// SECURITY //
Security on the Go How Cannabis Companies Can Utilize Mobile Surveillance to Protect Their Products
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By Kent Gruetzmacher
In today’s world, cannabis business operations are complex, multifaceted affairs – this notion is heightened with the nuances of transport in the industry. With cannabis products still demanding a large price on the black market, and business operating in a “cash only” industry, cannabis companies have plenty to protect. As such, forward-looking security technology companies are implementing mobile surveillance systems for transporting sensitive assets. While mobile surveillance systems are not required for the transport of cannabis products according to most state compliance standards, they can still prove quite valuable. This is namely because, if a delivery is compromised, a cannabis company can easily lose its operating license, or simply go out of business. Mobile surveillance can also be used to monitor the behavior of employees working remotely. Safety Vision is an industry-leading mobile surveillance technology company that is actively engaging the cannabis industry. According to their Marketing Director Jamie Hawkins, “Safety 32
Cannabis & Tech Today // Winter 2018
Vision has been leading the mobile surveillance industry for over 25 years. Our revolutionary solutions give fleet administrators the ability to track, view, and monitor their products with ease knowing their inventory and delivery routes are always protected under video surveillance.” Safety Vision’s history in traditional forms of mobile security systems, as well as their impact on the cannabis industry of today, makes them one of the world’s foremost authorities on the issue.
The Use of Mobile Surveillance Systems Mobile surveillance technology resembles standard camera security systems concerning infrastructure, but also includes innovations such as GPS tracking. The crux of these systems is that remote cameras report real-time imaging back to a data center where video is recorded and monitored. This data is then available for viewing remotely by way of computers and cell phones. GPS tracking systems also give business owners a real-time understanding of where their cargo is located during transport.
Mobile surveillance operations face several challenges not experienced in more standard security protocols. Trials mainly have to do with the fact that this delicate technology must operate in conjunction with the demands of the road. Hawkins explains, “The mobile environment presents particular challenges that stationary systems don’t face. Simply driving a vehicle down a normal road induces a huge amount of vibration, dirt, dust, water, and whatever the environment plans to throw at you that day … The cameras and their associated equipment must be able to withstand these conditions.” Looking to unique applications of mobile surveillance systems, the technology is used to monitor events related to travel. Traditionally, mobile surveillance systems have been utilized in transport heavy industries like shipping and public transit. Looking to the trucking industry, security companies have developed driver monitoring systems to gauge the roadworthiness of truck drivers. Interestingly, this technology weighs driver actions against computer algorithms to detect
