Liverpool was founded over 150 years ago by Jean Baptiste Ebrard who imported clothing from Europe to sell in Downtown Mexico City. Today, the high-end retailer is the largest department store chain in Mexico with more than 100 locations. The organization is committed to leading the industry in service, selection, and value.

Liverpool also owns and operates 23 shopping malls throughout the country; including Galerías Insurgentes, a 10,000m² shopping center in Mexico City. The mall was constructed and opened in 1992 and was still relying on an analog surveillance system. To continue providing the best service to their customers, Liverpool decided it was time to modernize the surveillance capabilities at Galerías Insurgentes.

Liverpool wanted to deploy an Axis IP surveillance system that would provide high-resolution viewing and recording capabilities throughout the shopping center. The organization was interested in leveraging the existing twisted-pair cabling that ran throughout the mall to reduce project costs and improve return on investment.

However, the organization was uncertain how to support the new Axis IP cameras exactly where they were needed, given the 330ft (100m) reach limitation of standard Ethernet switches. Liverpool was hesitant to install new IDF closets, as this would increase project costs, business disruption and deployment time. Unsatisfied with traditional network design philosophies, Liverpool searched for an alternative solution to meet their digital transformation objectives.

Modern LAN Design

The organization discovered the FLEX24 Power over Ethernet (PoE) switch and engaged with an NVT Phybridge digital transformation specialist to learn more. The customer was then introduced to Modern LAN principles, which help organizations simplify and accelerate their IP modernization while creating a cyber-secure and robust IP-enabled network.

The reseller partner, DISESOL, had used NVT Phybridge innovations in the past and was confident in the solution. The award-winning FLEX24 switch transforms any new or existing twisted-pair infrastructure into a robust and secure IP backbone for any IoT deployment. The FLEX24 switch delivers fast Ethernet and PoE++ over multi-pair UTP cable with up to 2,000ft (610m) reach capabilities; that’s six times farther than a standard PoE switch. Liverpool was impressed with the solution and decided to move forward with the IP surveillance deployment; leveraging the FLEX24 switch to achieve incredible results.

Create a secure and robust local area network

Liverpool leveraged NVT Phybridge Power over Ethernet switches to establish secure, robust, and point-to-point connections to each Axis IP camera; significantly reducing the need for IDF closets.

Use new long-reach PoE innovations to maximize ROI

Using the FLEX24 switch, Liverpool was able to simplify network requirements as they modernized to IP surveillance; reducing the total deployment time by three months and saving more than $50,000.

Construct physically separate networks for dedicated IP applications

As organizations continue to deploy smart devices, the data network has become increasingly complex, difficult to manage, and vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. By leveraging NVT Phybridge Power over Ethernet switches, Liverpool was able to maintain a physically separate network for the new Axis IP surveillance system, ensuring a cyber-secure and simple-to-manage LAN solution.

Change the Conversation; Improve the Outcome

Liverpool took a proactive approach to find new and better ways to support their IP modernization objectives in a financially and socially responsible manner. The organization was able to deploy over 50 new Axis IP cameras throughout the shopping center, including the service corridors. The security team can now monitor all activity in the shopping center from a centralized location using improved viewing and recording capabilities. By leveraging the FLEX24 switch, the customer was able to:

• Maintain a physically separate network for the new IP surveillance system; ensuring optimal performance, cybersecurity, and reliability
• Significantly reduce IDF closet requirements to ensure a simple-to-manage surveillance network with less complexity and day-two support issues
• Reduce the overall deployment time by three months
• Reduce infrastructure costs by more than $50,000

“The NVT Phybridge series of long reach PoE solutions allow for a smooth and simple transition from analog to IP, while providing significant cost savings and return on investment for the customer”

– Alfredo Carrasco, Administrative Director at DISESOL

Spanish Retail Giant Chooses Axis and NVT Phybridge Technology to Support Massive Security Upgrade

The Spanish retailer is one of the largest department store groups in Europe. Retail locations are massive and offer a wide range of products, including clothing, electronics, and groceries. The company was relying on outdated analog security cameras and needed to strengthen its physical security measures. The retailer decided to modernize to an IP-based surveillance system in each of its retail locations to deter theft and provide better recognition capabilities.

