Hot takes: From video quality to PIAMS to cashier-less checkout

[On the impact of cashier-less checkout on the retail sector.] Removing the need for cashiers in-store makes physical security technology a necessity in keeping customers safe, reducing theft and fraud, and optimising store layouts. Equipping stores with complete video coverage and access management door stations both integrated with technologies like analytics, loudspeakers, and motion detectors act as a deterrent for any bad actors and reduce opportunities for shoplifting, loitering, point-of-sale fraud, and organised retail crime operations. Additionally, modern technologies that enable retailers to analyse and act on collected in-store data such as store occupancy, customer traffic patterns, and dwell times give retailers a better understanding of shopping habits, allowing them to better innovate and improve upon their in-store experiences. By combining physical security hardware with analytics, retailers can keep customers and stock safe all while reducing queue times, improving stock replenishment, and perfecting store layouts, creating a welcoming environment that ultimately reduces inventory shrink and increases profits.

[On how to measure video quality.] The quality of a video stream can be measured using parameters such as image resolution, number of pixels, bit rate, frame rate, compression rate, and so on. But other parameters will also affect the quality of the image from the type of lens and the ability to capture video images in low light and bad weather conditions, to making sure the camera is positioned in an optimal place with the right field of view to capture a scene. The quality and usefulness of a video feed are also affected by how it is displayed by the VMS and the additional metadata and contextual information the system can provide such as related access control and license plate recognition events. Knowing if other events took place during a specific time frame also adds value to video, such as when an occupancy threshold is met, or an intrusion alarm is triggered. High quality also means higher security and privacy. The VMS should also ensure that the video is encrypted and contains the information needed to analyse a scene without compromising anyone’s privacy.

[On the value of physical identity and access management systems (PIAMS) for security.] Security teams need help centralising and automating core identity management and physical access processes. Several scenarios exacerbate these challenges for larger organisations:

• Managing the physical access rights of a sizable population of individuals within your premises -- contractors, visitors, partners, and other non-employees.
• Establishing and enforcing consistent policies across different and distributed physical access systems and workspaces.
• Orchestrating policy enforcement across a mixture of access control, IT, and related systems.
• Adhering to strict regulatory requirements or internal governance mandates and attesting to audits on a regular or ad-hoc basis.

PIAM solutions sit across and integrate the systems necessary to centralise the policies and procedures to ensure compliance with physical security requirements. These capabilities lead to a positive ROI by improving physical security and the experiences of those interacting with it and making compliance a little easier on internal and external stakeholders.

[More on the value of PIAMS.] Whenever you combine previously separate elements of security, there are always cost benefits as well as operational and practical ones. In this case, the combination of identification, authentication, and authorisation of access to a physical premise and the business networks in those premises is not only sensible, but it also means that one integrated system is required instead of several. Equally, ensuring only the right people have access to computers, hardware, software apps, and any other IT resources ensures the protection of valuable corporate assets and conformance to data protection and cyber resilience. By deploying a well-targeted PIAMS solution you are closing a potentially devastating ‘back door’ entry for intruders and ensuring that the perimeter of security isn’t compromised at its most obvious (and therefore tempting) access point.