Axis Communications Partner Integrator Survey
The Business Impact of COVID-19 on the Security
Industry
Businesses are turning to technology to
remain resilient given COVID-19
Axis Communications this week released the findings of their U.S.
Partner
Integrator Survey, revealing how system integrators and their customers are
responding to the COVID-19 crisis amidst uncertainty and instability in the
marketplace. The survey of 455 security professionals cited that end-customers
will be more willing to explore IP-based solutions (58%) and the acceptance of
AI will accelerate (45%) following COVID-19 crisis.
"The pandemic demonstrated a clear understanding that technologies that support
business continuity and employee safety should be top of mind for everyone
within the organization, not just security professionals," said Fredrik Nilsson,
VP of Americas, Axis Communications. "Our study revealed the resourcefulness of
professionals within the industry as well as the flexibility of IP solutions and
our partner ecosystem. Accordingly, there's a clear interest in, and increased
acceptance around, the potential for integrated solutions that solve long-term
security needs, enhance business operations and address health and safety
measures."
According to security professionals, respondents cited economic recovery in
general (67%), supply chain management (49%), losing customers (37%) and
shifting business models (30%) as the biggest business concerns due to the
COVID-19 crisis. While 53% of system integrators stated a decrease in business
during the pandemic, because they are designated as "essential critical
infrastructure workers" the majority of integrators continued to work on
projects the entire time and remain on the frontline serving end users amidst
COVID-19 restrictions (70%). Twenty-eight percent of security business leaders
cited that they have invested in digital transformation of workflows to address
challenges amidst COVID-19 and support new, remote business operations.
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More from Checkpoint: Scroll
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The D&D Daily's Election Violence Survey Results
LP Leaders Weigh in on Store Safety and Potential Election Day Unrest
Given the current political
divisiveness, coupled with the nation reeling from protests, rioting, and
looting as well as COVID-19 lockdowns, the country is on edge ahead of next
week's election - that includes the retail industry.
In a survey conducted by the D&D Daily, we found that while most stores (85%)
plan to maintain regular operating hours on Election Day, many (46%) believe
that there will be an increase in ORC during this time and some are even
planning for extra security.
Click here to see the full results
from our survey, including whether stores will increase associate coverage and
hours, and whether or not stores are in touch with their local police
departments ahead of Election Day - the results may surprise you.
Thank you to all of those
in the industry who took the time to participate in our survey
Unrest, Violence
& Protests
Fearing Election Violence, Retailers Boarding Up & Beefing
Up Security
Businesses are boarding up in anticipation of post-election violence
Large swaths of downtown Washington, within blocks of the White House, resembled
a coastal community girding for a powerful hurricane. Hotels, office buildings,
coffee shops and restaurants were sheathed in plywood, with some of the
makeshift barriers stretching nearly entire blocks.
Officials say they're not aware of credible threats of violence on or after
Election Day, but businesses, drawing from the lessons of last summer when
protests erupted across the country following the death of George Floyd at the
hands of Minneapolis police, are bracing for possible violence, looting and
vandalism.
Downtown ghost towns?
In
Chicago,
dozens of businesses along the Magnificent Mile shopping strip and throughout
the downtown Loop area did not remove temporary barriers that were installed
over the summer, when the city saw two incidents of late-night lootings.
Restaurants and luxury retailers are operating
through windows covered in plywood or other barriers,
and shoppers pass through entryway cut-outs. City officials have been holding
workshops in recent months to prepare for possible civil unrest after Election
Day.
"The city is taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to planning for this event,"
Rich Guidice, executive director of the Office of Emergency Management and
Communications, said in a press conference this month. "We have been
performing drills and holding workshops to be
ready to respond to any situation or
possible event that should occur in this city before, on or after Election Day."
In
Washington, D.C.,
officials are not recommending that businesses board up their buildings, but
they have set up a website for people to report suspicious voting activities to
police. Businesses are also encouraged to install security cameras and to keep
important documents, such as insurance paperwork and lease agreements, secure.
The DowntownDC Business Improvement District is encouraging businesses to take
precautions such as
securing outdoor furniture and signage that can
be used as projectile," the group said in
a statement, adding that staffers will remove bike racks, newsstands, unbolted
trash cans, loose piles of bricks or rocks, construction materials and other
items that can be used to harm people.
