5 important guidelines for securing on-premise IP video surveillance!

Securing business premises should be one of the top priorities for any company, regardless of size and other factors. A definitive solution to that is switching to IP video surveillance, which does away with the need of having hardware for recording data and footage. However, there is an inherent concern if hackers would hack into your IP cameras. Many companies have had their IT cameras hacked, and that has led to serious consequences. In case you are wondering why hackers would be interested in mundane business footage, you will be surprised to find the amount of personal information and minute details that can be found in video recordings.   

What can you possibly do to protect your IP cameras from hackers? We have a guide below for help!

1. Update your firmware. Manufacturers of IP video surveillance products are not blind to the work of hackers, and they are constantly patching vulnerabilities. Updates are made available for customers from time to time, and it is absolutely necessary to update firmware as soon as such new version is available. 
2. Create password policies. Unfortunately, not many companies take password policies as serious as they should. If you are still using easy passwords or default usernames and details, you are actually making things easy for hackers. Change default passwords as soon as cameras are installed. Ask employees to create passwords that are at least 10 characters long, has special characters, uppercase & lowercase letters. 
3. Never buy used devices. If your company needs new IP video equipment, don’t be tempted to buy secondhand or used devices. You are never sure if the devices have been compromised with or tampered by previous users. 
4. Consider access control. Who has control or access to these IP cameras? This is one of the basic questions that must be defined and answered. Make sure that access rights are changed, edited, updated, and revoked as required and without delay. You may also want to consider multifactor authentication. 
5. Secure Wi-Fi networks. How these IP cameras are accessed is also important. You may want to invest in securing networks, and make sure that users are not using public Wi-Fi to access information. 

Finally, consider network segmentation. It is absolutely necessary to consider separating your IP cameras and equipment on a subnetwork, so that hacking gets tough. A few steps can go a long way in securing your business premises, and it’s wise to take proactive stance towards security.