Upgrade Warehouse Operations with Cloud Based Surveillance Solutions

Warehouse and Logistics companies have to be meticulous in their daily operations. From ensuring the proper storage of goods on-site and in transit to optimized delivery of the products, every step that comes along is exceptionally crucial. Cloud surveillance solutions have been a hype in the logistics industry for this exact reason. Driving towards a more efficiently working structure, these cloud video surveillance solutions oversee all functions of the site or multiple locations. The solution enables you to monitor operations and employees in real-time, contain suspicious activities, and store data on safe and easily accessible platforms.

Here’s everything you need to know about cloud surveillance solutions and why they’re the right fit for your warehouse.

UPSCALING WAREHOUSE SECURITY WITH CLOUD based SURVEILLANCE SOLUTIONS

The cloud denotes many things, but when it comes to security, the meaning narrows down to this – it’s the base for proactive monitoring.

A warehousing site needs more than a bunch of traditional CCTV cameras and guards on patrol to keep it safe and out of the reach of miscreants. These traditional  cameras (that are still in use) are incapable of adding value to your business. Their purpose is limited to recording data that can be viewed at a later hour. Incapable of notifying you in case of suspicious activities, these conventional analog systems do not provide a holistic solution for your surveillance challenges.

Imagine a whole panel worth of products being misplaced, only for you to find the culprit days later when you manually check the footage.

This is where cloud surveillance solutions take the lead. Streaming real-time footage and sending live alerts in the face of any suspicious activities, these systems can provide you with the extra cushioning that saves you from any significant harm or loss.

Cloud-enabled proactive monitoring allows you to know what’s happening in real-time via live footage and predict occurrences or prepare for possible scenarios by analyzing previous data.

Optimizing Logistic operations amid Covid

The warehousing industry, like few others, has been thriving during the pandemic. Though faced with initial turbulence, the sector was one of the first few to overcome the decline in business. With an increase in the e-commerce and pharmaceutical business, the requirement for distribution centers with broad geographical reach has intensified.

According to a recent report by The Economic Times, Walmart-owned Flipkart has decided to expand its fulfillment center capacity for grocery by more than 8 lakh sq. ft. across Delhi, Kolkata, and other cities.

The purpose of this additional infrastructure, as a statement said, is to bring the ease of online grocery shopping across the country.

With an overwhelming dependency on e-commercial routes for daily necessities, medications, or even non-essentials, the warehousing and logistics industry finds itself knee-deep into bulk orders.

Big e-retail platforms like Amazon, Big Bazar, Big Basket, and Flipkart can be seen struggling with excessive orders coming in, while investing in more storage facilities and workforce.

This has necessitated the presence of warehouse cloud security systems that monitor real-time performance of employees, ensure their compliance to hygiene and safety protocols while following the traditional route of securing premises from intrusions.

SECURITY CHALLENGES FACED BY WAREHOUSES

1. Intrusion

Warehouses store vast amounts of essentials and luxury products, amounting to huge sums. However, the absence of a proactive surveillance system can make these facilities easy targets for intruders.

2. Employee Negligence

Whether in terms of unhygienic handling of goods while packaging, unsafe use of machinery, or displaced items, several on-site accidents are caused due to employee negligence. Accidental fires, product spoilage, mishandling of equipment, and consequential injury are sensitive areas requiring consistent monitoring.

3. Theft & Pilferage

Employee theft is one major cause of loss faced by warehousing companies, and that is no secret. Somewhat recently, the Gurugram police caught two employees for stealing goods worth Rs 35 lakh from a warehouse. This type of news isn’t something new and necessitates the installation of proactive monitoring systems.

4. Fire and Temperature Fluctuations

From cosmetics to large barrels of petrol, warehouses are expected to be safe spaces for all types of commodities. Susceptible and reactive products require monitored temperature and humidity levels, while some products can expose employees to harmful components if not appropriately managed. Placement of inflammable objects near heat sources can cause site fires, which can take the whole facility down if not controlled right at the source.

KEY DRIVING FACTORS FOR CLOUD Based SURVEILLANCE MARKET IN WAREHOUSES

1. Environment regulation

While some products require refrigeration, some must be stored in completely dry rooms with a low threshold for humid conditions. The surveillance system can administer temperature, humidity settings, control the number of harmful gases in the air and raise alarms in case of potential spoilage due to fluctuating circumstances.

2. Two way audio

The entry of unauthorized personnel on-site can be a dangerous situation, so evaluating the situation on time is one major task surveillance personnel has to do. Command center staff, upon receiving alerts about an unwanted presence, can communicate with the person via a two way audio mechanism to verify their identity.

3. Footage retention and retrieval

Cloud storage enables the long term storage of footage without the fear of data manipulation, theft or displacement. Depending upon your requirements, footage retention can go up to 2 years. This data is available to authorized personnel at any time of the day, from anywhere across the globe, as long as they have the right credentials and an internet source.

4. Off- premise storage

Data storage on site puts the footage at the potential risk of being tampered with, overwritten by dubious and negligible employees or stolen. There are limitations to how much data can actually be stored on the recorders before the harddrive has to be replaced. Cloud surveillance enables devices to directly transmit the recorded footage onto the cloud for a long-term, tamper-proof storage.

5. Ease of loading and unloading

The time taken by an employee on the loading/unloading docks, and the preciseness of their operations, everything gets recorded on cloud. Any discrepancies in performance get notified to employers (such as the absence of safety gears while unloading stock).

6. Intrusion Detection

Who enters the premises and when, the time they leave, and every place they visit on-site. This becomes especially helpful when an unexpected visitor ends up at your premises. Warehouse cloud solutions help regulate the people entering your facility, raising hooters and sending alerts in case of forced entry into data and inventory sensitive areas.

7. SOP Adherence

Regulated inbound & outbound stock movement, hygiene equipment, safe handling of machinery, punctual opening/closing times, organized storage of products, energy management protocols, fulfillment of scheduled operations, and more are basic SOPs to be followed in warehouses. Cloud surveillance solutions help employers to monitor employee performance in real-time.

8. Round the clock monitoring

Relying entirely on guards for the security of your premises is not enough. While surveillance staff plays a vital role in protecting premises, they are simply one part of the mechanism. The larger and geographically expansive the sites, the weaker manual surveillance will prove to be. Cloud solutions provide you with integration across all your sites, allowing you to monitor every nook and corner that you wish to secure 24*7.

9. Immediate alerts and review

A cloud-based IP system doesn’t wait for you to casually walk onto a suspicious employee, watch a fire live-stream or retrieve the memory card from the local storage to review site performance. The intelligent system can be trained to identify these types of occurrences and many more. Sending real-time alerts to escalations with snapshots of the event enables you to keep any dangerous activities under control.

10. Live footage streaming

IP cameras connected to CMVRs or working as independent devices compress recorded footage and transmit it directly onto the cloud for storage. Connecting this mechanism to a monitor on-site or via mobile devices at remote locations, you can monitor all activities at the warehouse.

IGZY’S MODEL OF CLOUD based SURVEILLANCE SOLUTION

Our solution is simplified; what you want is what we give. Our cloud surveillance solution is customizable to cater to your security requirements. With an integrated platform of our own, we give you a clear image of what goes on your premises.

From intrusion control to energy management, our solution can take care of it all. Our certified command center keeps an eye on your premises, round the clock, so you don’t have to.

Want to know what we can do for you? Please tell us your security concerns, and we’ll tailor a solution appropriate for you. Contact us today!