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Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems Ltd. comments, “Over the past few years we have seen a shift away from comprehensive CCTV maintenance contracts, and towards pay as you go based maintenance. CheckMyCCTV has allowed our customers to provide a proactive and targeted maintenance solution by monitoring sites for faults, tampering, vandalism, and operational issues”

Adding, “The launch of Proactive CCTV Support from RESS Ltd. provides Installers and Monitoring Stations with managed 24/7 system checks which includes first line technical support, so issues can be detected, diagnosed, and resolved quickly and effectively”

For more information of the Proactive CCTV Support service, contact RESS Ltd. on 01384 621211 or visit ww.ressltd.com

Australia’s leading airport retailer is using CheckMyCCTV to ensure that CCTV issues across their stores are proactively detected, reported, and rectified.

awpl is a leading airport retailer with over 50 stores in both Australia and New Zealand’s International and Domestic Airport terminals. Catering to such a high traffic market, it is vital that they have confidence in their surveillance solutions at all times.

Traditional annual CCTV maintenance did not offer 24/7 reassurance that issues were detected and rectified in a timely manner. It took a huge amount of resource and manpower to check, log, and report system faults manually on a daily basis, so they looked for a solution to rectify this.

Viasec Pty Ltd., our Sales Partner for Australia and New Zealand, provided awpl with CheckMyCCTV. Their CCTV systems are now automatically monitored ensure full functionality every hour of every day.

Luke Casey, Managing Director of Viasec Pty Ltd., comments “The CheckMyCCTV system is managed by awpl’s support team, and is used to report faults and tampering across all their estate so issues cab be resolved in a timely manner” adding “This has helped them by targeting only stores which have issues, reducing their maintenance costs and system downtime”.

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems Ltd. adds “This is a perfect example of where CheckMyCCTV has improved the effectiveness of CCTV across retail stores with a wide geographic area. These systems are often costly and time consuming to maintain, but by using CheckMyCCTV the process is managed automatically and efficiently”.

CheckMyCCTV is used to monitor over 12,000 CCTV systems across retailers, restaurants, utilities, hotels, schools, nightclubs, food production and anywhere where operational CCTV is required.

To find out more about CheckMyCCTV or request a demonstration, contact us at info@nullcheckmysystems.com or +44 161 8706137. Alternatively, customers in Australia and New Zealand can contact Viasec directly at sales@nullviasec.com.au or 02 4017 1180.

As more CCTV systems are connected to the Internet or on internal company LANs, CCTV vulnerabilities can be an easy way in for hackers to install bots or trojans on your customers’ systems. Upgrading the firmware of your CCTV devices should not be overlooked to reduce this risk.

Upgrading the firmware of CCTV systems is often overlooked when a maintenance service takes place, often due to a misconception that if the current firmware is working then there’s no need to upgrade.

This may have been the case with ‘stand-alone’ analogue CCTV systems from years gone by, but as more and more systems are connected online (or onto a company network), they can pose a significant risk to your customer if the firmware has network or password vulnerabilities.

It’s worth remembering that most CCTV systems are based on Windows or Linux operating systems which can be susceptible to network attacks if they are not updated, and the CCTV cameras or recorders can have their own vulnerabilities, which may be fixed in updated firmware.

Hackers are targeting vulnerable IP devices, and CCTV systems are seen as an easy target as many of them are untouched after they are installed, so they could have multiple vulnerabilities ready to exploit.

So the next time your engineers visit a site for a maintenance service, ensure they check and update the firmware of every network connected CCTV device – it is in the interest of you and your customers.

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Check your CCTV systems for faults, tampering and vandalism 24/7 using CheckMyCCTV. Register for a 30-day free trial today.

VRC Ltd. launch their CCTV HealthCheck service, joining a growing list of Monitoring Stations who are offering their customers 24/7 maintenance checking to ensure their remote CCTV systems are working correctly at all times.

With many businesses relying of evidential quality CCTV to protect their property, people, and assets, it is more important than ever to ensure they are operational and fit for purpose 24/7.

VRC HealthCheck is an automated service which conducts remote maintenance checks on your CCTV systems every hour of every day. The core checks include:

Network Connection – Ensures the system is online and available.

Camera Status – Checks the cameras are not faulty or disconnected.

Record Duration – Checks the system is recording for the required duration, i.e. 30 days.

Record Status – Checks the system is recording and the hard disks are operational.

Time Accuracy – Checks the system time and date is correct.

