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refunds from that day's transac-
tions over a certain dollar value.
The associated video can then be
instantly reviewed.
In cases of franchises or
multiple locations, retailers should
consider the central management
capabilities of a unified platform.
Providing each store's security
team to independently manage
their facility's security while also
tying all systems back to head-
quarters for centralised event and
video monitoring can be vital to
operations. This could lead to sig-
nificant savings by not requiring
security personnel at each store
during off-peak hours for example.
Looking at platforms that also
do not restrict size or geographic
limitations where hundreds or
thousands of retail locations can
be spread across several regions
and countries is equally important
for future growth plans.
Remote and mobile access
Another inherent benefit of choos-
ing an advanced IP-based security
platform is the ability to gain ac-
cess to live or recorded video from
any network location, including
via mobile devices. A mobility
feature becomes beneficial to the
store owner who needs to check-in
on his business from home, or the
security guard who is on the floor
and needs to respond to an alarm.
But remote video access can also
aid the business in being more
responsive to the need for change.
For example, enabling merchan-
dising departments to remotely
audit store compliance with a
promotion or end cap display and
instantly correct display guidelines
that have not been adhered to.
Retailers can also choose from
the latest IP megapixel cameras
to capture clearly detailed, high
resolution video to view incidents
and identify suspects. Then retail-
ers can get access to an easy-to-use
online management platform that
lets them view live and recorded
video from their laptop, tablet
or smartphone. Most cloud-
hosted video surveillance provides
advanced functionality to handle
alarms, bookmark clips, save
video to permanent storage, share
or even export video to their
computer. This offers retailers with
peace of mind, knowing that their
business is safe, and operations are
running smoothly, from anywhere.
The right technology
Enhancing a loss prevention
strategy means adopting the
right technology for the job. A
unified security platform and a
cloud-based video management
solution are two cutting-edge
options available to retailers
today. Not only do their powerful
features and capabilities help loss
prevention teams become more
effective at pinpointing theft, and
closing cases, but also help extend
operational efficiencies to other
departments. And combined, this
is precisely how the right invest-
ment in security technology can
positively impact any retailer's
bottom line. n
There is no question that retailers
face unique challenges in their
day-to-day business. Dealing with
loss prevention today is not easy.
Many retailers are still relying on
analogue technology and simple
DVR storage devices to record
images from their sales floor, ware-
house docks, and checkout areas.
With this outdated technology,
they are compromising video qual-
ity, are limited in growth and stor-
age space, are unable to remotely
access video due to bandwidth
limitations, and just don't have the
time or resources to manually sift
through video to identify points of
vulnerability.
This is why more and more re-
tailers are considering the benefits
of network security technology
to enhance their loss prevention
strategy. They are turning to newer
concepts and modern security
solutions that will help them not
only contend with shrinkage, but
also achieve operational efficien-
cies and gather business intelli-
gence from store activity.
Shrink-minimizing
with unification
Unifying multiple security solu-
tions under a single platform is
becoming a prevalent trend in
retail loss prevention, helping to
minimize losses all while provid-
ing a new source of marketing
information. Implementing a
unified security platform helps to
seamlessly merge video surveil-
lance, access control, and license
plate recognition with other retail
systems in one efficient and user-
friendly solution. A unified plat-
form takes efficiency a step further
by consolidating and standardising
the common aspects of security
operations such as real-time event
and video monitoring, advanced
reporting, alarm management and
configuration, and make all tasks
easily accessible via an intuitive
client application.
Future proof
open architecture
Retailers considering a move to
unification should look at the
security platform with an open
architecture. The flexibility of an
open architecture helps retailers
lower their total cost of owner-
ship by keeping existing hardware
investments, or slowly migrating
to new technology at their own
pace. Retailers can also consider
adding a few HDTV network
cameras to achieve a minimum of
three times the resolution of the
same analogue cameras for more
sensitive areas like cash registers or
receiving doors. Improved video
quality helps operators to better
track and identify instances of
shrinkage or fraud.
Unifying POS
data with video
The concept of open architecture
also extends to unification. Data
and information from external
systems such as POS, EAS, access
control, video analytics or intru-
sion systems can be seamlessly in-
tegrated within a unified platform,
offering retailers a powerful tool
for investigations. For example,
some platforms offer intricate
search functionality where an
investigator could ask the system
to display the video of all stores
when a receiving door was opened
say after 4:00 pm, or to show all
voice of
the security market
Strengtheninglossprevention
withmodernunifiedsecuritysolutions
Asset protection across retail organisations is some-
times still viewed as a necessary evil. But at a time
when shrinkage is on the rise, margins are low,
competition is fierce and the economic climate is
still somewhat uncertain, retailers need to maximise
any investment in technology and consider how it
can positively impact their bottom line, according to
Steve Bocking, Sales engineer at Genetec.
By Steve Bocking, Sales Engineer at Genetec
Steve Bocking, Sales Engineer at Genetec.
Retailers con-
sidering a move
to unification
should look at the secu-
rity platform with an open
architecture. The flexibility
of an open architecture
helps retailers lower their
total cost of ownership by
keeping existing hardware
investments, or slowly mi-
grating to new technology
at their own pace.