Choosing the Right CCTV Camera for Corporate Surveillance

Video surveillance is a great tool for protecting employees, preventing theft and reducing the risk of criminal break-ins. In addition, it can assist your in supervising your employees to ensure safety protocols (including WCB rules) are followed, record that the right products were shipped or received without damage, and even prevent employee harassment.

There are so many CCTV cameras on the market today. This presents a great opportunity for you to find a camera that does exactly what you need. The first step in choosing a CCTV camera is understanding the main types of cameras out there, and of course determining the main purpose for your surveillance.

What is a CCTV Camera System?

Closed-circuit television (CCTV) is the use of CCTV video cameras to transmit a video signal to a monitor for live viewing, or to a recording device for viewing at a later date. They are used primarily for surveillance and security purposes.


What Type of CCTV Camera Should I Buy?

Here is a selection of the different types of CCTV Cameras you can consider:

Dome Camera

Dome Cameras are often used for indoor security and surveillance. Typical applications are retail environments, where the camera is designed to be unobtrusive, but visible. In addition, the "dome" shape makes it difficult to tell the direction that these cameras are facing, and thus are ideal for deterring criminals. The “bad guys” will know the facility is being watched and customers will feel at ease knowing the facility is being protected. Units that allow the camera to pan/tilt/zoom and spin quickly within the housing are often referred to as “speed domes.” Speed domes are used to cover a wide area with only one camera, or to avoid poor light conditions at certain times of day.

Bullet Camera

Bullet Cameras have a long, cylindrical, and tapered shape, similar to that of a "rifle bullet", often used in applications that require long distance viewing. The camera is not typically designed to have pan/tilt/zoom control but instead to capture images from a fixed location, pointing at a particular area.

A bullet camera is a wall-mount or ceiling-mounted unit that is typically designed for indoor use, but can also be used for some outdoor applications. Many bullet cameras can also be waterproof by being installed inside protective casings, which protect against dust, dirt, rain, hail and other harmful elements.

C-Mount Camera

C-mount cameras have detachable lenses to fit different applications. Standard camera lenses can only cover distances of between 35 and 40ft, therefore with C-mount cameras, it is possible to use special lenses, which can cover distances greater than 40ft.

Day/Night Camera

Day/Night cameras have the distinct advantage of operating in both normal and poorly-lit environments. These cameras do not have Infrared illuminators because they can capture clear video images in varying light conditions and in the dark.

The camera is ideal for outdoor surveillance applications, where Infrared CCTV cameras cannot function optimally. These cameras are primarily used in outdoor applications and they can have a wide dynamic range to function in glare, direct sunlight, reflections and strong back light 24/7.

High-Definition HD Camera

Ultra high-definition cameras are often relegated to niche markets, such as casinos and banks. These give the operators the ability to zoom in with extreme clarity (to look at a poker player who might have something up their sleeve).

If you plan to conduct corporate surveillance, there are some additional factors to consider.  Click here to view our post: Corporate Surveillance | What You Need to Know.


We offer a variety of corporate surveillance services that will allow us to discreetly gather information and assist you in presenting unbiased facts and circumstances. We have a strict privacy policy in place, and can assist you in navigating your own privacy-related legislative requirements.

Contact us today for more information about our corporate surveillance services.



The Renwick Group has experience working with many different types of businesses and organizations providing skip-tracing, fraud investigations, WSIB support, legal team assistance, evidence gathering, employee background checks, and more. We also work with individuals who need help with personal matters. Call us at 1 (888) 722-9807 or visit our website for information.

5 Simple Tips to Protect Yourself From Intellectual Property Theft and Fraud

Many businesses are at risk of property theft and fraud, causing huge losses in revenue.  Implementing some simple preventative measures can decrease your risk and protect your intellectual property and goods.

