Client profile: Eclipse Strategic Security
Executive summary
Eclipse Strategic Security is a UK based Private Security Consultancy specialising in cost effective and appropriate responses to complex threats. Eclipse are market leaders in providing organisations with the skills and knowledge to prepare for and respond to protest and activism and have developed the only UK accredited course in this area. Other services include security consultancy, manned guarding and training. The nature of their work requires close compliance to a range of legal, moral and ethical considerations. Col8's suite of products has allowed Eclipse to manage these requirements more effectively, improving their quality which in turn has led to a growth in business.
Name: Eclipse Strategic Security
Location: Leominster, United Kingdom
Sector: Private Security
Services: Physical security, Consultancy, Threat monitoring, Security training
Website: http://www.eclipse.uk.net/
Challenges the business faced
With complex security services that include consultancy for large organisations in industries such as Oil and Gas, petrochemical and legal, Eclipse is well placed to understand the emerging threats and challenges in these sectors. One such challenge is that of effectively managing and processing the massive amounts of data gathered whilst routinely conducting security operations.
In today’s digital information age, the general public want to know what information organisations hold on them. The requirements of GDPR, quite rightly places the burden on an organisation to provide any individual making a ‘Subject Access Request’ with details of the information held on them, with heavy penalties if they fail to do so. This may include personal information such as video footage and presents a challenge for an organisation who may have terabytes of footage to review.
As an important and necessary part of our business, Eclipse routinely gathers video evidence whilst conducting security operations. The resulting video footage not only protects our Security Operatives, it also protects any ‘stakeholders’ that we interact with as well as providing a useful tool for improving our standards. Eclipse’s previous body worn camera system involved complex processes for downloading and storing footage, inability to share footage between sites and clients, costly software updates and an inefficient system for storage and retrieval of footage. Eclipse required a solution that enabled the company to continue using video as a method of collecting evidence, that exceeded the requirements of GDPR and was able to provide a cost efficient and timely response to individual’s requests.
Eclipse reached out to Col8; an organisation specialising in providing solutions to such challenges.
An important and necessary part of our business includes collecting and storing evidence, much of this in the form of video footage. With a rise in individuals wanting to know what information we hold on them, the challenge is always to provide this information in a cost efficient, timely manner, within the requirements of GDPR. Col8 have worked with us closely, developing their service to meet our requirements and providing us with another excellent tool to enable us to exceed our compliance requirements.
How the Col8® suite helped solve their challenges
Data Transparency™ helps organisations manage requests for information quickly and efficiently. Embedded in to the Eclipse website the simple to use form collects all the necessary information from requestor including necessary ID and details of where they interacted with an Eclipse camera. Complimenting the Eclipse processes around compliance the tool then guides staff through checking details, finding relevant information and response. An important issues with Ad hoc processes like this is ensure it is followed the same way every time or an organisation might be liable to a breach of GDPR.
Video Management is the core product to the Col8® suite that enables the hardware agnostic collection, storage, distribution and analysis of video combined with other data sources. Working with Eclipse we analysed the issues with their current body camera solution and focussing on releasing key pain points of longer retention of footage and expansion of the business we helped them move from their existing supplier system to the simple to use Video Management system. Included in this was helping to give impartial advise on hardware technologies then secure new cameras which alongside the Video Management tool enabled more capability at less than half the cost of the previous system.
What does Eclipse say about Col8?
Col8 approached us to help reduce our compliance risks, they then took us from a point of really discovering our issues through to getting our staff up to speed and even the impact assessments needed to deliver the tools in to the business.
We have regular interactions with the team where they help guide us on the latest changes in the market, how to use the tools we have to improve the way we do business. I appreciate having a partner that is receptive to feedback, then uses it to improve the experience we have and delivers all that with no hidden costs - which we have had from previous vendors!
