Mission
Instel set up a pilot installation with Axis network cameras in the Lacoste store located on Gran Vía in Madrid
Basi S.A. is a Barcelona company dedicated to designing, manufacturing and selling textile products and accessories. It operates a network of 131 stores, consisting of both its own stores and franchises. Basi S.A. is also the exclusive licensee of the French company Lacoste for the manufacturing and sale of its clothing products, footwear and belts throughout Spain.
As a first step, the management contacted a manufacturer of analog cameras and installed a pilot system. After a brief period of use, the results were evaluated, and it was apparent that certain elements of the installation failed to meet requirements. The IT department of Basi S.A. suggested an alternative video surveillance system based on IP technology, and contacted its usual communications integrator, INSTEL, which suggested an Axis network video solution.
Solution
The company Instel, which specialises in network infrastructure and telecommunications systems, set up a pilot installation with Axis network cameras in the Lacoste store located on Gran Vía in Madrid, according to the requirements of the IT department of Basi S.A. This experiment soon revealed interesting conclusions.
First of all, it was confirmed that the system was able to function based on the existing intranet infrastructure in the stores. This network is connected to the central offices of Basi S.A. The ability to reuse this network infrastructure represented significant savings in installation costs. Also, by using a single network,
| Little by little, the system began to exceed its original purpose as a surveillance tool, and became a true management support tool for the stores |
Transmission speed and image quality were also considered superior to the analog system. The ability to identify suspicious activity allows security personnel to anticipate potential thefts or other compromising situations.
After these analyses, it was confirmed that the typical system should consist of between nine and 16 AXIS 216FD Network Cameras, as well as one AXIS 215 PTZ Network Camera per store. A video recording solution was also incorporated into each establishment. The resulting recordings are always available for viewing from the control center at the central offices of Basi. In addition, peoplecounting software was installed to permit the measurement of the flow of customers visiting each store, among other functionalities.
Result
One of the positive surprises that the IP network experiment revealed to the IT department of Basi S.A. was its multi-functionality. Little by little, the system began to exceed its original purpose as a surveillance tool, and eventually became a true management support tool for the stores. For example, it is capable of certifying the quality of service provided to each customer, can be used as a tool for training new employees, performing inventories and statistical tracking of the flow of customers in each store.
