How 3 customers enhanced operations using their security data

According to the 2022 State of Physical Security report, almost two-thirds of organizations agreed that physical security and related data are mission-critical. And while many invest in security solutions to protect their buildings, assets, and people, there’s now a broader understanding of how all that data collected by physical security systems can serve operational objectives too.

For example, during the pandemic several organizations used their physical security data to better manage occupancy levels and the flow of people. Today, several others are unlocking the value of their physical security data to build new business applications and improve daily processes.

In this blog, you’ll learn how three of our customers are using their physical security investments in creative ways to enhance business operations.

 

 

Healthcare

Improving resident care and convenience at Erickson Senior Living

Erickson Senior Living is a national leader in senior living and health care in the United States. After standardizing on Genetec^TM Security Center across 16 communities, the team was able to swap out physical keys on resident apartments for new ASSA ABLOY wireless locks.

Not only did this upgrade enhance facility security, but it also allowed Erickson Senior Living to enhance the resident and visitor experience. Today, residents can use their access control card to unlock their units, purchase meals, and pay for items in community shops.

With the new wireless locks, Erickson Senior Living has also modernized a critical community service—welfare checks for residents.

In the past, a security officer would walk through buildings every morning, visually verifying that a resident has opened their door to drop a latch to indicate they were up and okay. But sometimes residents would forget. The officer would then knock on the door and make sure all was well, possibly disturbing a quiet morning.

Now, using the wireless door contacts, they can simply run a report and check for activity to see if a resident has opened their door. Alex Seymour, Senior Business Analyst at Erickson Senior Living, explains why this has been an invaluable perk for all:

“Having the support for Wi-Fi locks in Security Center has been a huge help. The platform automatically sends a report to our security teams every morning, showing which units’ doors haven’t been opened yet. They’ll then compare that to a list of units that are unoccupied to see which resident apartments require a welfare check. It saves our team time because they can check on a few apartments, with a phone call and then visit if needed, instead of walking every single hallway. And our residents enjoy this experience a lot more. Not only is it less intrusive, but they don’t need to remember to flip a latch every day.”

 

 

Gaming

Enhancing operational compliance at River Cree Resort and Casino

The River Cree Resort and Casino is a bustling casino and entertainment venue near Edmonton, Alberta in Canada. Since deploying Security Center, the security team has unified video surveillance, access control, a fire alarm system, and panic buttons within the platform. And while this modernization has helped operators see what’s happening across the property and quickly respond to alarms, they’ve also found ways to strengthen compliance.

During the pandemic, the team deployed KiwiVision™ People Counter analytics within Security Center. Though they already had a head-count system, having the people-counting solution allowed them to double-check that those numbers were accurate to avoid any compliance issues.

Bob McDonald, Director of Surveillance and Compliance at River Cree Resort and Casino, explains how using built-in analytics has helped even after the pandemic waned:

“The KiwiVision People Counter has helped us with public health compliance. We used it as a backup system to vet the numbers from an existing people-counting solution. Sometimes, there were marked discrepancies between the systems, and the KiwiVision People Counter numbers were always more accurate. Today, our security team also still relies on the Genetec people counting analytics for fire and safety codes. They’ll get notified when we’re bordering occupancy limits, so we can take appropriate action,” said McDonald.

Weighing the benefits of new Genetec features and solutions is something that River Cree Casino does often. They’re always looking for ways to advance their capabilities and make the most of their investments. So, when McDonald and his team also heard about Genetec Clearance™, the digital evidence management system, they recognized the potential benefits to their operations.

“Now, when we have to send footage to law enforcement, insurance partners, or even our C-suite executives, it’s a simple and secure process through Clearance. We can easily redact video and better protect privacy, which we couldn’t do before with USBs. For instance, when a lawsuit ensued between two patrons, we were able to provide redacted video to their legal counsel without any issue using Clearance,” said McDonald.

 

 

Retail

Speeding up delivery tracking at Westfield shopping centers

Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (URW) owns and operates two of Europe’s largest shopping centers; Westfield London and Westfield Stratford City. Since deploying Security Center, Westfield UK has found new ways to add value to the business using the unified security platform.

For example, the integration of Security Center with Westfield’s Delivery Management System (DMS) has led to considerable annual savings. The DMS system automatically sends Security Center a list of approved delivery vehicles that have access to the site each day. When AutoVu SharpV automatic license plate recognition cameras detect these vehicles at the gated delivery entrance, the system seamlessly grants access to the right service yard, with no manual intervention required.

The team has also rolled out Genetec Clearance to facilitate General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance. Upon receiving a request for evidence, the Westfield team can now automatically blur faces or parts of the video and instantly generate a secure link to be shared with the approved agencies.

They can also watermark, set time limits and manage user access rights retaining greater control over how that footage is further used and shared. This has massively reduced liability concerns surrounding the possible misuse of footage that must be retained for a significant period.

“As publicly accessible sites that welcome millions of visitors, we receive thousands of requests for footage each year from visitors, retailers, and law enforcement,” explains Tom Lish, Assistant Security Manager, Westfield Stratford City. “After validating requests, we used to have to manually redact innocent parties in the footage and then burn it onto DVDs but thankfully much of that is now automated, saving us significant time and resources”.

 

 

Unify your security system to leverage data intelligence

Business and security needs change fast. Having a solution that can evolve alongside your organization helps you adapt to those changes as they come up.

A long-term unification strategy not only strengthens security and heightens situational awareness, but it also paves a path for you to explore new business applications, improve operations, and see higher returns on your investments.