Solutions | Retail
Duane Reade Pharmacy
Duane Reade has been in business since 1960 and has grown to become the most recognized drugstore chain in metropolitan New York. Today, the company operates over 230 stores in commercial and residential neighborhoods throughout New York and boasts $1.5 billion in annual sales. Their operating model focuses on low cost and high efficiency and relies heavily on technology to maximize that efficiency.
The Problem
Duane Reade Pharmacy
Remotely monitoring 32 cameras
Duane Reade stores have some of the heaviest foot traffic of any retailer and security is always an issue. Some stores had DVR's, but most still had outdated tape based VCR systems. Recognizing the benefit of installing DVR's in all locations, Duane Reade performed an extensive analysis of video solutions. The initial selection criteria focused on features, support, and total cost of ownership.
In addition to the basic features, some of the more unique features included the ability to easily make a video clip from the corporate office without downloading the entire file, ability to integrate water break sensors into the event notification, and the ability to remotely control the PTZ cameras from the corporate office.
From a support perspective, Duane Reade needed to decrease the support costs and reduce the amount of down time when a DVR system failed. Their existing DVR was a custom designed PC that was not repairable in the field or by any local computer vendor. Their current DVR supplier was unable to make timely repairs and each repair was very expensive. In addition, Duane Reade wanted to leverage their wide area network between the stores to facilitate notification of server failure. The Duane Reade IT department was very concerned about the equipment that would be attached to their network. Duane Reade was looking for outstanding support and for a company that would take a partnering approach with Duane Reade as they continued their growth.
With over 230 locations, cost was a significant issue. They needed to leverage the commoditization of the PC to reduce the purchase cost and to take advantage of their existing wide area network to reduce their support costs.
The Solution
After a detailed evaluation of different products, Duane Reade chose the Video Insight's Product Suite running on a Dell PowerEdge 830 Server. But the evaluation did not stop there. The Loss Prevention department put Video Insight through its paces as a pilot at two of its store locations. The Video Insight product passed with flying colors. During the pilot, not only did Video Insight show an outstanding feature rich product but also a clear commitment to support and customer satisfaction.
Video Insight provided Duane Reade a Dell PowerEdge 830 server with 1 terabyte of RAID5 storage, preloaded with the Video Insight Enterprise Video Management Software. The system is capable of recording 32 cameras, remote viewing, and control of PTZ cameras. Each DVR is located in the store manager's office with additional spot monitors placed at strategic locations. The store manager can view live or recorded video, control PTZ cameras and burn CDs of noteworthy events. Prior to the installation of the Video Insight products, the store managers spent large amounts of non productive time reviewing video. Now they can focus on key events and more closely monitor suspicious activity.
Central Monitoring
Each store is connected to the corporate office via a T1 line. Central monitoring is performed at the corporate office using the Video Insight Network Client. With the Network Client, Duane Reade Loss Prevention can view any combination of cameras from one or more location from their laptops or in a central monitoring office. This central monitoring greatly improves both employee and customer safety at the store locations. Law enforcement can be quickly dispatched and incidents can be recorded for future prosecution. The Loss Prevention team also centrally monitors store traffic on an on going basis. They use the live video to proactively prevent shoplifting and other shrinkage and recorded video as evidence in the prosecution of shoplifters.
On Going Support
Key to the success of the Duane Reade implementation is the Video Insight commitment to support. Video Insight technical support personnel are just a phone call away. Using remote control software and Duane Reade's wide area network, Video Insight technical experts can view any server and quickly diagnose problems before they become real issues. Duane Reade also uses the Video Insight Health Monitor to ensure that all video equipment is operational. The Health Monitor receives hourly statuses from each DVR and displays server outages, camera outages or disk failures. The Health Monitor notifies Video Insight Technical Support of an outage and then they use the wide area network to remotely diagnose the issue. If the system requires repair, Video Insight can dispatch Dell service personnel to repair the unit under the Dell Warranty.
Commitment to IT
The Duane Reade IT department was concerned about costs associated with support for all DVR's that would be attached to their network. But the commitment to support and service does not stop at diagnosing possible problems. Video Insight demonstrated their IT knowledge by providing other on going services to Duane Reade. On a nightly basis, Video Insight servers automatically connect to the Microsoft Update Service and upgrade the Duane Reade servers with software and virus updates. In the same way, Video Insight can download and install the newest version of the Video Insight software. These services enable the Duane Reade IT department to focus on more mission critical activities rather than routine maintenance.
Cost Effective
By utilizing the commoditized Dell Server with off the shelf hard drives, the Dell Warranty and support network, and the Duane Reade's existing wide area network, Video Insight's total cost of ownership is significantly less than competitor solutions. Video Insight technical support personnel are just a phone call or mouse click away.
True Partnership
What makes the relationship between Video Insight and Duane Reade so successful is that it is a true partnership. Video Insight is committed to the success of Duane Reade. In return Duane Reade is also driving product innovation at Video Insight. Duane Reade has requirements that no DVR solution provides. Video Insight is able to quickly address these requirements with new product features. The turnaround is fast because Video Insight writes all of its software in house. It's young and nimble unlike many of the larger solution providers. For Video Insight and for Duane Reade it is definitely a "Win Win" proposition.
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