Milestone announces XProtect Transact version 2.1 that integrates POS or ATM transaction data with IP video surveillance for managing shrinkage and fraud.

Milestone Systems, the leading provider of IP video surveillance management software, announces the release of XProtect Transact version 2.1 with new functionality for retailers and banks to improve profit margins through better detection of theft, fraud and errors in transactions. The solution integrates Point Of Sale or Automatic Teller Machine transaction data with IP video images for simultaneous searching, viewing, analysis, and export of evidence.

Theft and fraud are responsible for millions in losses for retailers each year, resulting largely from shoplifting, employee theft and skimming at the cash register. Banks have similar losses from stolen cards used at Automatic Teller Machines. With Milestone XProtect Transact 2.1, managers can track transaction exceptions together with video images of the events, to determine whether losses are due to errors or outright cheating and theft.

XProtect Transact 2.1 is an important add-on product to Milestone XProtect Enterprise, Professional or Basis+ video management platforms. The transaction data from a Point Of Sale or Automatic Teller Machine system is combined with the corresponding high quality video recordings for simultaneous searching, viewing and analysis: an integrated loss reduction and fraud detection solution.

Detection & evidence

Did the employee ring up the correct amount for the products visible on the counter? Were all the items scanned at the register? Was a returned item handled properly? Was the employee discount applied to a friend instead of the staff member? If a stolen card was discovered to be in use, what did the customer look like?

Such scenarios are easy to detect with XProtect Transact. Looking for evidence is fast - clicking on a transaction line displays the time-linked video images, or clicking on an image shows the matching receipt details. Users can search the system by date, time, or free text, and step through recording sequences by hours, minutes or seconds. This allows both general overviews and specific pinpointing of occurrences. The bottom line is big savings through loss prevention.

IP technology revolution

Previously, managers have had to check receipts or transaction systems separate from video, a time-consuming endeavor. The IP network approach of Milestone XProtect software eliminates this problem, and its open architecture allows the integration of recordings and transaction data for simultaneous searching with the simple click of a mouse. Investigating suspect incidents is vastly improved.

"Our development of XProtect Transact is in response to growing demands from many customers of our IP video surveillance management solutions," reports Kim Macallan, Head of Product Management at Milestone Systems. "We have both retailers and banks using our network video monitoring platform, who wanted to integrate it with their transaction data to manage the critical fraud problems in their business. Now it is available as an affordable, ready-to-use solution for companies around the world."

Running on standard computer equipment with Microsoft Windows XP Professional or Windows Server 2003, XProtect software is sold by Authorized or Certified Milestone Partners in 60 countries.

This screenshot shows how XProtect Transact with the user-friendly Smart Client interface presents images of transactions time-linked with the data from the cash registers. http://www.milestonesys.com/usrImages/Library/new-transact-clothes-screenshot.jpg