Video cameras are one of the most reliable tools in the LP professional’s toolkit. For decades, they’ve been considered a staple in preventing theft, providing a crucial eye in the sky for all types of retail locations. As security technology continues to advance, these surveillance devices are being developed to enhance operations and uncover business intelligence.
“Cloud video is kind of this hub that enables all sorts of functionalities,” said OpenEye Vice President of Business Development Brent Gable. “If we look at cameras as sensors, it kind of flips the whole paradigm for everyone.”
OpenEye—a pioneer in cloud video—can provide valuable intelligence that helps you run your business more efficiently. It can even enhance your traditional intrusion system.
“Intrusion detection plays a critical role in protecting a business’s property and assets, but it becomes so much more actionable with video verification,” Gable explained. “Not only can video enhance remote monitoring, but cameras can also become the sensors used to detect suspicious activity and reduce false positives sent to users and central stations. Video analytics can identify more complex actions, unlocking a whole new landscape of monitoring and alerting options. We have new features that have just been released that are moving more towards that direction.”
Some of the events OpenEye video can help retailers with include:
- Fire and Security Alarms: Increase safety and reduce property damage by ensuring prompt responses to fire and security threats.
- Door Propped Open: Receive instant notifications when a door is propped open, preventing unauthorized entry and improving overall security.
- Failed to Arm Alarm: Get immediate alerts for failed alarming attempts, enabling swift corrective action to maintain a secure environment.
- Safe Door Open: Monitor safe door activity to detect unauthorized access and protect valuable assets.
- Suspicious Transaction Alerts: Identify and respond to potentially fraudulent transactions, enhancing loss prevention and operational efficiency.
- Restricted Area Accessed: Detect unauthorized entry into restricted areas, ensuring the safety and security of sensitive spaces.
- Access After Hours: Receive alerts for after-hours access, preventing unauthorized entry and improving building security.
- Cooler Door Left Open: Monitor cooler doors to prevent energy waste and maintain optimal temperature conditions for perishable items.
Because of the wide range of events OpenEye’s surveillance solution can monitor, you don’t need to install a whole new security system to maximize your video cameras.
“We transform your video system from a filet knife into a Swiss Army knife,” Gable said. “We can reuse all of those video cameras as sensors and then partner with a central station that is going to monitor the video signals instead of just monitoring the intrusion signals.”
This can also save you money in false alarm fees—and improve your relationship with law enforcement.
“This is going to give you a clearer path to getting video verification on all kinds of burglar alarm events, and that’s really what law enforcement wants—they don’t want all of these dispatches that are false alarms,” Gable said. “And there’s a lot of jurisdictions in the country now where they won’t actually send a squad car unless the alarm is video verified.”
Alongside quickly clearing false alarms, OpenEye can also help you do the following with your camera system:
- Match Names with Faces: Gain more actionable intelligence using user information from access and intrusion alerts with OWS. It’s faster and easier to locate and take action on specific user activity because alert notifications clearly display user names or IDs so you can see who armed the alarm panel or accessed a door.
- Greater POS Insights: Adding POS data to the power of OWS alerts creates a more complete picture of operations as well as loss prevention, transforming video surveillance cameras into a tool that drives the whole business forward.
- Video Verification via Mobile: Respond in real-time with the appropriate level of response. Push notifications on your mobile device include a thumbnail image and video synced with the event data for easy verification.
- Professional or Self-Monitoring: OWS can send data and video to you or your alarm monitoring provider and allows video verification of incidents on a PC or mobile device, such as phone or tablet.
When considering these cutting-edge capabilities, Gable recommends partnering with IT.
“Turn them into an ally and say, ‘Hey, let’s improve this together and add more functionality,'” he said. “The archetypical retailer has a 10-year-old intrusion system and they’re having to do a lot of truck rolls to fix them, and there’s a lot of costs to maintain that. So let’s include video verification, see how that works to make you feel more comfortable that these services work, and then use that as a kind of stepping stone so you’re walking before you’re running.”
As video security systems undergo more innovations—effectively future-proofing them for further enhancements down the road—it’s key businesses don’t wait too long to adapt.
“This is just the beginning,” Gable concluded. “We are seeing more partners and their customers moving in this direction. In the coming years, this is going to be a very big topic, specifically for multi-site retailers as brick-and-mortar is under so much pressure. And if we can do more with one system and contribute to their bottom line, that’s going to provide a positive ROI for loss prevention.”
Learn more about how OpenEye can help you make the most out of your video cameras at openeye.net.