In
New York City,
there have been no specific and credible threats targeting the election,
according to the police department. But preparations have included
crowd control re-training for street officers
in the event of protests and having "hundreds" ready to respond to
election-related demonstrations.
usatoday.com
RELATED: Retailers Battening Down Stores Across
U.S., Worried About Election Day Violence
75% of Americans Concerned About Potential
Widespread Civil Unrest & Violence Following Election
National Police Foundation Releases Survey Results to Guide Law Enforcement
Preparation for the 2020 Election
Nearly 3 in 4 of Americans are
concerned about the
potential for widespread civil unrest and violence following the November
election. Forty-five percent of those surveyed said they were "very concerned",
and another 28 percent said they were "concerned." This high level of concern is
consistent across every race, age group, and sex.
43% of Americans are concerned
about election interference
at their polling location on Election Day. This feeling is slightly higher among
Black respondents (48%) and Hispanic/Latino respondents (45%).
Less than half (42%) of
Americans indicated that seeing police at their polling place on Election Day
would increase their confidence in the integrity of the election.
Thirty percent said they were unsure. Black respondents were twice as likely to
strongly disagree that seeing police would lead to increased confidence in the
fairness of the election (29% versus 16% overall).
Despite that feeling,
most Americans (77%) said they
trust or strongly trust local police not to interfere with the voting process
on Election Day. Among young Americans (18-34), however, that number is nearly
20 points lower, with only 58 percent saying they trust or strongly trust police
not to interfere.
policefoundation.org
Available resources:
Policing
in a Time of Elections
Mass Exodus Of Officers Nationwide 'Imminent'
Police reach breaking point amid protests, pandemic, rising crime
Amid
rising crime rates,
a polarizing political election and the continued high-profile police killings
of African-Americans, some
officers now say they too have
reached their limit.
"This is probably one of the most volatile periods of policing that I've seen in
my 30 years in law enforcement and now five years continuing to work with law
enforcement," Frank Straub, a former Spokane, Wash., police chief who now runs
the
Center for Mass Violence
Response Studies at
the National Police Foundation.
A
Pew Research poll taken in June found that 67 percent of Americans expressed
at least some support for Black Lives Matter protests. But as those protests
continued throughout the summer, with some turning violent, that support fell to
55 percent.
Citing a lack of
resources, inadequate funding and waning institutional support, law enforcement
officials predict that a mass exodus from police forces nationwide is imminent.
Acevedo, the president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, said his
organization
consists of chiefs from 69 of the largest cities in the U.S. and Canada. Of
those 69 chiefs, 18 or
26% have stepped down or been removed between March and October (8 months).
yahoo.com
Walmart pulls guns and ammo from store displays, citing potential "civil unrest"
Walmart on Thursday said it has pulled guns and ammunition from the sales floors
of its U.S. stores as it seeks to
keep firearms from being stolen should social unrest erupt.
"We have seen some isolated civil unrest, and as we have done on several
occasions over the last few years, we have moved our firearms and ammunition off
the sales floor as a precaution for the safety of our associates and customers,"
a Walmart spokesperson said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. "These items do
remain available for purchase by customers."
The company in June removed firearms and ammunition from stores after George
Floyd's killing by police when several of its stores were damaged. The
nation's biggest retailer remains a major seller of guns and ammunition,
although it has scaled back, selling firearms in roughly half of its 4,700 U.S.
stores.
cbsnews.com
LAPD gets approval to begin recording, storing aerial footage of protests
City of Brotherly Love: Philadelphia man proposes during protest in front of
riot cops
COVID Update
US: Over 9.2M Cases - 234K Dead - 5.9M Recovered
Worldwide:
Over 45.6M Cases - 1.1M Dead - 33M Recovered
Private Industry Security Guard Deaths:
203
Law Enforcement Officer Deaths:
132
*Red indicates change in total
deaths
Shutdowns Are Coming
Daily coronavirus cases reached a new high on Thursday with 87,100+ cases
By far the most new cases in a single day since the pandemic began.
The previous high was just six days ago, when there were 83,731 new cases
reported.
