3VR helps Movado Group protect luxury timepieces

Movado's existing security solution included analog cameras and a video recording system that was being phased out by the vendor so replacement units were no longer available. Movado vice president of loss prevention, Bob Alexander was interested in upgrading to new IP cameras and a more user-friendly video recording solution.

Under the guidance of Tyco's National Account Manager and Applications team, Movado brought in two new vendor solutions to test in the company's beta lab and at one of their local retail stores. After two months of testing, Alexander selected 3VR's VisionPoint VMS and HVR appliances based on ease of use, functionality and customer support from 3VR engineering staff and Tyco Applications.

With 50 locations to deploy including 48 stores, the distribution center and the corporate headquarters, it was tempting to do a gradual changeover to the new 3VR system. But Alexander did not want to endure an extended period of relying on two different systems, or create unnecessary work for his team. So he decided to complete the transition for all locations in less than one month. This required strong coordination between the 3VR sales and support team and Tyco who completed the installs at each location.

Faster loss investigations

Movado relies on 3VR's unique forensic search capability to find video evidence of theft faster and more efficiently. A store manager might not discover a missing watch until the end of the day. Instead of having to watch eight hours of video, 3VR allows the security officers to search by store, date, camera and incidents of motion near the case where the watch was stored.

3VR search has reduced the time required by the team to investigate incidents from hours to minutes.

This is particularly important for Movado, given the company has to monitor 50 locations across the U.S., with an average of 12-16 cameras at each location. Loss prevention officers can easily drag-and-drop to change camera views, making the process extremely user-friendly.

Movado's security officers are also tasked with responding to alarm calls. If a store alarm occurs, the night manager can dial into the store and view live video of what is happening. He can also send a clip to the police as evidence. Additionally, 3VR's open architecture integrates with POS systems to add context to video evidence for comparing transaction data with camera views over the cash register.

More effective operational audits

3VR's unique search capabilities greatly accelerated the time it was taking security officers to complete the operational audits for each store. Instead of reviewing endless hours of video, the officers could simply search for motion and only review the video when people were present on the floor. 3VR also made it easier to save still pictures of a violation for reporting.

As a result of the coordinated Tyco rollout of the 3VR implementation, the team has increased the completion rate for operational audits by approximately 25%. This has delivered a great value to store managers who can now target specific areas of improvement and conduct employee training based on the reports. By studying security video data regarding staffing levels and customer interactions, Movado can ensure consistent branding and service across all retail locations.

Minimal impact to corporate bandwidth

3VR helps minimize any impact to network performance by controlling the amount of bandwidth used for surveillance and real-time monitoring while still capturing evidence of criminal events. 3VR's search allows you to find evidence without having to download large amounts of video that can impact the network or require large Internet connections to regional locations. Movado IT has been pleased with the reduced impact that 3VR's VisionPoint VMS has had on corporate bandwidth.

Expansion of IP platform

Based on the initial success of the 3VR rollout, Alexander was then able to accelerate the company's upgrade to IP cameras. Working with the Tyco National Accounts team, Movado conducted a trial of the Arecont Vision 360-degree camera at the company's central valley retail location and was pleased with the unobstructed views it provided of the selling floor. As a result, Tyco installed Arecont Vision multi-sensor SurroundVideo OMNI IP units in each of Movado's retail sites nationwide over the course of the following year, and is adding the cameras to key areas at their U.S. distribution center. Going forward, all new retail spaces will utilize Arecont Vision IP cameras and 3VR NVR head ends