Given the number and immense size of each store, the project was going to be massive. The customer decided to modernize its security system in two phases. The first phase would involve upgrading the existing analog devices with Axis IP cameras at each location. Phase two would include expanding the security system with additional IP cameras to provide complete surveillance coverage. The organization was specifically interested in having IP cameras at each check-out terminal to ensure the safety of its employees. To successfully achieve the project’s objectives, the organization determined it would need to deploy and support over 90,000 IP cameras across the organization’s retail facilities.

Before the organization could move forward with the project, it needed to establish the necessary infrastructure to support the new IP solution. A Coax-based infrastructure was supporting the existing analog cameras, and the customer was not interested in the traditional rip-and-replace upgrade method, as they were concerned with:

• Extremely high costs and time requirements to retrofit hundreds of locations with new cabling and equipment
• Loss of revenue and a poor customer experience due to the business disruption caused by the renovations
• Losing valuable retail floor space from the IDF closets required to connect the Axis IP cameras exactly where they were needed
• Ensuring a smooth and efficient modernization across every location

The organization was uncertain how to proceed and searched for a solution that would allow for a more graceful modernization to IP.

Modern LAN Innovation

The retailer discovered NVT Phybridge and engaged with a digital transformation specialist to learn more. NVT Phybridge worked closely with the customer to understand their objectives and challenges and recommended the CLEER24 Ethernet over Coax managed switch. The award-winning CLEER24 switch delivers power and data over any new or existing Coax-based infrastructure with reach capabilities up to 6,000ft (1,830m) – which is 18 times farther than standard Ethernet switches.

The customer was impressed with the proposal but wanted to see the solution in action. A no-obligation proof of concept was arranged at one of the retail locations to test the technology in the customer’s environment. In just a few simple setup steps, the enterprise-grade CLEER24 switch transformed the existing Coax-based infrastructure into a robust and secure IP backbone. Due to the success of the proof of concept, the customer was completely confident in the CLEER24 solution and was finally able to move forward with their IP modernization initiative.

Change the Conversation; Improve the Outcome

The retailer deployed over 90,000 IP cameras across the organization using the NVT Phybridge CLEER24 switch. The Ethernet over Coax innovation allowed the customer to reuse its existing Coax-based infrastructure; eliminating the high cost, risk, complexity, and disruption that would have been caused by the traditional rip-and-replace model. Additionally, the NVT Phybridge EC4 Adaptor was used to easily expand the surveillance system, providing the freedom to connect up to 4 IP cameras using a single long-run Coax cable.

The customer took a proactive approach to find new and better ways to support its IP modernization objectives in a financially and socially responsible manner. The organization changed the conversation to improve their outcome; using NVT Phybridge PoE innovations to:

• Reduce infrastructure costs by more than $20 million; allowing more budget to be allocated to applications and better application adoption
• Simplify network requirements and significantly reduce the total deployment time
• Eliminate business disruption to maintain optimal customer experience and avoid loss-of-revenue
• Maintain a physically separate network path for the security devices and applications to ensure the security and performance of the overall business network
• Increase safety and security by increasing the number of cameras deployed in a single location using the EC4 Adaptor
• Save precious retail space by eliminating the need to install additional IDF closets
• Prevent over 3,000 tons of cabling e-waste from ending up in a landfill

The rackmount capabilities helped the customer stack and configure the switches in multiple configurations to fit their unique needs. The CLEER24 switch comes standard with PowerWISE® technology, allowing four switches to be stacked together for power-sharing, load balancing, and power redundancy.

Technology Partners Axis and NVT Phybridge

The Axis portfolio of IP cameras now provides the customer with robust surveillance capabilities at all times, both inside and outside the retail facilities. Image quality is significantly improved; enhancing the ability to identify and anticipate suspicious activity to quickly respond to potential theft or other security threats. Thanks to NVT Phybridge switch innovations, the customer leveraged the existing Coax-based infrastructure to maintain physically separate network pathways for the Axis cameras. While the CLEER24 switches ensure the security of the overall business network, the Axis IP cameras provide maximum security to all staff and shoppers. Axis cameras are sleek and compact to fit unobtrusively in any setting.