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Hikvision UK January 2015 Road Shows

HikvisionWe’re a guest speaker at the Hikvision UK road shows in January 2015, presenting our experiences of how installers manage and maintain their large scale multi-site installations effectively using CheckMyCCTV.

 

The roadshow will be visiting the following venues:

January 15th 2015 – Bisham Abbey, Marlow [FULLY BOOKED]

January 16th 2015 – Brandon Hall, Coventry [FULLY BOOKED]

January 21st 2015 – Bolholt Hotel, Bury [FULLY BOOKED]

January 22nd 2015 – Mercure, Livingston

Aimed at CCTV installers, the key topics of the roadshow include:

  • An introduction to Hikvision.
  • The latest SMART feature set.
  • The Turbo High Definition range designed for new installations and legacy upgrades.
  • The iVMS 4200/5200 management systems.
  • Managing and maintaining multi-site installations using CheckMyCCTV.
  • The future of Hard Disk Drives for surveillance.
  • Monitoring solutions through EMCS.

Places are limited so please book your place today using the form below.

Registration form

[si-contact-form form=’8′]

EMCS extends ‘CCTV Sentry’ health check service

CCTV Sentry from EMCSFollowing the successful launch of their CCTV Sentry health checking service,  EMCS, one of the UKs largest independent monitoring stations, has extended the service to cater for customers with unmonitored CCTV installations.

EMCS identified that faulty CCTV systems or network outages could impact the effectiveness of their monitoring service, as well as leaving their customers at risk.

CCTV Sentry was introduced by EMCS to help ensure the connections to their customers’ CCTV systems are operational 24/7 and the system is working as expected.

Mark Hewerdine, CCTV Manager at EMCS comments “As a reputable monitoring station, EMCS have to know that the CCTV equipment installed at a site is operating correctly, as a faulty or incorrectly configured CCTV system could mean the difference between an alarm activation being handled effectively or not”

“Our CCTV Sentry monitoring solution allows us to check the status of each CCTV system automatically, so we know when a system has a problem as it happens rather than after an incident occurs. We inform the installer of faults so they can be resolved in a timely manner”

“CCTV Sentry is available on all the main monitored CCTV platforms such as Xtralis Adpro, Dedicated Micros, Heitel, and Videcon, and Hikvision, and is now also available as a ‘stand-alone’ service for multi-site environments where an operational CCTV system is a necessity, such as retail, logistics, education, transportation, and critical infrastructure.”

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems Ltd. adds “The success of the CCTV Sentry service from EMCS is testament to their commitment to raising standards in the monitoring market. By extending this service to customers with unmonitored network attached CCTV systems, EMCS can detect and report operation issues of CCTV installations whether they are a single CCTV system, to large multi-site or multi-location installations.”    

For more information about how EMCS can monitor the status and effectiveness of your CCTV installations, contact EMCS on 0800 716 179 or sales@nullemcs.co.uk

CheckMySystems forms partnership with Mobile CCTV Systems

Mobile CCTV SystemsCheckMySystems and Mobile CCTV Systems are delighted to announce a partnership to provide remote CCTV diagnostic and integrity checking services to multi-vehicle installations.

 

Mobile CCTV Systems specialise in providing vehicle CCTV solutions for Commercial, Emergency Services and Military vehicles.

Speaking of the partnership, Duncan Ross, Managing Director of Mobile CCTV Systems Ltd., comments “Our customers may have many hundreds of CCTV systems in various vehicles over a large geographic area. It is essential to ensure that the CCTV system in each vehicle is operating correctly and hasn’t been tampered with or vandalised, but this is often very difficult to achieve.”

“The CheckMyCCTV solution provides our customers with remote status monitoring and reporting, ensuring that systems which are not operating correctly or are compromised can be rectified in a timely manner, rather than being discovered after a critical incident has occurred which wasn’t captured.”

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems Ltd. adds “CheckMyCCTV is used to monitor over 6,000 static CCTV installations, and our partnership with Mobile CCTV Systems extends this support to provide diagnostic monitoring CCTV systems in vehicles”

“CCTV systems installed in vehicles operate in a much harsher environment than their static counterparts, and the cameras can be more susceptible to faults, tampering, and vandalism, so it is essential to ensure the integrity of the systems when they are in use. Mobile CCTV Systems have recognised this, and their CheckMyCCTV solution offers real peace-of-mind to their customers”

For more information about the CheckMyCCTV service from Mobile CCTV Systems Ltd., contact
+44 (0) 118 927 2137 or email info@nullmobilecctvsystems.co.uk

Visit Mobile CCTV Systems at www.mobilecctvsystems.co.uk 

For more information about CheckMyCCTV, contact +44 (0) 161 8706137 or email info@nullcheckmysystems.com

CheckMySystems enters Technical Partnership with Hikvision

Hikvision Technology Partner

We are pleased to announce that CheckMySystems have entered into a technical partnership with CCTV manufacturing-leader Hikvision.

