Today, the consumer is more often guided by financial considerations when choosing a contractor for video surveillance and takes from someone who is cheaper. The seller, in turn, is trying to consummate the deal with a minimum of expenses and the highest profit. In result, the funds are invested but the security system does not give the desired effect. Who is to blame and what to do? Let’s look into it.

The main problem of customers and providers

Where is the “stumbling rock” between contractor and customer?

Few customers are competent in matters of video surveillance. Often this kind of information is Greek for them. Customers have great difficulty in explaining what they expect from the use of video surveillance. They may not even have a clue about the capabilities of the system, which would be useful to them. 

The provider uses a pattern of interaction with the client and prefers not to go into details. Competition, a desire to minimize the cost of the work, the low cost of the project are the factors that make the contractor finish everything “quickly” and run to a new customer.  

Auditing services in the field of security systems are not yet active. And the cost of these services is available only to large budgets. 

This fact also does not contribute to the development of the effectiveness of video surveillance systems in Russia. 

Under such conditions, the common user has only to require the customer to meet the obligatory condition which is to design a practical SOW (Statement of Work). Or they can also design the Statement of Work on their own.

Why is the statement of work necessary (SOW)?

Video surveillance systems provide protection of human life, order, and security of property. The quality of their use and full functionality depend on the professional adjustment of cameras.

The full-fledged creation of a video surveillance system should not contain basic mistakes. This is facilitated by drawing up a productive SOW for video surveillance. Then the result of using the system will be the best. 

A key and important element in the configuration of CCTV cameras is their field of view. Special attention and time should be paid to it. And it is necessary to remember that the installation of the system as a result of incorrect initial actions will become too expensive.

To avoid unnecessary financial expenses and to achieve a clear performance of the necessary tasks, it is required to draw up an effective SoW. 

In June 2018 in Russia, the National Russian Standard was established, which defines the drafting of the SOW for the security system project (National Russian Standard  57839-2017). 

Are the statement of work and the project the same thing? 

The requirements and characteristics of the product for which the project is being prepared are recorded in the statement of work. The “video surveillance system” SOW can also be drawn up by the customer. The designer or a special organization works on the creation of the project.

The statement of work defines the structure, the required capacity, and the features of the product. The designer is guided by the statement of work when drafting the project. The project is a kind of instruction, a scheme for building and launching a video surveillance system.

The video surveillance system project consists of design stages. A clear sequence of processes begins with the survey of the object and ends with installation, testing, correction of errors, and delivery of work.  

Drawing up the SOW is one of the points of the project.

Home video surveillance from Faceter

It is human nature to feel anxious about the safety of the home in their absence. This applies to the period of vacation, repair work, or cleaning services.

A great assistant in solving the problem of round-the-clock monitoring of what is going on at home will be the cloud surveillance service from Faceter. 

It is a simple and functional service. It will send notifications of movement, use the notes in the archive, and turn on the night vision mode itself.     

You only need two smartphones to use it. An older gadget can be used as a surveillance camera. The algorithm for setting up the camera is very simple. There is no need to make a project, there are no settings and manual updates. The data is immediately sent to the cloud storage.

In addition, today it is already not uncommon to use video surveillance as a baby monitor. The silent assistant makes it possible to monitor the behavior of children, the work of household staff, and look after elderly or sick family members.

Conclusion. 

The buyer sincerely believes that in the business of surveillance it is enough to buy equipment, just connect it and everything works. But the video monitoring system is quite complicated and does not forgive mistakes. If you want to make the most of functionality, to be sure of safety, and that the investment in the equipment is not in vain then you should focus on the high-quality installation of surveillance cameras.