4 locations to place your CCTV cameras in the office

Companies in Singapore are not invulnerable to informational theft, company property theft, or even vandalism. Despite Singapore being ranked one of the safest cities in the world, financial and commercial crimes have been increasing significantly in the last decade – from about 3.8 thousand cases in 2011 to approximately 17.12 thousand in 2019. As such, it is no surprise that most businesses in Singapore choose to install CCTV cameras around their offices to deter theft and offer strong proof in the event of a crime.

Whilst there is no question as to whether your business should install CCTV cameras on the premises, it is also vital to evaluate the ideal locations for installing these cameras in order to make the most strategic use of them. Thus, to help you make an informed decision about the positioning of your CCTV cameras, we share the four of the most important locations to monitor in the office:

1. Reception areas

The reception area is where employees and visitors sign in or use a pass to enter, which means that it is the best location to monitor the comings and goings of people on the office premises. Even without breaking into office premises, a person can still enter through the reception as a visitor or by using false identification. Naturally, reception area CCTV footage will play an essential role in locating the suspects, should there be suspicious activity on the premises. 

2. Entrances and exits

Besides the reception area, your office may have other entrances and exits for service personnel or authorised staff only. At the same time, these entrances provide potential trespassers with alternative ways to the office premises. 

It is important to take note that CCTV cameras pointing at entrances or exits should be designed to adjust well with varying light conditions. For cameras that are not able to adjust quickly to changes in lighting, the opening of a door can bring in a sudden stream of light that causes the images to turn completely white for a moment, and backlit conditions are likely to cause the darkening of images. As such, Day/Night cameras are often used at entrances and exits since they can record clear images in varying conditions such as backlight, glare, and direct sunlight. 

3. Document rooms

Aside from expensive equipment like desktops and laptops, a significant percentage of office theft occurs with intellectual property or privileged data that is oftentimes kept secure in physical document rooms. Documents can include clients’ lists, profit and loss statements, articles of incorporation, marketing plans and strategies, employee information, and more. In addition to securing the room with an access control system, it is thus also advisable to keep the entrance and inside of the room under close surveillance using CCTV cameras.

4. Employee working areas

Intellectual property and company property theft can happen anywhere that there are laptops, desktops or documents in the office, which include the common employee working areas. CCTV cameras function to monitor the area and deter employees from stealing valuable information or equipment. Dome cameras are the most common cameras used inside the workplace because of their subtle and modern design.

Even whilst it is good to know the areas in which CCTV cameras should be installed on your office premises, the specific positioning of the cameras and the type of cameras used will also affect the effectiveness of your surveillance system. Strategic placement of CCTV can help to capture a larger area with fewer cameras, ensure that video footage does not get obscured by factors such as lighting, dust, or obstacles, and even keeps cameras out of reach from potential intruders or thieves. For a solid security surveillance system, you should engage the expertise of a CCTV surveillance company in Singapore that will survey your office premises, recommend the positioning and types of cameras, as well as install them for you. 

Let us cover your office surveillance needs from start to finish. Get in touch with experts from One Stop Office Solution (OSOS), a trusted CCTV surveillance company in Singapore, for a consultation today!