billion increase compared to the year before. Retail theft includes employee theft, human administration error, vendor fraud and shoplifting.

Along that same note and closer to the Kansas City area, The Lawrence Journal World ran a story recently about business owners and the frustration they are experiencing with increased burglaries. The Lawrence Police Department is "encouraging people to lock doors at home, in the office or their vehicles to try to prevent burglaries. Police also encourage businesses to install security cameras."

Commercial security is available through many applications, including high definition IP cameras, Access Control and Intrusion.

Source: Lawrence Journal World and Security Sales & Integration Magazine.

Intrusion Systems for Your Business

The foundation for building your security system is with an intrusion system, which is protection in and around your building that assists in preventing break-ins before they happen (or alerting the police department immediately after.)

Components of intrusion systems can include door contacts, window contacts, motion detectors, beams, glass breakage detectors and environmental sensors.

Intrusion systems that are becoming more popular go beyond perimeter protection and are known in the industry as remote management and remote notification. These systems allow you to check in to your business from a remote location, arm or disarm systems from over a web based phone, and provide video verification immediately after an event.

Security for Your Business

When referring the business or commercial security, the term "security system" is the umbrella terminology for the following: intrusion, fire, access control and cctv. Each type of system brings different features to security. Sometimes a building may just have one system, like the required fire system. However, most businesses combine several systems together to create security layers.

Intrusion Systems:

Intrusion is what most people refer to when they use the broad term, "security." Intrusion systems include door and window contacts, motion detectors, outdoor beams, glass breakage devices, and panic buttons. When a contact or device is breached (someone opens the front door) then a signal is transferred to the monitoring station and the proper people are contacted.

Fire Systems:

Building codes state that U.L. fire systems are required in most businesses and are to be inspected and tested on a regular basis. Fire systems include smoke and heat detectors and can be tied into the building's sprinkler system. Pull stations are installed in designated areas to provide manual communication to the sirens or strobes and the monitoring station.

Access Control Systems:

Access control is a term used to describe entry and exit points in a building and specifies who is allowed in certain areas. Access control can be thought of as "keyless entry" because systems utilize keyfobs or key cards instead of keys. Employee's "keys" can be removed or added easily through a computer program which ties into system.

CCTV Systems:

CCTV is short for Closed Circuit T.V., or cameras. Cameras are placed strategically in or around your building and images can be recorded on a DVR or NVR or clips can be stored and transferred through the Internet to your phone or computer.