Customised Services and Innovative Solutions Give Security Integrators a Competitive Edge in the Retail Market, Says Frost & Sullivan

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Aug 17, 2010, 05:35 ET

LONDON, Aug. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- The retail sector continues to face many volatile risks that jeopardize its bottom line. Although always vital, security is now being increasingly prioritized as an integral element of business operations. Many security solution integrators utilize their technical, risk-management knowledge and offer customised, advanced solutions to gain a competitive edge in the retail sector.

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In a recently conducted survey of 100 retail security managers, Frost & Sullivan, global growth consultancy, found that managers are very much aware of the importance of creating solutions well-tailored to their specific operational and security requirements. Matia Grossi, Frost & Sullivan Research Manager for Physical Security group and author of the survey, notes: "The majority of retailers, when asked about unmet needs, points out that customised services, innovative technology and the integration of old and new security systems are all value-added services that retailers are starting to expect from their system integrators."

Many integrators have already sharpened their security skills through activity in heated markets, such as banking and critical infrastructure. Now, with this experience, they are prepared to increase their market presence in the retail sector. This trend has been confirmed by the recent announcement from the security integrator, Niscayah, regarding a substantial new contract involving 350 retail outlets in the Netherlands. Niscayah introduced the "Niscayah One–for–All" retail concept, which includes implementation, maintenance and system operation, offering remote operation and single point of contact for the customer.

Frost & Sullivan's survey also shows that retailers are interested in the alternative benefits offered by newer security technologies. A good example of this is video analytics. Matia Grossi explains: "Over 70 per cent of those we interviewed declared an awareness of the utility of video surveillance for applications beyond pure security, such as customer counting and demographic and queue monitoring, with varying percentages for each application. Roughly 80 per cent of those aware of this possibility suggested they are also looking actively into the potential deployment of video analytics."

Coupled with this market demand, customer interests abound, as Niscayah promotes the use of security solutions to optimise the business. Some of the company customers have been using video analytics to adjust relations according to customer flows, as seen and identified by surveillance cameras.

"If we look at Large Box Retailers, although they are price and brand conscious, they assign the same degree of importance to case studies that integrators use to demonstrate their solutions' efficacy and their ability to prove the Return on Investment (ROI) of the proposed solutions," concludes Matia Grossi. "This places Niscayah on an even footing with other, more traditional players in the market."

If you would like to receive more information on Frost & Sullivan Retail Survey - "End-User Study: 2010 EU Physical Security, Retail Segment" - or would like to learn more about the Physical Security Market in Europe, please contact Joanna Lewandowska, Corporate Communications, at [email protected]. Please include your name, surname, job title, company name and contact details in your query.

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