CheckMySystems’ unique CheckMyCCTV status-monitoring software is used by security installers to provide clients with a proactive maintenance service. Compared to traditional annual maintenance, this approach is a far more effective method for ensuring uninterrupted CCTV performance.

Proof of its effectiveness is the fact that CheckMyCCTV software is currently monitoring over 6,000 distinct CCTV installations.

Importantly, this partnership ensures that CheckMyCCTV users are able to conveniently add Hikvision products to their existing service.

Of this technical partnership, Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems noted, “Installers using CheckMyCCTV software as part of their maintenance solution often ask: ‘is this compatible with specific CCTV brands or products?’ Unfortunately, it is not always possible to guarantee compatibility with certain brands due to technical issues or a lack of cooperation from the manufacturer.”

“This is why our technical partnership with Hikvision is so important. It ensures compatibility with Hikvision’s entire range of DVR, NVR, Hybrid, and HD-SDI products. And as Hikvision products are competitively priced, easy to use, and most importantly, reliable, our customers can rest easy knowing there will be no compatibility issues with CheckMyCCTV when putting together a CCTV solution.”

Polo Cai, Vice President of Hikvision, elaborated, “Our open approach to working with technical partners is a source of pride at Hikvision. CheckMySystems provides our customers a value-added proactive maintenance service tool, which benefits both installer and the end-user, and eliminates compatibility concerns.”

For more information about CheckMyCCTV and our support for Hikvision products, please email
info@nullcheckmysystems.com or call +44 161 870 6137.

For information about Hikvision products, visit www.hikvision.com

 

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About Hikvision
Hikvision is the world’s largest supplier of video surveillance products and solutions. The company specializes in video surveillance technology, as well as designing and manufacturing a full-line of innovative CCTV and video surveillance products. The product line ranges from cameras and DVRs to video management software. Since its inception in 2001, Hikvision has quickly achieved a leading worldwide market position in the security industry.

Hikvision possess the world’s largest R&D team and state-of-art manufacturing facilities; both allow Hikvision’s customers the benefit of world-class products that are designed with cutting-edge technology. As further commitment to its customers, Hikvision annually reinvests 7% of its revenue into R&D for continued product innovation and improvement.

Hikvision operates over 30 domestic branches in China and 14 overseas regional subsidiaries, in conjunction with over 30,000 partners all over the world to achieve a truly global presence. Hikvision is now publicly listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange. For more information, please visit Hikvision’s website at www.hikvision.com.

ASM launch LiveCheck Status Monitoring Service

ASM LiveCheckUK based monitoring station, ASM have launched LiveCheck, a CCTV status monitoring service to ensure your CCTV systems are operating correctly 24/7. 

ASM LiveCheck automatically monitors CCTV systems for problems every hour of every day and reports issues as they happen – before they become critical.  

Speaking about the ASM LiveCheck service, Matt Edgley, Sales Director at ASM comments ‘With our LiveCheck solution we’re able to give all monitored clients the assurance that on-site CCTV systems are operating correctly by remotely monitoring the health and operation of critical functions.’

‘ASM customers do not have to rely on someone noticing that something is wrong or be exposed to the increased security risks that come with a CCTV system that’s not in 100% good health. As soon as a problem arises we will know about it and, if we cannot fix the issue remotely, immediately recommend an engineer visit to solve the problem.’

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems comments ‘ASM LiveCheck is a great example of how ASM is providing their customers with innovative services to ensure their CCTV is operational 24/7. After all, if the CCTV system is faulty, it is possible that a critical alarm is not sent to the monitoring station, leaving sites with an increased security risk’.

ASM LiveCheck performs a number of system checks every hour to identify issues such as Connection problems, Camera Failures, Recording Issues, Hard disk failures, Time accuracy, and more.

To find out more about ASM LiveCheck, visit ASM at www.asmuk.net or call 0333 888 4038

Is your CCTV vulnerable to a network attack?