Across the country,
41 states had at least 10% more new Covid-19 cases this past week compared
to the previous week, according to data from Johns Hopkins. No states saw a
decline of cases that was 10% or more.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration,
said he believes
100,000 new cases per day in
the US is imminent. Gottlieb, who was appointed by President Donald Trump
to lead the FDA in 2017, said this surge is
due to the public's behavior
and lack of caution.
These days, many Covid-19 high marks are short-lived as
states grapple with
skyrocketing infections and hospitalizations.
cnn.com
Fauci: May Be 2022 Before 'Normalcy'
Coronavirus spike in L.A. County brings new alarms
There were new alarming signs that COVID-19
was spreading again in Los Angeles County, with officials announcing the
highest one-day increase in cases not connected to a reporting backlog since
August.
The county reported 1,745 new cases Thursday as well as 19 new deaths. It's the
latest evidence that after declining for several months, the novel coronavirus
may be on the rise again in L.A. County and other parts of Southern California.
L.A. County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said in a statement. "These
increases impede our ability to move forward with reopening additional sectors
and getting more children back to school."
A rapidly reopening of the California economy this summer led to major spikes in
cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The state instituted more restrictive rules
and the cases fell this fall.
If the U.S. can get a substantial proportion of residents vaccinated by about
mid-2021, "I think it will be easily by the end of 2021 - and perhaps even into
the next year - before we start having some semblance of normality," Fauci said
in candid comments during an
online
discussion hosted by an Australian university this week.
latimes.com
Pandemic Brings New Restrictions on Restaurants and Retailers as Demand Is
Rising
Surge in U.S. coronavirus cases comes as more people are dining out and stores
struggle to find workers ahead of holidays.
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Unlike the initial virus surge, when much of the country shut down, this one
coincides with
rising demand.
Big chains say they are
more prepared for handling
Covid-19 restrictions now, as they have had time to invest in safety measures
and new ways to sell to customers to-go. State governments haven't issued
blanket state-at-home orders so far, with some counties and cities installing
curfews and more targeted restrictions.
"Are people going to be closing businesses back down, or are we going to try to
work through this and move forward? Various parts of the country are handling
this differently," Bloomin Brands CEO said.
Retail executives aren't ruling out a second wave of shutdowns. "Our path to
recovery may not be linear over the next few months," Ralph Lauren CEO said.
In the U.S.,
Illinois has suspended dine-in service at restaurants and bars for more than
half of its monitoring regions, with Chicago set to shut dining rooms Friday.
California ended indoor eating in nine counties, including some of its most
populous. New Mexico and some other states have imposed restrictions on
late-night food service.
wsj.com
As jails free thousands amid COVID-19, reform push takes root
The population in America's big jails and state prisons plunged by 170,000
this spring amid the coronavirus pandemic, Reuters has found in a survey of
facilities around the country. All told, localities and states held 11% fewer
inmates in their custody.
The unprecedented mass release was a crash effort to contain the disease. But it
is also providing the United States with an opportunity to experiment with a big
idea: unwinding the country's signature practice of mass incarceration.
America locks away far more people - 2.1 million - than any other nation. In
jails, which largely hold people awaiting trial, thousands have died behind bars
without being convicted of the charges they faced, a Reuters investigation
found. With tens of thousands suddenly freed or diverted from entering jail,
some governments see COVID-19 as a chance to change the policies that led many
inmates to be locked up in the first place.
reuters.com
El Paso Judge Orders Two-Week Shutdown All Non-Essential Services
Minnesota Reports Record Hospitalizations & New Infections
Only 15% of NYC Office Workers Expected Back By Year's End
5 Former eBay Global Security Team Members Plead
Guilty to Cyberstalking & Witness Tampering
Two More Former eBay Global Security Team Employees Plead Guilty to
Aggressive Cyberstalking Campaign Targeting Natick Couple
Brian Gilbert, 52,
of San Jose, Calif., a former
Senior Manager of Special
Operations for eBay's Global Security Team,
and Stephanie Stockwell,
26, of Redwood City,
Calif., the former
manager of eBay's Global Intelligence Center,
pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper
with witnesses.