The service automatically sends Daily Status Reports to your inbox every morning, so you can see when there is an issue and what the issue is, so it can be rectified in a timely manner.

Installers utilising VRC HealthCheck are able to provide a ‘proactive’ maintenance service – advising their customers when there is an issue, rather than waiting for issues to be reported (often after an incident has taken place), and get the peace of mind that their customers are getting the service they expect.

Matt Pound, General Manager of VRC Ltd. comments “We focus heavily on outstanding customer care and technical support, and providing a 24/7 CCTV system maintenance and status checking service increases the level of service we offer.”

Adding, “VRC HealthCheck is a fully automated system which checks the operational integrity of connected CCTV systems , providing installers and end-users with the reassurance that their CCTV systems are operating when they need them most.”

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems Ltd. adds “We recently passed a milestone of over 10,000 CCTV installations that are being monitored using our CheckMyCCTV platform, as more and more Installers offer real benefits in monitoring the status of remote CCTV installations as part of their maintenance service

“By adding 24/7 CCTV checking as part of their service, VRC can pinpoint sites which are not protected due to faults, tampering, or vandalism, and report them to the Installer for remedial work to be carried out.”

For more information about VRC HealthCheck and how it ensures your CCTV systems are operational 24/7, contact 0844 553 2180 or email info@nullvrcuk.com

Due to demand from our customers, support for Avigilon Control Center (ACC5) has been added to our portfolio of CheckMyCCTV supported brands.

Avigilon Control Center is easy to use, powerful, and becoming the platform of choice for many CheckMyCCTV customers.

CheckMyCCTV’s unique multi-brand support allows installers to provide remote maintenance checks seamlessly across their entire CCTV estate, whether they are using budget DVRs for home security, up to high-end corporate IP installations.

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems comments “We have had a number of requests for integration with Avigilon Control Center from customers wanting to expand their CheckMyCCTV Proactive Maintenance service to their higher end clients. By creating an Avigilon driver, this option is now available to CheckMyCCTV and Avigilon users.”

Adding, “The integration with Avigilon Control Center is the first VMS system supported by CheckMyCCTV, which has traditionally been used to monitor multi-site DVR and NVR installations. We have definitely seen a shift in our customers now wanting to offer the benefits of 24/7 system checking using CheckMyCCTV to their higher-end customers, and Avigilon Control Center appears to be a very popular choice.”

For more information about CheckMyCCTV or our integration with Avigilon Control Center, please contact us on +44 161 870 6137 or email info@nullcheckmysystems.com

For more about Avigilon and ACC5, visit www.avigilon.com

The BSIA recently added a section on remote maintenance in its latest ‘Maintenance of CCTV surveillance systems – code of practice’ publication. This may not seem significant, but it will change the way you maintain your installations along with your revenue models.

Remote maintenance checking is nothing new, it’s been used in the IT industry for years, from warnings about depleted printer cartridges, to server outages, IT systems are monitored to reduce downtime to near zero in our ‘always on’ world.

But what about CCTV? The industry as a whole has been always has been and still is geared towards Annual ‘preventative’ maintenance, which generally means an annual service visit, and additional visits when the customer reports an issue.

This means that despite huge technological advances in CCTV products in the last 30 years, the way CCTV systems are maintained has barely changed at all.

CheckMyCCTV customers are changing that. By monitoring CCTV systems for faults, operational issues, and tampering using CheckMyCCTV, Installers can now offer their customers an unprecedented level of proactive CCTV maintenance. Nearly 10,000 CCTV installations are are already monitored this way using CheckMyCCTV, and this number is growing all the time.

So how does this change how CCTV systems are maintained?

A typical maintenance contract will normally include an Annual preventative maintenance visit, and in the words of the BSIA “A preventative maintenance visit allows the technician to carry out a complete audit / check of the CCTV surveillance system”, which is great, but between visits it is still down to the end user to detect and report issues.

The problem is that many faults are often only discovered after an incident has taken place which subsequently wasn’t recorded. Customers are left with huge risks for days, weeks, or even months when faults, tampering, or vandalism occurs.

There is another way…

The BSIA list 3 types of maintenance in their Code of practice document:

• Preventative maintenance – Planned scheduled maintenance.
• Corrective maintenance – Emergency maintenance to correct a fault.
• Customer and user maintenance – Basic maintenance carried out by the end user.

