More than 20 retailers in the newly-opened Mall of Africa can focus on their daily business, secure in the knowledge that their surveillance system is keeping an eagle-eye on every movement within their stores, recording and storing footage on WD Purple Surveillance hard drives. Supplied and installed by Surtees Computer World, WD Purple Surveillance Storage is built for 24/7 always-on surveillance in high definition security systems.

“Within the Mall of Africa, we took care of the surveillance for a number of high-end stores including ones that sell leading international brands. In addition to clothing stores, we also supplied and installed surveillance systems at a few international food franchises,” explains Ridwaan Surtee, Owner and CEO of Surtee’s Computer World.

“Working closely with vendor WD and distributor Corex, we examined all the store plans to establish how to best match the security requirements of each client when scoping their surveillance solution and installation needs. With 30 years of industry experience, Corex’s surveillance team is one of the best out there and assisted with finding the right products and solutions for our client’s surveillance and security needs, and ensuring everything was implemented according to spec.” Surtee says.

“Of all the DVRs and surveillance systems we could have chosen, we found theirs to be the most effective,” Surtee notes. “We needed a solid Digital Video Recording system, paired with a trustworthy storage system, because security, footage and audio requirements were paramount.”

A capable DVR system, coupled with PC-based PoS security systems and high-definition cameras meant that a reliable storage system was critical in such an environment. As such, WD Purple Surveillance hard drives were the obvious choice. “These drives make use of exclusive AllFrame technology along with ATA streaming to reduce error pixilation and video interruptions that occur when desktop hard drives are incorrectly used as storage in security systems, which is what makes them dependable and sought-after in surveillance setups,” says Kalvin Subbadu, Sales Manager SA for WD.

“Having used other brands, I feel confident saying that WD is the most reliable. I can depend on smooth clarity and no loss of frames when playing back footage. Even if you go back in time, it’s as if you’re watching it live, with playback that is basically instantaneous,” says Surtee.

“These drives are also robust and long-lasting, which is important due to the requirement for 24x7x365 recording. With WD, we haven’t had a single failure to date and this is why I will only choose WD as our preferred brand and their drives for surveillance due to their reliability,” he adds.

Mall of Africa retail tenants have already noticed the benefits of dependable, reliable surveillance storage. “On the opening day which was overwhelmingly busy, our surveillance system was already earning its keep. There were point of sale thefts on that day, but the system captured everything, so the appropriate action could be taken immediately. There were also a few other petty theft incidents, but we managed to use this is an opportunity to fix all the blind spots and ensure that surveillance was tightened,” Surtee concludes.