Security solutions for cannabis businesses: 5 questions to ask before choosing a video management system: Part 1 of 3

By Scott Thomas

Designing a security solution for your cannabis business can feel complex and overwhelming. There are a lot of considerations: cost, of course, but also scalability, versatility, resiliency, cybersecurity, and more. Not only do you need to protect your facility and the people and products within it, but also your data and the servers where it’s stored. You’ll also need to consider industry regulations and best practices, from ASTM international standards to your local authority’s rules.

In this three-part series, we’ll cut through the complexity to offer practical recommendations on how to plan, build, and assemble security solutions. In each article, we’ll focus on one key component of a robust security solution: first video management, then access control, and finally, cybersecurity.

Key considerations when choosing a video management system

Controlling costs is naturally top of mind for most start-ups. Yet when it comes to choosing security systems, the biggest mistake many new cannabis businesses make is to underestimate how their needs will change as they grow. From experience, many operators have learned the cheapest system on the market can cost a lot more in the long run. Primarily if you end up having to replace the whole thing because it can’t do what you need it to in a few years.

Here are six essential questions to ask yourself before you start shopping for a video management solution, so that you can feel confident you’re getting the features you need now, and the flexibility to add capacity as your business scales.

1. Are you protecting a single facility or a whole enterprise?

How big do you plan to grow? Will you have more than one retail store or grow facility? Will you expand operations across the state or even to additional states?

If you’re planning to expand across state lines you’ll need to make sure the system you choose is compliant with regulations in other jurisdictions — or can be easily upgraded to meet new requirements.

Even if you’re only starting with one location, it’s best to plan your purchases with a long-term strategy in mind. Many start-ups buy the cheapest system without anticipating future needs. An appliance with a max capacity of 24 cameras, for example, may not be enough if you need to scale up. Likewise, if you need to put in better cameras with a bigger field of view or higher resolution, you’ll need to consider the storage capacity of your recorders.

The size of your business will also affect how complex your video management rules will be. How many people will need access to view the video? Is it just one or two people? Or will there be many people within the organization who will need to see it?

In larger companies, you may need to specify different levels of access permissions for certain roles or departments, which is best done through integration with HR directories. If your five-year plan includes growing beyond a single facility, it’s practical to look for a video management solution that can easily integrate this kind of functionality.

2. Is your system open architecture?

The most efficient way to plan for growth is to choose an open-architecture system. If you select cameras and recorders that are designed to work only with each other or with one particular software provider, you have fewer options available to you. If you’re not happy with the software or need different functionality, like enterprise view or plugging in your intrusion or access control, you may need to replace the whole system.

With an open system, you can change your software provider without having to replace all of your hardware. You can also upgrade or add hardware to take advantage of innovative new technologies, without having to change your software provider. It allows you the flexibility to design a system that can cost-effectively scale as you grow.

3. How easy is it to use?

There’s no getting around the fact that new software takes a bit of time and training to learn. One way you can shorten the learning curve — and reduce the number of passwords to keep track of — is to choose a video management system that is part of a unified security solution.

A unified platform means you can have only one password to remember and one kind of software to learn to manage all your security solutions — and you can access all the data you need from the same pane of glass.

If your access control and video management system are managed within the same unified software program, when a notification pops up on your security dashboard that may indicate a breach within a secure zone, you can click to view video from the nearest camera within the same application — no need to log into a separate video management application and hunt for the right file.

A unified system also offers cybersecurity benefits, as there are fewer software packages to manage, update, and patch. Maintenance costs are lower, and fewer IT resources are required to keep the system up to date.

4. How easy is it to share video with regulators?

Can you allow people outside the network to view video files? If video files are requested, how easy is it to share? In some jurisdictions like California, regulators require cannabis businesses to ensure they have immediate access to live or recorded video footage at any time. Even if the regulations aren’t as strict in your area, it’s smart to choose a system that makes it easy to share video files with regulators, law enforcement, and other stakeholders.

The usual solutions for sharing large files aren’t adequate when regulators or police are involved, or when discretion is required. Dropbox-type applications do not provide an audit trail to keep track of who has viewed or shared files. Because the files are not encrypted or watermarked, the authenticity of video evidence could also be called into question in a court of law. These applications also put limits on the size and retention of video files – unless you’re willing to pay substantially higher subscription costs.

Some video management solutions have sharing capabilities, but because they use a proprietary codec to compress video, it can only be viewed using certain software. Open solutions such as Genetec Clearance allow cannabis businesses to share links to videos without requiring the viewer to download special software. Clearance is the only solution on the market that also provides redaction capabilities to blur faces to protect privacy — and it works with over 75 different video platforms.

5. Does the system have cloud capabilities?

Video hardware costs are dropping, but companies soon discover that adding more cameras quickly increases the number of servers required to store footage. The cost of adding more on-premises servers adds up rapidly, not to mention the impact on your utility bills and additional IT requirements.

Choosing an open-architecture video management solution allows you to control server costs in several ways. For one thing, you have the option to purchase commonly available, off-the-shelf servers rather than expensive proprietary varieties. You can also choose to store some or even all of your video files securely in the cloud.

With cloud services, you only pay for the storage you need, so you can scale up or down as your needs change. You also save on maintenance costs, as the cloud storage provider is responsible to keep their servers running, and has dedicated resources charged with monitoring and responding to potential cyber threats.

Discuss cloud options with your software provider. You may want to use direct-to-cloud video recording in areas where you can’t install a recorder, such as in a temporary facility, monitoring construction zones, or for covert cameras (in cases when an employee is suspected of theft).

There are also hybrid solutions. Many cannabis companies store 30 days of video data storage on-premises, and an additional 60 or 90 days in the cloud. This approach reduces hardware costs associated with video retention, backup, and on-demand access required by regulators.