Answers to the questions business owners ask us about security
If you’d ask it before buying cameras, alarms, or door access, it’s answered here. Costs included. Start with the quiz if you’re not sure where to begin.
Foresight is SolutionsIT’s security department, so the answers here come from the same team that has supported Manitoba businesses since 1987.
What does it cost?
What changes the price of a business camera system?
Camera count, cable runs, plate reading, storage, and the building itself decide most of the price.
Read the answerWhat changes the price of a business alarm system?
Openings, sensor types, cellular backup, and what happens after install day move the number.
Read the answerWhat changes the price of door access control?
The door itself, its condition, the wiring run, and how the opening is used.
Read the answerWhat’s in an alarm monitoring fee?
What’s in the monthly fee, what changes it, and what the fee does not cover.
Read the answerIs an installed security system worth it over a store-bought kit?
A store-bought kit can be enough for one door that you check yourself. If you have a yard, several ways in, or footage you may need to give police or an insurer, an installed system holds up better.
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What goes wrong?
Why do security cameras fail in Manitoba winters?
Usually it's the cable entry, the housing, or the power, not the camera. A rated outdoor camera runs well below minus 40, so when one goes dark in January, look at what surrounds it first.
Read the answerWhat goes wrong with a store-bought camera kit on a business?
They record, but they're usually pointed wrong, stored wrong, and nobody is responsible when they stop. A kit can be fine for one door you check yourself, but on a shop, a yard or an office with several entries, those three gaps show up the day you need the footage.
Read the answerWhy do business alarms get ignored?
Usually because one person gets so many false alerts that they stop looking. Fewer, better alerts sent to more than one person, in order, is what gets an alarm taken seriously again.
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Which option is right for me?
Should I record on site or in the cloud?
On site if you want no monthly fee and have a safe place for the recorder. Cloud if the video has to outlast a break-in, or you run more than one location.
Read the answerFob, card, or phone: which door credential should a business use?
Fobs for most shops, phones for offices where everyone already carries one, cards where you want a photo ID on it. Many systems take all three, so you can mix them on the same doors.
Read the answerDo I need alarm monitoring, or just alerts to my phone?
Not always. Alerts to your own phones work for many businesses, and you can add monitoring later if you find you need it.
Read the answerHow do I compare security companies? Five questions to ask
Ask five questions before you sign: who installs, what happens when it breaks, where footage lives and for how long, what is in the quote line by line, and what you are locked into. Use them on us or on anyone else, and compare the answers side by side.
Read the answerWhat to check before you renew your alarm contract
Check four things before you renew: what the contract covers, who responds to an alarm, what changes cost, and who to call when something breaks. Get the answers in writing before you sign.
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What's the best choice for my property?
What's the best security camera setup for a shop with a yard?
Cameras on every way in, one aimed at the gate for licence plates, and a wide view over where things are stored. For most shops with a yard that adds up to 8 to 16 cameras.
Read the answerWhat's the best security setup for a farm or ag operation?
Cameras at the yard entrance and the fuel and chemical storage, plate reading at the gate, and alerts to your phone. Long cable runs and wireless links between buildings are usually the biggest part of the cost.
Read the answerWhat's the best way to secure a construction site or equipment yard?
A temporary camera setup that moves with the job, plate reading at the access point, and alerts to your phone after hours. On a site that changes every few weeks, that beats a fixed system bolted to a building that isn't finished yet.
Read the answerHow many security cameras does a small business need?
Usually four to eight: one per way in, one over the till or office, and one over the yard or lot. More cameras rarely fix a bad camera placement.
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How does it work?
Do security cameras actually deter theft?
Yes, partly: visible cameras put off opportunists and give you evidence on everyone else. They don't stop a determined thief on their own, which is why placement and alerts matter more than how many cameras you have.
Read the answerCan I record my employees or customers in Manitoba?
Yes, with limits. You need a real security reason, visible signs, no cameras in private areas like washrooms, and a clear rule for who can view the footage and how long it is kept.
Read the answerWhat happens on a security camera install day?
We arrive with the plan from your site walk, run cable, mount and aim each camera, set up your phone, and walk you through it before we leave. Most small sites take one to two days.
Read the answerWhat is a site walk, and what should I have ready?
A site walk is a free visit of about an hour where we walk your property with you, ask how your day runs, and tell you what we'd do. Nothing is required from you, but it helps to know your hours, who holds keys or codes, anything that's gone missing, and anything your insurer has asked for.
Read the answerWhat happens to your keys when an employee leaves?
Their key often stays with them. With access control, you remove their credential in minutes, with no rekeying and no wondering who still has a way in.
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Not ready to book? Take the checklist.
Five questions to ask any security company before you sign, with what a good answer sounds like. One page. Use it on us or on anyone else.