Diebold Helps Christie's Auction House Centralize Security Operations

NORTH CANTON, Ohio, Aug. 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) recently lent its security expertise as a consultant and integrator for a security infrastructure upgrade at the North American headquarters of world-renowned Christie's Auction House. The project enabled Christie's to centralize its security operations, reduce risk and improve event response times across multiple sites.

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Diebold designed a new command and control center for Christie's Rockefeller Center headquarters in New York City. The location houses extremely valuable collections of fine art, jewelry and collectibles for storage, display and sale at auction. Diebold's design integrated new video surveillance technologies with legacy systems, replacing Christie's original analog-linked video system with a video display wall that's digitally connected to cameras, digital video recorders (DVRs) and a custom-programmed touch-screen control system. The new layout puts any camera feed in an operator's field of view with the click of a mouse.

The redesign has reduced event response times by improving the visibility of areas throughout the facility and at remote sites. Furthermore, it helped Christie's reduce risk for its business and clientele. The redesign resonates with the company's insurers, which have used Christie's new security operations as a case study platform for other clients.

Diebold assisted Christie's in connecting additional North American sites to the new control center. Operators in New York are now able to retrieve real-time video and assess alarm events at seven remote Christie's sites. This centralized capability allows Christie's to confirm security breaches or false alarms, without dispatching a local responder, ultimately decreasing false alarm fees.

"We have an extremely complex and unique business, and Diebold understands that," said Steve Wrightson, vice president and director of security, Americas for Christie's. "We knew Diebold was going to come in with the knowledge, expertise, passion and dedication for what we needed to do with this project."

To provide control center operators with immediate visual confirmation of alarm events, Diebold helped Christie's tie new access control and motion detection systems into the video surveillance system. When a card reader or motion detector alarm activates, audible alerts sound and video feeds for the affected areas display automatically on the control center video wall. These capabilities enable faster deployment of security personnel and also improve flexibility as the automated technology allows security guards to patrol floors rather than dedicate themselves to a single post.

"Christie's handles some of the world's most prized artifacts," said Bradley J. Stephenson, vice president, security solutions, Diebold. "The infrastructure upgrades we designed and deployed enable centralized security operations that will help the company better secure priceless works of art. To play a role in this process has been an honor for Diebold, and it represents our continued commitment to protecting our customers from criminal activity and critical loss."

About Christie's Auction House

Christie's, the world's leading art business had global auction and private sales in 2009 that totaled pounds Sterling 2.1 billion/$3.3 billion.  Christie's is a name and place that speaks of extraordinary art, unparalleled service and expertise, as well as international glamour. Founded in 1766 by James Christie, Christie's conducted the greatest auctions of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, and today remains a popular showcase for the unique and the beautiful. Christie's offers over 450 sales annually in over 80 categories, including all areas of fine and decorative arts, jewellery, photographs, collectibles, wine, and more. Prices range from $200 to over $80 million.  Christie's has 53 offices in 32 countries and 10 salerooms around the world including in London, New York, Paris, Geneva, Milan, Amsterdam, Dubai and Hong Kong.  More recently, Christie's has led the market with expanded initiatives in emerging and new markets such as Russia, China, India and the United Arab Emirates, with successful sales and exhibitions in Beijing, Mumbai and Dubai. 

About Diebold

Diebold, Incorporated is a global leader in providing integrated self-service delivery and security systems and services. Diebold employs more than 16,000 associates with representation in nearly 90 countries worldwide and is headquartered in Canton, Ohio, USA. Diebold is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol 'DBD.' For more information, visit the company's website at www.diebold.com.

SOURCE Diebold, Incorporated