Connecting CCTV systems to the Internet is very common these days, it gives the user the ability to view and control their CCTV systems remotely.

However, we have found that a high proportion of internet connected systems are vulnerable to attack, either pre-meditated, or using automated ‘bots’.

Such attacks can render a CCTV system useless by either corrupting or deleting the settings, deleting video recordings, or preventing access to the device (Denial of Service attack). They can also be used to cause damage to other devices that are connected to the CCTV system.

In this blog I will highlight some potential vulnerabilities, and give you 5 simple steps to reduce the chances of your CCTV systems being attacked.

Why are Internet connected CCTV systems attacked?

It is unlikely that a hacker or bot wants to attack your CCTV system at all, they are more likely looking for web servers or file servers that they can gain access to.

Unfortunately, modern IP connected CCTV systems often have web servers and file servers built into them which are used to configure the system using web pages, display video images, or download archived video footage.

So even though your CCTV system may not be a prime target for a bot, it can still do some serious damage to your system if they can gain access to it.

How are Internet connected CCTV systems vulnerable?

There are many reasons why a CCTV system may be vulnerable to an attack. The most common being:

  1. The device responds to Ping requests.
  2. It’s using common IP socket ports such as port 80 (HTTP), port 21 (FTP), and port 23 (Telnet), or the default ports.
  3. A low strength password is being used, or the password has not been changed from the manufacturer’s default.
  4. The system is open to connection from any source.
  5. There are vulnerabilities within the DVR software/firmware.

This isn’t an exhaustive list, but these are the most common reasons why internet connected CCTV systems are vulnerable.

How do I make my Internet connected CCTV systems less vulnerable?

In the first instance, it is worth addressing each of the points above to see if there are immediate issues which can be resolved:

  • Ensure the CCTV system does not respond to Ping requests – Ping is a method used to detect whether an IP device is connected online. If the DVR (or the router it is connected to) responds to Ping requests, it may alert potential attackers that a device  is available to attack. Turn off Ping response in the Router and DVR to prevent this from happening.
  • Change the IP port that is used to access the unit over the Internet –  If the DVR is using port 80, 21, or 23, see if these can be changed on the DVR itself. If that is not possible, change the router settings to use Port Forwarding, so that traffic on a specific incoming port number will be forwarded to the correct port of the DVR on the network. For example, you could forward any traffic on port 3080 to the DVR on port 80, so any external connection to the IP address on port 3080 will get through, but connections to port 80 will not. You can find out more about Port Forwarding HERE
  • Change the password on the CCTV System– ALWAYS change the manufacturer’s default password. Also, have a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters and digits to strengthen the password, for example “A$kMe” is much stronger than “askme”. You can check your password strength HERE
  • Configure your router’s Firewall – Do you really want to allow anybody on the Internet to have access to your CCTV system? The firewall within your router will allow you to limit access to your CCTV to certain IP address ranges or MAC addresses.
  • Ensure that the firmware on the CCTV System is up to date – Manufacturers may address any security or vulnerability issues with newer firmware, always ensure you have the latest firmware to ensure that you have added protection.

There are other methods of increasing security of your Internet connected CCTV systems which are way beyond the remit of this blog, but by implementing these five simple steps, you can reduce the chances of your CCTV system being attacked.

One thing to remember is that a CCTV system is basically a PC, they may not look or operate like one, but underneath they will be running an operating system which may well be Windows or Linux based, meaning that they are vulnerable to the same sorts of threats as desktop PCs.

It’s worth bearing in mind the next time you put one of your customers’ CCTV systems online.

CheckMyCCTV makes Quantum leap

Vista QuantumCheckMyCCTV – the unique CCTV status monitoring solution – has added support for all Vista Quantum CCTV systems, including the Eco, Plus, 960h, and NVR models.

Installers are benefiting greatly by offering their clients remote CCTV status and diagnostic checks using CheckMyCCTV software, especially over installers who are offering only annual maintenance visits as their service provision.

By supporting the whole range of Vista Quantum products, our customers can now add new and existing Vista Quantum CCTV systems to their CheckMyCCTV status monitoring service, providing their customers with the reassurance that their CCTV is operating correctly and response they require when it isn’t.

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems comments, “We have supported Vista Quantum DVR products for some time, but we’ve been getting more and more requests to support the Quantum NVR as installers shift towards IP based products”

Adding “Our integration with all Vista Quantum platforms means that Vista customers can choose the appropriate system for their clients and still provide proactive status monitoring using our CheckMyCCTV software”.

