The Ultimate Security Machine
- By Brent Dirks
- Jul 26, 2007
Selling cars is big business. But for Nick Whale’s BMW dealership in Warwick, England, selling cars also came with a huge cost -- up to $1 million in damages per year from theft and vandalism.
Previously, the dealership deployed an external passive sensor system that failed to deliver total site coverage because of blockages from the ever-changing stock of cars. With the less-than-ideal system, the dealership had to contend with an average of five thefts per year, involving up to five stolen cars per incident.
So the dealership, which holds up to 100 new and used cars worth up to $4 million at one time, turned to an intelligent video system from ioimage to help stem the tide of losses.
“As far as intelligent video goes, ioimage systems are probably the most easy to install, operate and maintain,” said Philip Atkinson, owner of Executive Security. “They also provide better perimeter detection and set off fewer false alarms. The solution we installed at the Nick Whale dealership required no additional wiring, and each channel took just minutes to set up. Once things were up and running, users experienced a fast and simple learning curve to master the system.”
With the system’s tracking and intrusion detection system, several intruders have already been removed from the dealership in just two months of use. And with the success of the system, the group plans to deploy similar systems at other dealerships this summer.
“We are extremely pleased with the ioimage system,” said Frank Kinner, dealer principal of Nick Whale. “Since our previous system was passive, we were never sure that it was functioning properly. With the ioimage solution, we are confident that we’re getting the best coverage possible at all times. The system has proven itself in just a short time.”
About the Author
Brent Dirks is senior editor for Security Today and Campus Security Today magazines.