Pick the situation closest to yours, then change the names, places, and times to suit your site. For every trigger and action, see What you can do with workflows. For the steps, see Set up alerts and workflows.
Which situation is closest to yours?
- Someone on site after closing
- A specific person showing up
- A vehicle at the loading dock at night
- Someone you're expecting arrives
- Someone tries a suspended credential
- A door is forced open
- A door is propped open
- A door is opened remotely or changed
- A camera or door goes offline
- You need to lock down
People and vehicles
Someone on site after closing
It's 2 AM and someone walks into your yard. The on-call group gets a text, the camera flashes red, and a recorded message tells the person the area is under video surveillance.
When:
- Person Detected
- Person Type: All
- Yard cameras
- Active From - To: closed hours
Then:
- Send Text Message
- To: On-call group
- Enable LED
- Red, flashing
- Audio Alert
- Recorded message
Tip: If your closed hours cross midnight, create two workflows instead of one. For 8 PM to 5 AM, set one to 8:00 PM to 11:59 PM and the other to 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM. Check the Days of the Week on each: a Friday night shift ends on Saturday morning.
A specific person showing up
A school learns that someone who isn't allowed on campus may come by. Staff add the person as a Person of Interest. When a camera sees them, the school safety group gets a text and an in-app alert. Without a workflow, you can find that person in Search afterward, but nobody gets told when they arrive.
When:
- Person Detected
- Person Type: Person of Interest
- Selected people
- Whole site
- 24 Hours
Then:
- Send Text Message
- Send In-app Notification
- To: School safety group
Important: Person of Interest alerts need a Premium license on the NEXT camera. Face matches need human review: treat an alert as a prompt to look, not as proof of who it is.
A vehicle at the loading dock at night
A truck pulls up to the dock after hours. The security group gets an email and an in-app alert. Cars on the street don't count, because a region of interest covers only the dock. See Set up analytics and detection areas.
When:
- Vehicle Detected
- Dock camera
- Active From - To: closed hours
Then:
- Send Email
- Send In-app Notification
- To: Security group
Someone you're expecting arrives
A contractor you've added as a Known person walks through the entrance. The front desk gets an in-app alert, so someone can meet them.
When:
- Person Detected
- Person Type: Known
- Selected people
- Entrance camera
- Active From - To: business hours
Then:
- Send In-app Notification
- To: Front desk
Doors
Someone tries a suspended credential
Someone tries a suspended credential at a door. The security group gets an email and an in-app alert, so they can find out who it was. Add Denied (Spoof Attack) to include spoofing attempts.
When:
- Unauthorized Access Attempt
- Denied (Suspended)
- Denied (Spoof Attack)
- Doors that matter most
- 24 Hours
Then:
- Send Email
- Send In-app Notification
- To: Security group
A door is forced open
An exterior door opens without being unlocked. The on-call group gets a text, and the alarm sounds at your exterior doors.
When:
- Door Forced Open
- Exterior doors zone
- 24 Hours
Then:
- Send Text Message
- To: On-call group
- Sound Door Alarm
- Exterior doors zone
A door is propped open
Someone props open the server room door and walks away. Facilities staff get a text, so they can go and close it.
When:
- Door Left Open
- Server room door
Then:
- Send Text Message
- To: Facilities staff
A door is opened remotely or changed
A sensitive door is opened remotely, or someone changes its settings. The security manager gets an email about it. These are two triggers, so create one workflow for each.
When:
- Door Opened Remotely
- Door Settings Changed
- Sensitive doors
- 24 Hours
Then:
- Send Email
- To: Security manager
Device health
A camera or door goes offline
A camera or door drops off the network. Your IT group or integrator gets an email, so they can look into it. These are two triggers, so create one workflow for each. A device that keeps dropping and reconnecting sends an alert each time, so email is a better fit than text.
When:
- Camera Online Status Changed
- Door Online Status Changed
- Whole site
- 24 Hours
Then:
- Send Email
- To: IT group or integrator
Emergencies
You need to lock down
A Lockdown Plan is a workflow that a person starts on purpose. Choose which groups can activate it, which doors it locks, and who gets told. Follow Create a lockdown plan to build it and Activate lockdown and return to normal operation to use it.
When:
- Lockdown Plan
- Authorized groups activate it
Then:
- Lockdown Door
- Selected doors
- Send Text Message
- To: Selected group