Internet surveillance boosts store security

by Stanley Kirk

Imagine a technology system that can help retailers improve security and enhance customer service for less hassle and less money.

That technology is available now. Known as eMonitoring, it’s a system that gives retailers instant access to store security videos via the Internet, aiding their efforts to reduce theft.

Using technology enhanced and tested by the U.S. military, retailers can use the Internet to remotely monitor store activity from headquarters or videoconference with stores, headquarters and customers.

As every retailer knows, employee and customer theft can take a serious bite out of profits. A loss of $15,000 per month or more at a small to medium-sized retailer is not unusual. Major problems include employees slipping items into a pocket, taking cash or not scanning items at checkouts.

“As a store owner, no matter how carefully you screen your employees, theft is still a problem,” said Chris Goss, general manager of an independent grocery store in Detroit.

Traditional security tools such as surveillance cameras locally record and monitor activity and are accessible from that location. This approach can be effective, but it remains time-consuming and labor-intensive.

A newer idea is on the horizon, and it has the potential to revolutionize retail security. The concept is continuous monitoring over the Internet, called eMonitoring.

Many retail stores already have closed-circuit television equipment in place. eMonitoring takes advantage of this existing equipment by bringing it online.

Each location’s existing system - up to 1,000 cameras - can be connected to a small video server box. The box is then connected to a high-speed Internet connection, such as a cable modem or DSL.

That allows video from the cameras to be displayed on a secured web page created for this purpose. A centralized security team can monitor the video, with the ability to check multiple locations, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The digital video can be stored remotely and played back over the web, eliminating the possibility of tapes being stolen by the criminal or staff members forgetting to change the tape.

Security personnel can view any camera at any location simply by adding a password and choosing the view they want. Remote guards can monitor cash registers and stock rooms and even follow suspicious individuals around the store by switching from camera to camera.

This video can be instantaneously shared with any authorized user with access to a web browser - including police, fire personnel, managers and other authorities.

The key advantage of eMonitoring is the ability to deliver video over the Internet to a web browser. Solutions that utilize proprietary software limit viewers to those with the proper software. A browser-based solution, in contrast, delivers video to any device with Internet access, including a pocket PC, PDA or cell phone.

Retailers in the United Kingdom have found that continuous monitoring can help reduce theft by as much as 50 percent. In one case, continuous monitoring led to a 45-percent reduction in security cost with a 60-percent increase in coverage area.

Beyond the security aspect of the system, eMonitoring has several other uses.

With the direct link to corporate headquarters, chains can provide customers with instant video-conferencing access to product specialists and corporate sales experts. Managers can videoconference with staff without making an in-person appearance.

Management can watch for environmental clues, such as a need for snow removal or replacing burned-out light bulbs. Marketing teams can inspect displays and make sure promotional materials are appropriate.

All of these services can exist on the same high-speed Internet connection with no extra cost.

This technology is available today. Companies such as netcam-viewing.com can install and operate the systems for clients, offering full technical support and training.

The cost is reasonable. The video server box is about $5,000 per 16 cameras, plus the cost of monthly DSL or cable modem service.

Tomorrow’s winners in the retail market will be armed with digital tools that improve security while providing enhanced customer service. eMonitoring technology will give them a competitive advantage and also provide new value to customers.

Stanley Kirk is managing partner of Netcamviewing.com, an Internet-based security and monitoring firm in Detroit, and former director of e-commerce for the Wayne County Sheriff Department’s Internet Crime Unit.

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