For Mercedes-Benz South West, security is critical. But their legacy CCTV system was starting to show its age. Access controls were weak, yet finding the right footage when required was a challenge. Maintenance was complex, yet the system struggled to capture clear images and monitor activity – especially at night. And while the business has been growing, the CCTV struggled to scale with it.
Operating four dealerships across Exeter, Plymouth, Truro, and Taunton, it was time for Mercedes-Benz South West to upgrade their CCTV – and to make it do more than just passively record.
Security before Cloud: challenges of the old set-up
Mercedes-Benz South West were facing a few key issues with their legacy on-prem setup. With grainy footage and limited nighttime visibility from their PTZ analogue cameras, both the dealership team and their 3rd party remote monitoring service struggled to monitor activity or review incidents.
William Ross, Group IT Manager, explains: “It was a constant battle. For a car dealership, that’s a real problem. Our stock is high value, and we need to be able to investigate incidents quickly, whether a car is accidentally damaged on the forecourt or if someone tries to gain unauthorised access.”
On top of this, weak passwords and unclear user permissions made access to their CCTV system difficult to manage and introduced avoidable cybersecurity risks. Retrieving footage from the old DVRs was also a slow and manual process, often requiring staff to scroll through hours of low-resolution video just to locate a single event.
Being a multi-site business amplified these inefficiencies. Which is why they turned to Richard Flenley, AlertSystems Sales Manager, for a more modern approach.
As an integrator partner of SEiNG Cloud CCTV, Richard instantly could see how moving away from an on-prem system could be the way forward: “For sites like Mercedes-Benz South West, Cloud just makes sense. They needed flexibility, stronger security, and an easier way to manage multiple locations. As an integrator, it’s invaluable to have a Cloud offering for when customers need a solution that removes complexity and keeps everything centralised”.
SEiNG: Flexibility and Features Without Lock-in
SEiNG is a fully managed Video Surveillance as a Service (VSaaS) platform that’s designed to work with any ONVIF or RTSP camera. This means customers are never locked into a proprietary system; instead, they can harness features like AI analytics, remote monitoring and smart filters – even with the cameras they already have.
“From an integrator’s perspective, a Cloud platform that works with our choice of camera means we can recommend what genuinely suits the customer. With SEiNG, we’re not locked into a single ecosystem – we can use the right cameras for the job and still deliver all the benefits of a managed Cloud platform.”
Phil Davies, Director of SEiNG, adds: “Our partnership with AlertSystems shows the value of working with a cloud platform that’s flexible and easy to deploy. We’re always looking for integrators who want to offer their customers more – whether that’s better monitoring, smarter analytics, or more support, without being locked into a proprietary system. SEiNG makes that possible.”
In the case of Mercedes Benz South West, Richard selected static cameras with built in infra-red technology. A plug and play SEiNG gateway box was used to connect these new cameras to the Cloud and provide buffering as an added layer of protection against network failure.
Being a managed service, SEiNG took care of the onboarding process, training, and proactively monitors the system, so Richard and William could be confident everything was running smoothly from day one.
“This took a huge load off our IT team”, explains William. “We didn’t have to worry about configuring accounts or learning a new system from scratch as it was all ready to go from day one.”
“Offering SEiNG as a fully managed service means we can deliver a hassle-free experience for our customers,” adds Richard. “It reflects well on us as an integrator because the system is always monitored and maintained, so our clients see immediate value and reliability without us having to intervene.”
Delivering Measurable Benefits Through Cloud CCTV
Since implementing SEiNG, Mercedes-Benz South West has seen tangible improvements across all aspects of security and operations.
All four dealerships can be monitored from a single dashboard, giving William real-time visibility and streamlined management. He has peace of mind knowing both physical security and cybersecurity are covered: end-to-end encryption, granular access controls, two-factor authentication, and single sign-on keep data secure, while integration with a 24/7 monitoring centre and instant alerts ensures staff and premises are always protected.
Staff can quickly locate footage and track incidents through SEiNG’s case management tools, saving hours compared with legacy DVR systems. The managed service also saves the team time, removing the need for manual software updates, system maintenance, or complex configuration. All with high quality cameras, chosen for them and installed by AlertSystems, not because it’s right for their Cloud platform but because it’s right for them.
Reflecting on the impact, William notes: “SEiNG has transformed the way we manage security. Investigations are faster, monitoring is easier, and our teams can focus on what really matters – supporting our customers.”
To learn more about managed video surveillance as a service platform visit: SEiNG
