Walgreens implements Ionit Technologies' solution

June 3, 2008
Drug store chain installs new DVR system

Walgreens, America's largest drug store chain, based in Deerfield, Ill., has just completed installing and networking Ionit Technologies, industry-leading digital video recording (DVR) system to monitor, manage and protect over 6,200 stores, facilities and distribution centers around the country.

Northbrook, Ill., based Ionit Technologies, whose advanced compression technology provides its clients with DVR systems that improve the performance and reduce the overall cost of managing video, has designed real-time based custom software for the chain’s digital video recorders located in each store. Using Ionit’s advanced recording CODEC, the technology can compress data up to 2,000 times and interface with both analog and digital cameras. This new DVR system has the capacity to add more cameras, as needed per location. "The number one concern for businesses today is physical security – keeping employees and customers safe. Walgreens sees the value in using Ionit systems for business intelligence with add-on modules that will increase not only customer safety, but the customer’s experience in their stores, as well," states Ionit Technologies’ CEO Jim Talbot.

Walgreens chose to partner with Ionit Technologies for its security needs because of Ionit's highly reliable systems, superior rate of compression and customer service. The Ionit security system can be customized over time to meet Walgreens’ needs as the company changes and grows.

"Replacing the low-cost embedded systems and creating enterprise security over their existing infrastructure with our custom-built configuration met Walgreen’s requirements," continued Talbot. "We wanted to fit into their systems so they didn’t have to conform to ours."

"Additionally, we' are actively integrating with other systems inside the Walgreens network," Talbot says. "Walgreens sees the value of an Ionit system as a powerful business intelligence solution."

According to Ionit management, the use of their systems for enterprise-wide management is something for which demand is rapidly increasing. As the economy tightens, large corporations are attempting to maximize the value of every dollar they spend on every element of infrastructure. As an example, a difficult business environment is forcing corporations across the country, in various industries, to manage more locations with less people. High resolution and real time streaming video help make that feasible.

Because virtually all companies recognize the need for security and some form of video surveillance system, management is asking "Since we already have a video security system, what else can it do for us?"

Instantly, something previously thought to be only a cost-center for a large company’s operation can be converted to a tool that helps increase it’s ROI. In board rooms across the country, the expression "thinking outside the box" is devalued and overused. In the case of Ionit’s high compression video imaging, however, that type of creative thinking can be rewarded by reshaping traditional camera security into a valuable marketing and management tool.

Toward the end of changing the paradigm that cameras and DVR’s are "just for security," Ionit has developed an enterprise solution that can be integrated with other business intelligence software to let multiple departments within the same organization use the system for multiple objectives. Again, because of its compression capability, a single Ionit system can allow simultaneous viewing of multiple locations and can even have those locations viewed by different departments.

"As a company’s vision grows, we are prepared to grow with it. Our intent is to be a corporation’s long-term surveillance and management solution provider. We believe superior service, product features with measurable benefits and reasonable pricing is critical to delivering that solution to the client," says Talbot.