By using CheckMyCCTV to provide remote CCTV status checks, CCTV installer are providing a 4th type of maintenance for their customers:

• Proactive Maintenance – Systems are monitored for issues 24/7 and issues are detected, reported, and ultimately resolved in a timely manner.

With proactive maintenance, systems are checked automatically by CheckMyCCTV, so instead of waiting for the user to discover faults or issues, they are reported as they happen. This information can be used to provide the end-user with a proactive maintenance service, where issue are resolved before an incident occurs.

Benefits for Installers

Proactive CCTV maintenance can have huge benefits to installers and their customers:

1. Targeted Response – You know exactly which of your installations need work, so they can be targeted accordingly.
2. Reduced Downtime – Reduce the time it takes to rectify your customers’ CCTV faults.
3. Do more with less – Proactive maintenance requires less manpower, time, and energy, allowing you to use your resources more effectively.
4. Increased user satisfaction – Your customers know their systems are being checked 24/7 and faults are fixed in a timely manner.

The next time you bid for a maintenance contract, ensure you keep your competitive advantage by providing a proactive maintenance service using CheckMyCCTV. For more details or to arrange a demonstration, contact us on 0161 870 6137 or email sales@nullcheckmysystems.com

To download the BSIA maintenance of CCTV surveillance systems – code of practice document, click HERE or visit the BSIA website at www.bsia.co.uk 

CheckMySystems are pleased to announce PALS-Services as our latest monitoring partner, providing innovative loss prevention solutions to the retail market.

One of these services; PALS-ConneX can make sure that your huge investment in CCTV is efficient and in working order 24/7/365.

Karl Jordan, Managing Director of PALS-Services explains more about PALS-ConneX…

“How often have you come to use your CCTV system only to realise the broadband connection or recording system is down, or not recording for as many days as it should or you’ve had a camera failure? Many, I know…..and probably many you don’t know!

With PALS-ConneX, you are alerted immediately of any failings, downtime, switch off or changes in images. Great for maintenance, performance management of installers, alerts of malicious or non-malicious activities but most all, the assurance that your investment and system is doing what you want it to do.

This will reinvent maintenance contracts for some retailers, with a real opportunity to know 100% what the issues are and when. It will really support service providers in achieving a right first time solution also to improve first time fixes and ultimately reduce downtime and a great service to the end user.

No need to await security personnel, store managers etc. to spot the issues, we do it all with the simplest of software from our Business Intelligence Suite. The PALS-ConneX service solution puts you back in control!”

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems adds “We welcome PALS-Services as our latest monitoring and service provider, and look forward to working with them to grow PALS-ConneX within their retail customer base.”

“Our solution is already proven in a retail security environment, and the PALS-ConneX service is a great way for end-users to have the integrity of their CCTV systems managed for them, reducing their costs, system downtime, and operational risk”

For more information about PALS-ConneX, or the innovative retail solutions from PALS-Services, email info@nullpals-services.com or call 01564 703086

CheckMyCCTV monitoring partner, EMCS, now offering an own-branded CCTV checking service to installers across the UK and Ireland.

Since launching their CCTV status monitoring service in November 2014, EMCS are now checking the status of over 500 CCTV systems using their managed CCTV Sentry service every hour of every day.

CCTV Sentry was previously expanded to check the status of CCTV systems which are not traditionally monitored by the central station as a value added service for installers, such as multi-site retailers.

Now the service has been expanded further so CCTV Installers can have all their compatible network connected CCTV systems checked under their own branding.

Speaking about the service, Mark Hewerdine, CCTV Manager at EMCS comments “The uptake of our CCTV Sentry service has been way beyond our expectations, and we are now in a unique position to be able to offer to run the service on behalf of CCTV installers, with their own branding, across their monitored and non-monitored CCTV installations”

Darren Rewston, Managing Director of CheckMySystems adds “CCTV installers now have the option to to run their own system checking service using our software, or having a monitoring station, such as EMCS, provide the service for them”

“For many CCTV installers, to have a monitoring station host the service 24/7 at a fixed cost, with no extra hardware or software required is a compelling offer, and many are taking that route.”

“We’re seeing how CCTV maintenance monitoring is revolutionising how CCTV systems are checked and maintained. No longer are systems checked just once a year during a service visit, leaving end users at risk. They are monitored 24/7 for faults, tampering, and operational issues.”

For more information about how EMCS can host your CCTV status monitoring service, contact them on 0800 716 179 or email sales@nullemcs.co.uk