On
Oct. 8, 2020, co-defendants
Stephanie Popp, 32, and Veronica Zea, 26, pleaded guilty to the same charges
and are scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 25, 2021. On Oct. 27, 2020,
co-conspirator
Philip Cooke, 55, pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb.
24, 2021.
Former eBay executives,
James Baugh, 45, and David Harville, 48, were arrested and charged on June
15, 2020.
It is alleged that in August 2019, the
defendants executed a
three-part harassment campaign against the Natick couple,
which included the defendants sending anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the
victims' home; sending private Twitter messages and public tweets criticizing
the newsletter's content and threatening to visit the victims in Natick; and
traveling to Natick to surveil the victims and install a GPS tracking device on
their car.
In connection with his plea today, Gilbert
admitted to drafting
threatening Twitter messages
for Popp to send and
planning the surveillance trip
with various co-defendants.
Gilbert also proposed
bringing a dossier of documents to the Natick Police Department (NPD) - whom the
victims had involved - that would make the victims "look crazy"
and contacting the victims to offer help with the threatening messages that the
defendants had sent. Lastly, Gilbert
made false statements to the
NPD about Zea and
Harville's reason for being in Boston.
Stockwell
admitted to, at Baugh's direction,
purchasing a laptop for use in
harassing the victims, and using an anonymous email account to order online live
spiders and a prepaid
debit card to purchase a late-night pizza delivery to the victims' home.
Stockwell also prepared an
eBay "Person of Interest" report for the Bay Area-a fictions list of potential
suspects to provide to the NPD to deflect the police
from suspecting that eBay employees were actually harassing the victims.
The charges of conspiracy to commit cyberstalking and conspiracy to tamper with
witnesses each carry a
sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, a
fine of up to $250,000
and restitution.
justice.gov
Editor's Note:
Once again these former Global Security Team members were never a part of
eBay's Loss Prevention team or efforts. Of special note is that neither the
former CEO or the former PR Chief executive have not been charged with a crime
but apparently were very involved in discussions about the Natick couple's
publications.
Calif. Security Bag Check Ruling
Court Says Apple Must Compensate Retail Employees During Store Bag Searches
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit on Thursday decided that the
time Apple employees spend waiting to be searched when they leave Apple's retail
stores constitutes "hours worked" for purposes of California's minimum wage law.
The case has a long history. In 2013, five Apple employees working at Apple
retail stores, filed suit and requested their action to be given class action
status. The complaint alleged that Apple's security policy was to require
individuals who carried bags - including purses, backpacks and briefcases - out
of the store, to have the bag searched before exiting.
Plaintiffs estimated that the searches took between five and 20 minutes
depending on whether there was a line and whether a manager was available to
conduct the search. Plaintiffs' theory was that under federal law and California
state law, the time spent in exit searches was work and they objected to the
fact that Apple was not paying for it.
The district court granted class action status to all employees who worked in
Apple's retail stores in California after 2009 and had bags searched on
exit. While the case was pending, the U.S. Supreme Court decided another case
that put to rest the question of whether search time was work for federal law
purposes. That answer knocked out plaintiffs' argument as a matter of
federal law, leaving only the California law question still at issue.
sfgate.com
UK: Member of Parliament visits JD Sports, investigating rise in violent crime
Shop workers shouldn't have to face threats or violence - particularly during
Covid-19, Ipswich MP Tom Hunt said after visiting staff at the town's JD Sports.
Mr. Hunt visited the Ipswich branch of the national chain to show his backing
for the British Retail Consortium's Shopworkers' Protection Pledge, which
aims to protect retail workers against crime and violence.
He spoke with store manager Courtney Fowler, who discussed the rise in violent
crime they are seeing. Shoplifting has been a recurring problem in Ipswich town
centre over the years, with a recent uptick in distraction thefts.
