Virtual watcher debuts in the workplace

The hidden camera is not so hidden anymore.

In high-tech cities, cameras watch the roads for erring motorists and traffic violations. In art museums and intelligent buildings, closed circuit televisions monitor every floor for theft and unauthorized entry. Even neighborhood convenience stores have cameras to keep an eye on shoplifters, while at home, a mobile eye allows working parents to watch the nanny at play with the baby.

Big Brother watching, without the political scare or dystopian angst, has become a pragmatic solution to securing a world that almost never sleeps and works with clockwork precision.

The current IT infrastructure and mobile phone technology platforms have aided the deployment of real-time audio and video monitoring solutions that even small and medium enterprises (SMEs) can now afford to install a “watcher” in their shops, offices or worksites. The premise is that if you can keep an eye on your business 24 x 7 minus the investment usually associated with “wiring” the workplace, it makes good business sense.

PLDT SME Nation has launched Watcher, a new video monitoring product for SMEs that rides on simple broadband DSL connection and the tracking capability of 3G mobile phones.

It is a simple IP camera bundled with viewing software that can be installed in worksites, offices, restaurants, hotels or condominiums.  

The IP camera has a 1/4 Super CMOS sensor, 640X480 lens, a built-in microphone, MPEG 4 compression and 802.11 b/g WIFI that’s 3GP compliant.

The system, PLDT executives explain, auto-records audio and video images on-site that can be viewed by the bosses live anywhere they are through laptops or PC connected to a broadband Internet connection or a 3G mobile phone. The images can also be stored in a storage server for later viewing.

Christian Lim, PLDT SME Nation assistant product manager, says that to store one-hour videos, one needs a regular PC or laptop with 20GB of memory. But to store seven days’ worth of recorded video (eight-hour videos per day) or even more, a storage server with at least 120 GB of memory may be needed.

Why the focus on SMEs?

PLDT says on its website that “SMEs are considered the backbone of the economy.” Of the currently 630,000 actively registered businesses, 99 percent are SMEs, which employ 70 percent of the total labor force and contribute one-third of the nation’s gross domestic product. In tapping this market, PLDT SME Nation hopes to be a key technological enabler through its many products and information and communications technology (ICT) platforms.

Amil Azurin, SME marketing head, says SMEs like big businesses are constantly faced with the challenge of securing worksites from theft. And threats come not only from outside intruders, but more often than not, the greater menace is employee theft.

The question most business owners usually ask, according to Azurin, is “How do I further secure my office? What do employees do when I am not watching?” And believe it or not it is not a local but a worldwide concern.

Lim says that a study in the United Kingdom reveals that around $4 billion or 20 percent of corporate profits are lost to theft or pilferage. Another study by the US Department of Commerce shows that American businesses lose $50 billion annually to office theft.

Chrisma Bangaoil, HR consultant, confirms that one of the most common problems employers face is the incidence of office theft. She explains that it does not only include pilferage or using office equipment and supplies for personal use, but also counts unproductive employee hours — such as extended or unscheduled office breaks, chatting or texting at the workplace, or sleeping on the job — that translate to lost or low productivity and thus cost money for business owners.

“We need to watch our business 24 x 7,” she concludes.

One of the highlights of Watcher is that business owners can monitor multiple worksites live anywhere they are in the Philippines or abroad. “You can be in Argentina and still know what your employees are doing,” says Kat Luna-Abelarde, SME National/VP head.

The Watcher is available nationwide in areas where there is DSL-ready PLDT phone service. Businesses can subscribe to the Watcher service for a minimal monthly service fee of P2,000 and a one-time installation fee of P500. One gets a free replacement of the IP camera when the contract is renewed after two years.

Abelarde, however, says this is only the beginning. PLDT SME Nation may come up with residential or other variants suited to the needs of individuals or other organizations, most likely the police force, security agencies or anybody with a need for a virtual watcher.