M2M — the user case
Machine to machine (M2M) communications is bringing about advances in the telesurveillance industry, where companies are able to use telemetry to gain a competitive advantage.
The Securitas Group provides guarding, alarm systems and cash handling solutions to businesses and consumers in over 20 countries. In France, Securitas looks after millions of customers, of which 60% represent security solutions deployed for personal or home security.
The advancement in surveillance technologies is giving rise to the potential for progress and growth within the security sector on multiple fronts. Enterprises such as Securitas, that use technology to personalise solutions for protection or privacy, are able to to target customers with increasing degrees of subtlety and precision. The growth of machine-to-machine (M2M a.k.a. telemetry) technology is emerging as a key driver of this change.
Securitas has recently added an M2M solution to its security portfolio in France and the deployment is already starting to deliver a threefold benefit to the business: it is providing a competitive advantage by delivering additional enhancements to its customer service; it has enabled the integration of both image and voice traffic across a single network, and it is streamlining Securitas’ operations through improved implementation speed, service delivery efficiency and cost control.
The market drivers
Research suggests that over the last 25 years, there appears to have been a general increase in crime in all European countries. Identifying and preventing crime in France becomes even more important as the police cannot go to a home or site unless an intrusion is proven to be genuine.
The Securitas Security Systems division specialises in custom-designed programmes for high security demands. These concepts include high security for banks, integrated alarms for large customers and alarm-to-response solutions for private and commercial customers.
As the leading provider of security solutions, the company has to continually explore new technology developments to stay abreast of criminal activity.
CCTV surveillance has been a cornerstone of security and has been very successful in most countries. However, the technology has been available for a while and still traditionally relies on a PSTN2 or fixed line network to transmit images. From an implementation point of view, this requires the company to physically “cut” into the PSTN line, thus disrupting normal services whilst an alarm system is being installed. It is also only able to transmit one type of traffic — image.
Securitas first started working with Orange on a telemetry solution in early 2004. The company was particularly keen to find a technical alternative to PSTN that would increase productivity, improve ease of use and ultimately offer its customers a state-of-the-art solution. Securitas prides itself on its customer service, mooting this as one of the main reasons why the company continues to be a market leader. The solution: an M2M system using the wireless GSM network.
Securitas spent the summer months installing new Orange M2M modules at its customer sites all across France. Instead of tapping into the existing PSTN system, the Securitas M2M solution relies on the wireless GSM network from Orange to carry traffic. More importantly, the solution leverages GPRS technology and, with the greater broadband speed, is able to transmit images and voice at the same time, delivering far better ‘on the ground’ information at greater speeds.
Any security breaches triggered by automatic sensors activate the M2M unit to start capturing images or video footage of the affected area. Along with the intruder alert signal, the image is immediately sent to Securitas and the customer or home owner. Because of the simultaneous voice and data capability, Securitas can contact the customer to view the location, discuss the “issue” with the customer and decide on a plan of action, such as whether police notification and support is necessary. The early solution required the customer to have access to a PC to view the incident, but video-based messaging to mobile devices isalso feasible
“By being able to integrate a voice and data solution using M2M, we’ve added a new level of security to our overall telesurveillance solution. Speed, in detecting or responding to a criminal activity, is of the essence in the security industry. Orange has been the only operator that has been able to offer this integrated solution to us. This is important as our clients expect us to have the best technology to help keep their assets safe. Technology innovation is a key part of our leadership strategy,” commented Patrick Legras, Director of Telecommunications, Securitas.
Delivering the benefits
y choosing to use a GSM/GPRS network to deliver the M2M solution, Securitas estimates that it has cut installation time by 15%, thus representing a significant saving in terms of both employee as well as technical costs.
Orange is also providing Securitas with a more efficient system for managing the cost of the solution, which is designed to be scaleable to map to Securitas’ client base. The entire M2M solution is hooked up to a central database for billing — this single point of billing enables Securitas to streamline its internal operations and manage its costs more effectively. Orange’s distinctive single account management system also provides Securitas with in-depth technical and management assistance, ensuring that Securitas has access to Orange support whenever it needs it.
“We do not intend to charge our clients any additional fee for this M2M solution. We are benefiting from this in more important ways — this solution offers much greater efficiency in terms of set-up and procedures. Additionally, the simple client delivery mechanics of using GSM to deliver voice and images makes it much more user friendly for both ourselves and our clients. It means that we can offer our clients a simple and easy to use security solution that doesn’t require complicated or lengthy set-up and inconvenience. Our customers have already started praising the solution,” added Patrick Legras.
What the future holds
France is acting as the M2M test bed for Securitas and the company has plans to roll the solution out across Europe over the next few years. Its partnership with Orange is an essential part of its roll-out strategy
“Orange has been at the forefront of today’s M2M deployments and this is a key area for our business in the future. There is a tremendous demand from the business community to improve processes and opportunities internally and externally. The telesurveillance industry is an ideal example of how M2M can show the successful integration of business automation technology with voice and data communications, and deliver immediate results.” said Philippe Bernard, Executive VP, Orange Business Solutions.