Mr. Hunt said he wanted to ensure Suffolk got a fair level of police funding so
that stretched officers could spend more time out on the beat, responding to
crimes. But he also encouraged people to always report incidents, saying:
"Often, low-level crime isn't reported and that makes it difficult to monitor
whether it's going up or down."
ipswichstar.co.uk
D&D Says Goodbye to a New York Icon
NYC's historic Roosevelt Hotel is closing after nearly 100 years
Since 1924, the Roosevelt Hotel has been a witness to history. The New York City
landmark was the election headquarters for Gov. Thomas Dewey when he incorrectly
announced he defeated Harry Truman in the 1948 presidential election. It has
served as the backdrop for movies such as "The Irishman" and it helped start the
New Year's Eve tradition of singing "Auld Lang Syne" after midnight.
A fixture of the Manhattan skyline, the hotel boasts elegant architecture and is
minutes away from Times Square and Grand Central Terminal. But now, The
Roosevelt Hotel will no longer bear witness to motion pictures or moments in
history. The hotel will permanently close its doors this year, citing the
coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing drop in business as the principal reasons
it will cease operations.
cnn.com
Editor's Note: For over 25 years, the team at
Downing & Downing has stayed at the Roosevelt every January when traveling to
NYC for the annual NRF Big Show, where we've hosted
LP's New Year's Kickoff and Dinner Event for
the industry for nearly three decades, bringing together a who's who list of
guests each year including top LP leaders, dignitaries, and even
NYPD
Commissioners. We thank the staff at the
Roosevelt for their top-notch accommodations over the years. This historic
landmark will be missed!
Pictured left: The
Roosevelt Hotel's historic lobby.
Pictured right: The D&D Daily's Gordon Smith, Gus Downing, and Mike
Crissman in Jan. 2019
Lowe's to hire 20,000 workers across U.S. stores before holiday season
Lowe's also announced
$100 million in discretionary bonuses,
with full-time hourly associates set to receive $300 while part-time and
seasonal associates will get $150.
reuters.com
Under Armour to exit up to 3K wholesale doors
Former Walmart exec Irfan Badibanga named SVP Operations at Giant Food;
overseeing AP efforts
NRF: A closer look at Halloween 2020
Coresight Research
Store Tracker
8,062 2020 YTD Closures
3,384 2020 YTD Openings
Quarterly Results
Amazon Q3 net sales up 37% ($96.1B), net income up 300%
Carvana Q3 revenue up 41%, gross profit up 90%
Floor & Decor Holdings Q3 comp's up 18.4%, net sales up 31.4%
Blue Apron Q3 net sales up 13%
Yum Brands Q3 Worldwide comp's down 2%, sales up 1%
KFC comp's down 4%, sales down 1%
Pizza Hut comp's down 3%, sales down 4%
Taco Bell comp's up 3%, sales up 5%
Under Armour Q3 NA sales down 5%, Int'l sales up 18%, Wholesale sales down 7%,
sales flat
Tapestry Q1 Coach net sales down 9%, Kate Spade net sales down 21%, Stuart
Weitzman net sales down 35%, net sales down 14%
Starbucks Q4 U.S. comp's down 9%, China down 3%, Global comp's down 9%, net
revenue down 8%
Starbucks FY U.S. comp's down 12%, Int'l down 19%, Global comp's down 14%, net
revenue down 11.3%
Skechers Q3 DTC comp's down 22.1%, DTC sales down 16.9%, domestic wholesale down
6.3%, Int'l wholesale sales down 0.5%, sales down 3.9%
Columbia Sportswear Q3 DTC up 55%, net sales down 23%
Cheesecake Factory Q3 comp's down 23.3%
Shake Shack Q3 comp's down 31.7%,sales down 17.3%
Ralph Lauren Q2 NA comp's down 32%, NA sales down 38%, EU comp's down 29%, EU
sales down 25%, Asia comp's down 11%, Asia sales down 7%, net revenue down 30%
Senior LP & AP Jobs
Market
Manager, Global Physical Security and Investigations job posted for CDK Global
in Hoffman Estates, IL
As
the Manager of Global Physical Security & Investigations, you will be a member
of the CDK Global Corporate Security leadership team. You will be responsible
for the development, implementation, delivery, and constant improvement of the
global physical security and investigative programs. You will drive the
corporate security polices and standards across the global enterprise. You will
work closely with the other corporate security leadership team members as it
relates to protective services, investigations and security technology.
This role reports to the
Director, Global Corporate Security and Real Estate.
jobs.cdkglobal.com
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