Page 12 - Security Today, April 2021

The Bottom Line The heavy cost of inventory that retailers make
By Fawzia A. Atcha
Last year brought tremendous challenges for every- one, especially retailers. Retail shrinkage, the re- duction of inventory from shoplifting, fraud and internal theft, is estimated to have cost the industry $61.7 billion according to a 2020 National Retail Security Survey, an all-time high. Dwindling sales at brick-and- mortar facilities continue to be a threat as new health concerns from COVID-19 challenge the industry even more. Staff mem- bers are being tested at all levels.
HYBRID, CLOUD-BASED
SECURITY SOLUTIONS MAXIMIZE BUDGETS
With staff and budgets being stressed to their limits, security so- lutions need to be easy to use and cost effective. The right solu- tion should complement what is already installed, while further reducing personnel needs for extensive training.
The system also needs to allow for easy upgrades and access for multiple employees without exorbitant additional licensing fees. Many retailers – small and large – are finding success with hybrid, “open” architecture solutions that don’t require buying an entirely new, costly system.
For the Neiman Marcus Group, Inc., the parent company for luxury retailers Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman, Last Call and Horchow with 38 stores nationwide, a more cost-effective, user friendly and scalable security solution was needed with stel- lar customer support and customization options. Neiman Mar- cus had implemented another access control technology in their stores and Dallas headquarters that was becoming increasingly difficult and costly to support. Executives at Neiman Marcus re- alized they needed a better long-term plan.
Since Neiman Marcus already made a significant investment in Mercury controllers they wanted to continue using these boards so any new solution would need to be compatible. Additionally, they selected another access control board to work with their new readers and decided that a hybrid approach would work best to protect their existing investment. IMRON, a platinum partner of Mercury, was brought in as the software partner to manage the hybrid access control hardware vendors with its open architecture standards and agnostic solutions.
The award-winning UnityIS by IMRON was the perfect hy- brid access control solution because it doesn’t require complicat- ed software installations or costly licenses. It’s remarkably easy to use, and the cloud-based software can be accessed from any web browser on smartphones, tablets or computers virtually any- where. This further reduces the need for dedicated staff as they can now remotely manage the system. Flexible and scalable, Uni- tyIS is a powerful access management system for a wide range of industries including retail.
With the cloud, multiple users can manage the system simulta- neously, which was not possible with the previous solution. This simple change streamlined their internal processes, reduced dedi- cated staffing, and increased functionality by allowing more asso-
ciates to manage day-to-day operations. With quick installation, no firewall programming and 99.9% uptime, users can now man- age access from anywhere, instantly adding a new user, updating existing records, and assigning access control attributes.
Events can be viewed in real-time, and doors can be moni- tored and controlled from anywhere with user friendly graphic maps. Keeping the team informed is a snap with the easy-to-use reporting system. Featuring bank-level encryption, the database is automatically backed up daily with immediate access for the last 90 days.
Historical data can also be accessed as needed. IMRON per- forms all maintenance on the software and database, making it especially user-friendly. With a simple subscription model and no upfront license fees, UnityIS is affordable and scalable for a wide range of business users.
The solution offers a number of features that have been espe- cially useful for retailers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Occupancy controls. This limits the number of people allowed
into specific pre-assigned areas.
• Hands-free mode. Enables passing in front of reader without
presenting smartphone for access and egress.
• Guest pass. Email or text guests with temporary access pass.
• Remote mode. Remote control of access points from any inter-
net authorized connected device.
• First-man in. Automatically unlocks doors when first person ar-
rives.
• Last-man out. Auto locks doors when last person leaves.
• Lockdowns. Automatically lock/unlock groups of pre-selected
doors.
The product itself is only part of the equation. IMRON’s
technical support ensured the Neiman Marcus’ solution was up and running quickly with virtually no down
time. With this hybrid approach, they’ve been
able to add multiple sites to the enterprise sys-
tem easily and they’re poised to implement new technology quickly as it becomes available.
Fawzia A. Atcha, Ph.D. is the vice president at IMRON Corp.
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