For more information about Vista Quantum products can be found at vista-cctv.com

For a FREE trial, or information about CheckMyCCTV and how it can improve your maintenance service, please call +44 161 870 6137 or Contact Us

CheckMySystems joins Merit LILIN partner programme

Merit LilinWe are delighted to announce integration with CCTV products from Merit LILIN, one of the worlds leading CCTV manufacturers.

By joining Merit LILIN’s Software Alliance Partnership programme, we have received specialist technical support allowing us to integrate Merit LILIN DVR and NVR products into CheckMyCCTV in record time.

Installers of Merit LILIN systems can now offer automated remote system checks as part of their service contracts to ensure the integrity of their customers’ CCTV systems 24/7 rather than only on maintenance visits.

CheckMyCCTV is already used to monitor the status of thousands of remote CCTV systems 24/7 as part of their installers’ proactive maintenance solution. Drop us an email at info@nullcheckmysystems.com for more information about CheckMyCCTV and how it is helping installers attract and retain business and increase their margins.

Remote Video Response have CCTV monitoring all wrapped up!

Remote Video Response

Remote Video Response – a CheckMyCCTV Monitoring Partner – have launched their new ‘Wrap Deal’ which includes a quality Interlogix DVR, Detectors, Monitoring, and CheckMyCCTV status monitoring with no capital outlay.

 

In today’s competitive market, Installers want technology that is quick and easy to install, that satisfies their customers’ needs, and maximises their financial returns.

By adding CheckMyCCTV 24/7 status monitoring into the package, Remote Video Response also monitors the status of the installation and alert the installer to faults and operational issues as they occur, offering the reassurance that the installation is operating correctly at all times.

Remote Video Response are an NSI Gold approved company with a proven track record in CCTV monitoring, and with best-in-class partners help maintain their exceptional levels of quality and service.

Colin Walters, General Manager of Remote Video Response commented “launching this wrap deal with CheckMyCCTV included demonstrates without limits, our commitment to providing cost effective and innovative solutions to our customers.”

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems Ltd. adds “Remote Video Response were one of the first CheckMyCCTV Monitoring Partners, recognising at an early stage that monitoring the status of remote CCTV installations is key to ensuring their service levels.”

“Including CheckMyCCTV status monitoring as part of the ‘Wrap Deal’ package, shows their commitment to ensuring not only are their customers’ sites protected, but that their CCTV is working correctly 24/7”.

To find out more about this unique package from Remote Video Response, and how it can give you a competitive edge, call them on 0844 879 1007 or email rvrsales@nullsmc-net.co.uk

CheckMyCCTV Finalist in Benchmark Innovation Awards 2014

Benchmark Innovation Awards 2014

We’re proud to announce our CheckMyCCTV software is a finalist in the 2014 Benchmark Innovation Awards.

We have long believed that remote CCTV checking is an essential part of maintaining the effectiveness of modern CCTV systems, and by nominating CheckMyCCTV for this award, our customers agree.

CheckMyCCTV is currently used to monitor the status of over 6,000 CCTV systems, helping to ensure they are operational every hour of every day.

At a time when CCTV end-users are demanding more from their security spend, Installers using CheckMyCCTV are raising the standard and value of their maintenance service by offering a proactive and customer focused service.

Installers who use CheckMyCCTV can view the status of their customers’ CCTV systems at any time, and are alerted to CCTV system faults or on-site issues as they happen. This allows problem sites to be proactively targeted with remote or on-site servicing when it is needed, rather than waiting for their customers’ to report issues, often after an incident has happened and it’s too late.

CheckMyCCTV is being used in many sectors including; Retail, Education, Waste Management, Local Council, Critical Infrastructure, Logistics, Food Preparation, Healthcare, and Transportation, with more systems being monitored every day.

The introduction of CheckMyCCTV Connector has further strengthened our customers’ service offering, allowing Installers to monitor their customers’ CCTV systems even if they are behind a firewall or on a corporate network.

If you provide maintenance services for customers with multi-site or remote CCTV systems, contact us to discuss how CheckMyCCTV is helping CCTV installers provide innovative maintenance solutions, and arrange a no-obligation demonstration or trial.

Phone 0161 870 6137 or email info@nullcheckmysystems.com

For more about Benchmark Magazine, visit www.benchmarkmagazine.com