Comcast Aids “Smart City” Initiatives With New Business Surveillance System

Businesses in Detroit have used "SmartOffice" to fight crime.

Image courtesy of Comcast.

Image courtesy of Comcast.

Cities like Philadelphia are on a quest to become “smart,” and Comcast Business is offering the tech that can help them get there. Last week the company announced that its SmartOffice video surveillance technology for small and medium-sized businesses is now on the market.

The technology’s key features include its cloud storage and instant mobile access. Up to 30 days of video can be stored, and up to four employees can be given permission to access and retrieve footage. Both live and recorded footage can be accessed on a desktop or through the SmartOffice mobile app on a smart phone or tablet. Comcast says the technology will also offer crystal-clear images with 720p HD surveillance cameras that have flexible zoom, wide view, and night-vision capabilities.

“The growing trend for building ‘Smart Cities’ will lead to the rise of connected devices across the private and public sectors, and our SmartOffice solution can provide video surveillance to organizations that want to monitor their locations more closely,” said Christian Nascimento, executive director of premise services at Comcast Business.

And Smart City tech is all about using innovation to help cities solve some of their biggest problems. According to Detroit mayor Mike Duggan, Comcast’s SmartOffice has bolstered the city’s Project Green Light, its crime-fighting initiative that uses high-definition video feed from about 120 partnering businesses. “Because businesses know they can get everything they need from one provider to meet the requirements of the program, enrollment is growing at a rapid pace, and we are seeing improvement across the city,” Duggan said in a statement.

Businesses can get the first camera free with the service, with pricing starting at $29.95 a month. Comcast says all camera installation, maintenance, repairs and replacements will be handled by Comcast technicians.

Follow @fabiolacineas on Twitter.