The outdated security system that was put in place several years ago by 7-Eleven, prior to Fountain taking over the franchise, was less than desirable. Monitoring capabilities were limited, the recorded video was grainy and not the quality needed to identify thieves. The existing system did not provide the franchise owner with the ability to monitor both stores from a central location, or integrate video with his POS system.
The Situation
Shellie Fountain, a 7-Eleven franchise owner, needed an updated security system that allowed him to monitor his stores and employees remotely and provide better surveillance video than his current solution.
The outdated security system that was put in place several years ago by 7-Eleven, prior to Fountain taking over the franchise, was less than desirable. Monitoring capabilities were limited, the recorded video was grainy and not the quality needed to identify thieves. The existing system did not provide the franchise owner with the ability to monitor both stores from a central location, or integrate video with his POS system.
Fountain needed the new security solution to support both analog and IP cameras and integrate with his existing POS system. He wanted the new security system to provide a flexible, future-proof solution that gave him up-to-date capabilities to handle his current business needs and also grow as his store needs evolved.
Objectives
* Increase capabilities to monitor stores and employees, with the goal to improve employee and store safety and reduce theft.
* Replace existing outdated security system with a solution that could be easily integrated with an existing NCR POS system.
* Gain true flexibility with a new video management system that allows him to leverage existing analog cameras, and also provides the flexibility to switch to IP cameras when appropriate.
The Solution
Fountain chose to implement Digiop's EH Series hybrid DVR with Digiop ELEMENTS VDMS to monitor both of his stores. This flexible platform provided all the benefits of a traditional security solution which met his current needs, and provided him with the ability to integrate video and POS data to gain retail intelligence and leverage the power of IP technology as his business continued to grow.
Digiop's EH Series hybrid DVR with Digiop VDMS has provided the franchise owner with the hybrid flexibility of using both analog and IP cameras. He said he was not ready to make an investment in all IP cameras because he felt his stores problem areas could still be effectively monitored with analog cameras. Yet the hybrid system offered flexibility to add IP cameras where and when he needs the greater capabilities and live video quality of IP. He was pleased by the fact that he did not have to buy multiple systems to support both analog and IP cameras, because with the Digiop hybrid DVR, he is able to use one system to accommodate all cameras.
Fountain has implemented the hybrid digital video recorder and installed 23 cameras to monitor both of his stores. The process has gone well, and he is pleased with the results. He was able to capture crisp, detailed video footage of various criminal activities including shoplifting that he was able to submit to the police as evidence. He was able to pull recorded video from one central location for each of his stores and burn a CD at home to submit to police. Fountain says, “Since implementing the hybrid DVR, I feel more confident about the video I am able to record and submit to police departments as evidence.”
Fountain also appreciates the custom view of his stores he can create in Digiop Connect. He can choose the camera views that are most important for each of his stores and drag and drop them into a viewing window, so he can monitor them remotely in a browser. He says, “This viewing feature has helped me tremendously, because it allows me to monitor areas in my stores that are important to me. And with the remote viewing capabilities, overall safety has improved, and my employees feel more secure because they can remotely keep an eye on each other and the other store, while they are working.”
The new solution needed to support analog cameras; yet provide the flexibility to add IP cameras when he needed to. With Digiop's hybrid DVR in place, he was able to keep his existing analog camera infrastructure, which allowed him to save money by utilizing his initial analog investment yet have the ability to integrate the latest in IP camera technology as needed to future-proof his system, when he felt he could afford to do so.
Fountain is looking forward to be able to integrate video with his existing POS system through Digiop VDMS, when he's ready to do so, in order to view and analyze recorded video of sales transactions.
Results and Benefits
Digiop's EH Series hybrid DVR with Digiop VDMS is an effective, flexible solution for Fountain's business objectives. Since implementing the new solution, Fountain has been able to catch thieves on multiple occasions when they stole merchandise from his stores. This has saved him money and created a reputation that his stores are not susceptible to theft, and thieves should think twice before attempting to shoplift from his stores, because they will get caught.
Digiop's EH Series with Digiop VDMS provides a future-proof security solution that makes the transition from analog to IP technology easy and affordable. When Fountain is ready to add more IP cameras, the EH series is ready for him to take that step. Not only will the transition to IP be easier, he will save money because he will not have to purchase a new system to handle more video coverage per camera.
Additionally, Digiop's EH Series with Digiop VDMS will provide seamless integration of video and POS data from his existing VeriFone system. Fountain will be able to look at recorded video of all POS data transactions and use powerful analytics to gain insight into his business in real-time, to further improve business operations. The fact that he purchased a solution that will easily integrate video with his existing POS system was another key purchasing factor in choosing the Digiop for his security solution.