How PGA Tour Superstore drove video and CCTV improvement

Having a view into store activities can mean many things, but in a very literal sense being able to see what’s happening in the store is crucial for security and risk management.



For Atlanta-based, 24-store specialty golf retailer PGA Tour Superstore, getting a better store-level view has meant starting to upgrade a legacy analog video management system (VMS) to a modern IP-based VMS.



“I joined PGA Tour Superstore about 12 months ago and analyzed the infrastructure from a security and loss prevention perspective,” said Kevin Thomas, global director of loss prevention, asset and risk management, said in an interview with Chain Store Age. “I identified an opportunity to upgrade the VMS platform. We had a major footprint that was analog-based, and I decided to seek ways to pursue modernization.”



Already using electronic article surveillance (EAS) tags and technology from loss prevention solutions provider USS, Thomas decided it would be practical to use VMS and closed-circuit television (CCTV) technology offered by USS as well. The retailer selected the supplier’s NDVision solution, which automatically manages the conversion of analog video systems to an IP-based digital video system.



“We wanted the consistency of services from one vendor,” explained Thomas. “We avoided incurring the cost of retrofitting all the relevant equipment.”



A full retrofit of VMS and CCTV infrastructure would have cost roughly $30,000 - $35,000 per store. But the cost was considerably reduced by leveraging the existing USS install base, Thomas noted.



In September 2015, PGA Tour Superstore implemented its first NDVision system at a test location.



“We were pleased with the results,” said Thomas. “Not only from a clarity standpoint, but also from a standpoint of having current video footage.”



NDVision allows the retailer to store 90 days of video, where it typically could only store 30-45 days of video with its previous analog system.



“Having access to more video provides a lot of benefits for incident management,” commented Thomas.



Other benefits cited by Thomas include the elimination of end-of-life issues associated with older analog-based video systems. The retailer now has NDVision implemented at four stores, and will continue rollout to more stores this year.



“IP-based video has gained a lot of popularity at all the stores where it’s been implemented,” stated Thomas.