With latest figures revealing UK retailers spent a staggering £1 billion last year tackling retail crime, a first-of-its-kind initiative by leading North East-based cloud storage provider Ocucon, could help save businesses tens of thousands of pounds.
In an industry first, the world’s first fully managed Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) system – Ocucon – has announced that it will provide free upgrades of all CCTV hardware for customers of its standard cloud-based storage package, as it launches a first-of-its-kind zero capital expenditure model in the surveillance industry. The announcement that businesses can now upgrade their CCTV at no additional cost could see them save tens of thousands in their efforts to combat crime.
Over the last year, the cost of retail crime and crime prevention has risen by 12% in the UK. Despite spending £1 billion on crime prevention efforts, retailers are coming under increased pressure as latest figures show the £900 million direct cost of retail crime includes £700 million from customer theft – a 31% increase on last year. [1]
Similarly, latest figures from the public sector reveal that local councils across England spent £78 million on CCTV cameras in 2017-18.[2] Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government figures show it is one area of spending that has continued to increase nationally since 2010. [3]
Whilst CCTV is commonplace, the potential to utilise the very latest in cloud-based surveillance analytics and software can be problematic for some businesses and organisations due to compatibility issues with existing CCTV infrastructure or the high costs associated with replacing hardware.
Breaking new ground in surveillance technology, North East-based Ocucon delivers a powerful, cloud-based storage and retrieval platform. Combining intelligent data analytics with the facility to store, analyse and retrieve unlimited amounts of HD video surveillance footage, Ocucon removes the physical limitations on the amount of footage businesses can store. The company, which is already in talks with 6 out of 10 of the largest retailers in the world, anticipates the new business model will significantly increase demand.
Ocucon Co-Founder, Gary Trotter commented: “From the outset, Ocucon’s aim has been to break new grounds in surveillance technology and revolutionise the way in which businesses and organisations record, store and access their CCTV footage. We know that many organisations are struggling with legacy CCTV systems that are costly to replace and prevent them from utilising industry-leading software and analytics or have had to compromise on the number and specification of the cameras they have installed on their premises.
“By working closely with our partners and reimagining the typical surveillance business model, we’re now able to offer customers the benefits of new CCTV hardware alongside our industry-leading cloud storage, with zero capital expenditure from the customer. It’s not just that there are no upfront costs to the hardware upgrade, we have removed the cost to the customer entirely.”
Launched in October 2017, Ocucon’s award-winning technology revolutionises the ability of businesses to defend against fraudulent cases of slips, trips and falls – currently estimated to cost the UK economy alone more than £800 million a year – by removing physical limitations on the amount of surveillance footage an organisation can save. Since its launch, Ocucon has seen significant interest in both the UK and US and has been recognised by leading UK business awards for its digital technology innovation.
Last year, the North East-based firm also launched Ocucon Pixelate. Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning, Ocucon’s innovative pixelation service delivers intelligent cloud-based video redaction tools for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance. Ocucon recently announced that Pixelate will be launching automatic full body redaction as part of a second generation roll out of its intuitive web-based software. The pioneering new technology will allow users to simply select the people they do not wish to pixelate before footage is automatically redacted in a matter of seconds.
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Notes to Editors:
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Ocucon
Ocucon is the world’s first Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) system, providing unlimited storage for unlimited cameras within the cloud to defend against fraudulent slips, trips and falls.
Breaking new ground in surveillance technology, Ocucon delivers a powerful, cloud-based storage and retrieval platform, combining intelligent data analytics with the facility to store, analyse and retrieve unlimited amounts of video surveillance footage from within the Ocucon portal.
Ocucon provides organisations with the flexibility to store uncapped amounts of data for as long as is required. It also APIs with other software partners – including Everseen – to provide businesses with an all-encompassing surveillance and data intelligence solution. Its user-friendly interface allows businesses to centrally view and manage video surveillance from anywhere in the world, at any time.
[1] British Retail Consortium, Retail Crime Survey 2019, March 2019. https://brc.org.uk/media/404253/brc-annual-crime-survey-2019.pdf [accessed March 2019]
[2] Yorkshire Post, Harrogate CCTV: Council costs reached over £400,000, 25 January 2019. https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/crime/harrogate-cctv-council-costs-reached-over-400-000-1-9558999 [accessed April 2019]
[3] As above. See also – The Star, This is how much Sheffield City Council spent on CCTV to watch over the city last year, 25 January 2019. https://www.thestar.co.uk/news/this-is-how-much-sheffield-city-council-spent-on-cctv-to-watch-over-the-city-last-year-1-9557705 [accessed April 2019]