National retail hair care franchise Sport Clips Haircuts partnered with Eagle Eye Networks reseller Blue Iron Sentinel for a custom cloud video security solution across its 80 company-owned U.S. locations. The new system offers reliable, seamless video access and sharing, as well as enhanced security for all salons. The Eagle Eye system is now the recommended VMS for all of Sport Clips’ U.S. franchisee locations.

Sport Clips was experiencing frequent DVR failures, difficulty accessing and sharing video clips, and its inefficient legacy system was installed in an unsafe location behind the front counters. Houston-based Blue Iron Sentinel and Eagle Eye designed a cloud-based video surveillance system to improve operational efficiency and ensure stylist safety across all company-owned stores.

Key challenges of the old system included:

• No failure alerts: Lack of real-time alerts left system failures unnoticed until video retrieval attempts.
• Difficult video access: Retrieving and sharing footage with authorities and leadership was often challenging.
• Exposed DVRs and wiring: DVRs were frequently unplugged by stylists charging phones.

DVRs needed to be replaced every three years at a cost of at least $1,000. Additionally, there were significant expenses from labor, maintenance, truck rolls, and the cost of security incidents not captured due to faulty video security systems. Blue Iron Sentinel paired the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS with a ceiling-mounted setup to ensure reliability and eliminate the risk of unplugging the system. This approach provided a reliable system, enhanced security for stylists and clients, streamlined video access and sharing, and vastly reduced costs.

Blue Iron Sentinel replaced Sport Clips’ on-site servers with the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS, Bridges, and managed PoE switches, addressing the issue of cluttered wiring with a custom ceiling-mounted installation. The move to the Eagle Eye Cloud provided a robust and scalable video management system, ensuring reliable and secure video access.

“Moving to the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS and improving the system setup resolved Sport Clips’ video reliability issues, making it simple for the security team to retrieve and share video clips, while also providing a feature-rich, scalable system for management,” said Aric Foxhoven, president, Blue Iron Sentinel. “Sports Clips has decided to standardize this installation for all company-owned stores, and the Eagle Eye Cloud VMS is now the recommended video management system for the company’s 1,850+ franchise locations.”

Eliminating DVR replacements costs plus additional maintenance and labor cost savings costs is expected to save Sport Clips $150,000-$200,000 over a three-year period. Additionally, the Eagle Eye system sends automatic notifications to the IT Operations team whenever a camera goes offline, specifying the camera and location, reducing liabilities.

Foxhoven and his team minimized the impact on business operations by completing installations overnight or early morning before stores opened, ensuring no disruption to workflow. This collaborative approach demonstrates their commitment to meeting needs across features and budgets.

• Key benefits of the new system include:
• Eagle Eye cloud video surveillance system delivers uninterrupted security 24/7 for an “always-on” system that eliminates downtime.
• Automatic notifications for offline cameras prevent service disruptions.
• Central login provides a unified view of all 85 store locations.
• Better environment for stylists with easy device-charging and clutter-free counters.

“Our Eagle Eye system empowers us to easily and reliably manage security in all locations across our growing enterprise, while significantly reducing overall costs and increasing employee satisfaction,” said Lee O’Brien, senior IT manager, Sport Clips. “In addition, the strategic 18-month timeline and billing plan ensured our budget remained intact, showcasing Blue Iron Sentinel’s dedication to our success.”