1.  The first step in protecting your business is installing a verified alarm system.  Verified alarm systems are different from traditional alarms because they verify the alarm for you.  You will not be dealing with false alarms in the middle of the night that require you to reset your alarm.  Verified alarm companies monitor audio or video security when the sound-based or motion-based alarms are tripped.  If a criminal is attempting to break-in to your business, they dispatch the police immediately.  Verified alarms receive prompt police response and result in criminal apprehensions.  If it is a false alarm, the monitoring station simply resets the alarm.

2.  The second step in protecting your business is a managed access control system.  This will help you monitor which employees access certain areas in your business and allows you to restrict access to certain hours of the day.  Additionally, a managed access control system restricts unauthorized persons from accessing your facility – without the proper key card access, they will be unable to enter.  Electronic key cards and fobs used with managed access control are also easy to disable – in the event that an employee no longer works at your business, it’s simple to remove their access.  This is a simple step you can take if you have a disgruntled employee who still has a key to your building.

3.  Criminal record checks are an important part of employee screening.  Your intellectual property is vulnerable to theft from outside criminals and also internal employees.  Reduce your risk by thoroughly screening employees prior to employment to identify any potential risk factors.

4.  If you’ve implemented a managed access system, you can take an extra step to protect intellectual property, client information or high-end products by limiting access to a specific office or server room.  Restrict access to managers or authorized persons to limit the amount of people who are able to access the room.

5.  Unsecured workstations increase your vulnerability to theft.  Secure your workstations, disable drives and protect your printers.  This will limit easy access to important internal information.  Securing your workstations will ensure the smash-and-grab criminal cannot remove a computer drive easily.  Disabling drives such as USB ports or other means of connecting external drives prevent employees from copying confidential data.  Protecting your printers reduces the chances of printer theft – printers often hold data in their on-board memory.

Implementing these five preventative security measures can considerably reduce your risk of theft.  Theft of intellectual property and confidential information can lead to many negative consequences for your business.  Make sure to take the steps to protect yourself from loss.

The Renwick Group has the knowledge and experience to help you or your business solve problems such as fraud, skip tracing, locating people, litigation support, labour dispute management, and more.. Please call us at 1 (888) 722-9807 to discuss your situation.

The Canadian Perspective on Workplace Monitoring and Employee Surveillance

As a continuation of our series about employee surveillance, I would like to share with you this interesting pdf downloadable paper from the Canadian Law Firm - McCarthy Tetrault - Titled - "Workplace Monitoring and Employee Surveillance" by Christopher McHardy, Tina Giesbrecht & Peter Brady. 

We get a good overview from a top law firm and a Canadian perspective.  Although may I note that this is paper was authored in Western Canada and therefore regional differences in legislation may exist.

This paper looks at the way in which Canadian privacy legislation is influencing the way courts and arbitrators are balancing the right of employers to know and manage, versus privacy rights employees may have in the workplace.

You can download the McCarthy Document here as a pdf document

Workplace Monitoring and Employee Surveillance Extract / Summary

In the last decade, new technologies in the workplace have changed the way we do work and the way we manage employees. Beyond the production and cost benefits, these technologies have both increased employer risks relating to employee misconduct and improved employer tools to manage and address such misconduct.

The increased risks and improved tools have resulted in increased use of surveillance and monitoring and an increase in the tension between management rights and employee privacy. The introduction of privacy legislation in Canada has further increased this tension.

You can download the McCarthy Document here as a pdf document

A New Era

Since the implementation of the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”)2 in January 2001, issues of privacy and protection of personal information have become a regular concern for human resources managers. PIPEDA now applies to all commercial activity in Canada except in those provinces which have substantially similar legislation and where the federal government has registered an exemption order. Personal information which flows across provincial or national borders will be subject to PIPEDA and PIPEDA will continue to apply, within provinces, to the activities of federal works, undertakings and businesses such as broadcasting, telecommunications, banking and transportation.

You can download the McCarthy Document here as a pdf document

This Article is brought to you by The Renwick Group - www.therenwickgroup.ca - The Renwick Group is a private investigation firm founded in 1997 and is based in Barrie, Ontario. We excel in delivering our core Private Investigation Services in the most efficient, secure, and professional manner.​