At A Glance
Property managers for large shopping centers now have a way to monitor those sites remotely thanks to a system developed by Cisco SMB Select Partner IPVision. Using Cisco wireless and video technology, IPVision provides a surveillance system that has substantially cut theft and other crimes at shopping centers managed by The Barclay Group. Additionally, the property management firm can remotely check on other centers daily, even those in other states, to make sure maintenance is on schedule.
Property Management Firm Improves Shopping Center Security with Cisco IP Video Solution from IPVision
July 19, 2006
The Barclay Group is a real-estate developer with offices in Scottsdale, Arizona. Although its low employee count categorizes it in the SMB arena, it's in the big business of acquiring, developing and managing power centers and neighborhood shopping centers that feature major "anchor" tenants such as Target, Home Depot and Ross. With its shopping centers located throughout Arizona and also in Florida and Texas, Barclay Group found it a challenge to keep a close eye on its centers for security, maintenance and liability purposes. Barclay contracted with IPVision, a Cisco SMB Select Partner that has taken IP video surveillance beyond what most security firms offer.
Ben Green, vice president of operations for IPVision, first met with Barclay Group management when it needed a way to solve security problems at one of its first shopping centers. At the time, Barclay was struggling with the cost and ineffectiveness of roving security guards as crime continued to be prevalent. Off duty officers are costly due to the number of officers required to provide the necessary visual presence at the center. Green showed the group a demo of how IP video surveillance at a big shopping center could deter thefts.
"I wasn't aware of this kind of technology to any grand degree," says Deb Fry, vice president of property management for Barclay Group. "But I know the surveillance system helped a store at another of our centers by eliminating problems with break-ins." Due to that success, Fry opted to add cameras to a Barclay center suffering a high number of security problems. Today, IPVision's wireless IP video surveillance system using Cisco equipment is utilized at two additional Barclay-managed shopping centers, and will expand into all of their shopping centers covering five states. Management companies of eight other shopping centers are also ready to adopt the technology.
The pieces of the IPVision solution include Cisco wireless networking equipment, Cisco 1800 Series integrated service routers, and multiple Cisco Aironet 1240AG(1200) series access points for the parking lot perimeters. IPVision conducts a thorough site survey, mapping out antenna placement carefully for maximum coverage. IPVision also designs multiple interfaces for different purposes depending on a shopping center's particular needs.
The Barclay Group wanted to involve the shopping center tenants to provide them with a heightened sense of security. Further, being proactive with security would also translate to center feeling they were shopping in a safer environment. So while the security system was paid for and is owned by Barclay Group, it is billed as a cost of common area maintenance which all the stores, including the Target anchor store, contribute to.
The results have been a great success, with crime dropping dramatically at the Barclay centers that have launched the IPVision and Cisco solution.
"It is very evident that people don't want to be filmed while committing a crime," says Fry. Barclay posts signs warning that cameras are monitoring and taping activity in the parking lot, and that video will be used against criminals. At that first center, a one-month period of significant off duty officer coverage followed up by IPVision's wireless video surveillance solution was responsible for car thefts dropping from 16 down to 4 in the first eight months. Further, crime continues to be minimal at this center, and it uses off duty officers on a very limited basis. Fry notes that security officers can be just one place at one time, but the cameras we can be everywhere at once.
And the benefits don't stop at security. Since the shopping centers can be checked on remotely, IPVision and Barclay have identified additional benefits.
"In many instances we do not need to send someone out to check on things," says Fry. "That is real ROI for us. We were spending lots of money on security firms that were supposed to drive through every hour but didn't always." With the IPVision system, Barclay can check on each one of its properties on a daily basis. If a street sweeper or landscaper has not shown up as scheduled, Barclay knows about it right away. If garbage is piling up or some lighting is out, a maintenance crew can be dispatched immediately. Fry also points out that the video surveillance system is also valuable from a liability standpoint. For instance if someone reports that they've slipped and fallen in one of the parking lots, Barclay Group can potentially catch the incident on tape and determine if they were truly negligent.
Fry's enthusiasm is contagious - Green reports IPVision receives calls daily from all over the country inquiring about its wireless video surveillance systems.
"About two years ago we started really going after this technology," he says. "Cisco has the only product lines suitable for what we're doing, and they have helped us with design and product procurement. We've got several new deployments and some big expansions of existing customers."
As for future uses of the IP video surveillance technology, Green feels like the sky is the limit, and Fry perceives a strong selling point for future shopping centers.
"With IPVision's system, any of our tenants can install their own video surveillance system within their store, which interfaces with our wireless network," she says. "This greatly reduces their costs. Usually this kind of security is beyond the means of many smaller stores."