Here Come Intelligent Security Systems

Ever since the first electronic article surveillance (EAS) device was installed in a retail setting more than 30 years ago, retail security technology has played an increasingly important role in store operations. With inventory shrinkage costing retailers billions of dollars each year, a growing number of retailers have turned to technologies such as anti-theft systems and video surveillance to control theft.

As retailer demand grew, so did the technology. The bulky anti-theft tags of yesteryear have evolved into today's wafer-like labels, which can be attached to or inserted into a variety of merchandise. Surveillance cameras, too, have became smaller, fitting into the palm of a hand and providing clearer color images.

As we begin the 21st century, the retail security industry is preparing itself for a transformation from focusing solely on a retailer's security needs to encompassing all areas of store operations and management. To accommodate this change, security technology has begun to evolve, becoming more intelligent and moving more toward the digital age.

Thus, the EAS systems of tomorrow will do more than just provide asset protection at the door. They will—and, in fact, have already begun to—focus on "smart" sensing and tracking. Incorporating radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, new "tags that think" will provide retailers with the ability to gather, analyze, interpret and relay targeted information throughout the supply chain. Security will move beyond the store as these products perform additional non-security capabilities such as accelerated inventory management, fraud deterrence, open merchandising and quality control.

Increasingly intelligent and more advanced video surveillance systems will also play an important role in the loss prevention industry. VCRs are already moving toward the fate of the dinosaurs as they are replaced by new digital video products that have greater storage capacities and processing speeds as well as widened bandwidths, making video images crisper and more accessible than ever before.

Video surveillance products have already begun to use these improved technologies. Programmable dome cameras provide exceptionally high-quality images, and new digital video recorders combine high performance recording capabilities with video multiplexing and alarm sensing to instantly search, retrieve and play back captured events. And soon, retailers will be able to download video images to a host computer where they can be enhanced, annotated and stored.

Video surveillance systems will also be further integrated with EAS systems, allowing retailers to capture video footage of alarm events. New programs will enable security professionals to review the operating status of their detection and deactivation systems at any time, as well as monitor day-to-day activities.

Finally, as the world turns its eyes to the Internet, loss prevention and management technologies will take advantage of this medium, allowing video images to be transmitted to anyone, anywhere in the world in seconds. And this is just the beginning.



Pete Schmidt, former vice president of loss prevention at Lord & Taylor, is product sales support manager for CCTV at Sensormatic Electronics Corp.