Continental Battery Systems
Nearly 300
Verkada Devices
Over 200
Branch Locations
One
Centralized Platform
Background
Founded in 1932, Continental Battery Systems is a leading battery distributor and single-source battery solution. For almost a century, the company has built trust and long-standing relationships with distributors and customers by providing the highest quality products and services. Today, the organization has over 200 branch locations and a network of over 40,000 retail sellers and installers.
Dirk Lish (IT Manager) and Charles Ehler (Help Desk Supervisor) oversee the implementation and use of physical security technology. They have been at the forefront of the company’s transition to Verkada and a more efficient, cloud-managed physical security system.
"We deploy Verkada to new buildings because of the added value, high-quality hardware, and flexible software,” says Dirk.
Previous Challenges
As Continental’s national footprint continues to grow, the company has begun standardizing physical security operations to improve effectiveness, productivity, and manageability at scale. Previous alarms, cameras, and access control solutions were sourced from separate vendors and not integrated. Consequently, it was difficult to detect and quickly locate footage for alarm and door-based events.
“We needed to replace outdated technology, which included wired 1970s-era alarm sensors and POTS phone lines prone to interferences,” says Charles, “Working with multiple legacy security providers was costly and frustrating. Incident response was disjointed and delayed, and we were often forced to go through their customer service rep to find out what was wrong.”
Why Verkada
“The simplicity is where Verkada wins for us. Not only can we detect incidents right away, but we can take action immediately and automate after-hours response,” says Dirk.
Compared to legacy solutions, the Verkada system is:
Smart: AI-enabled cameras detect loitering and suspicious behavior so teams can verify and respond to intrusion events as they happen. Dirk can turn any camera into an alarm monitoring system and supplement them with wireless sensors, panic buttons, talk-down speakers, and additional security measures.
Simple to Scale: Requiring no NVRs, DVRs, or servers, plug-and-play devices are easy to install and maintain across any number of sites. A range of solutions (including PTZ cameras) can be deployed in minutes to meet diverse security needs across branch layouts
Simple to Use: The system automatically alerts branch managers, ensuring timely responses to security issues. The alarms are highly customizable and user-friendly, facilitating role-based permissions and self-management.
Proactive Threat Detection with AI Analytics
Teams adopt innovative new features, such as loitering detection, in their daily operations. Cameras provide instant threat detection through the ability to process and analyze video footage at a speed of up to 10 frames per second (FPS). This significantly improves situational awareness and response times, empowering team members to effectively monitor and address potential security threats as they occur.
“Loitering detected on exterior cameras will trigger an alarm. It makes a huge difference being notified of meaningful activity; this way, we can catch people exhibiting suspicious behavior at the perimeter before they get too close to buildings,” says Dirk.
Real-Time Response with Integrated Alarms
Charles highlights how easy it is to set up and tailor Verkada Alarms for any environment. While cameras can double as smart motion sensors, wireless intrusion sensors and access control provide additional security across critical entryways. Dirk notes, “We can cover an entire wall of walk-in doors with just one camera and some door sensors, which have a wireless range of 1000 feet.” Through a horn speaker, security teams can also talk down to intruders, play a pre-recorded message, or scare them off with a siren.
During a trial for professional monitoring, one incident in Tucson put Verkada to the test. Monitoring agents effectively:
Caught the incident with actionable AI insights.
Verified the threat through the native camera integration.
Dispatched the police to respond immediately.
"Verkada not only helped recover stolen property but also provided immediate video evidence to aid the investigation,” says Dirk, “We could trace the whereabouts of a missing pallet and share footage with police through a simple link. The whole process was so easy and seamless.”
Simple to Install, Maintain, and Scale Nationally
Dirk and Charles can set different verification rules and alarm responses for each site. This allows them to create custom response flows – from notification to police dispatch – depending on the time of day and context.
“Where Verkada wins is how easy it is to use, manage, and scale. We maximize security while minimizing hardware requirements. Beyond peace of mind, we gain time and cost-savings on installation and maintenance,” says Dirk.
By eliminating the need for NVRs, DVRs, or servers, they reduce the cost of ownership and drive immediate return on investment. The integration of cameras that include the CP52-E Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ), CD52-E Dome, and Fisheye cameras also adds numerous benefits to their operations:
Hybrid Cloud Reliability: On-device storage of up to 365 days, unlimited cloud archiving, and optional cloud backup.
Versatile Monitoring: Cameras used for both security and operational monitoring, providing remote visibility from a web or mobile platform.
Dynamic Coverage: High-resolution, targeted coverage with advanced features like Sentry Mode on the PTZ.
"The PTZ camera's optical zoom capabilities impressed us, and we use the CD52-E mainly for entrances and as alarm triggers," Charles explains, “Across distribution centers, the four-way Multisensor cameras are especially useful in production line monitoring for quality assurance.”
Simple to Use from a Centralized Platform
“Alarms, cameras, and access-controlled doors are managed from a single platform. Alerts are sent directly to branch managers, who can view and address the situation promptly,” says Dirk.
Integrated behind the centralized Command platform, Verkada products are accessible from any web browser or mobile app. Along with 24/7 U.S.-based technical support, teams have an intuitive software interface to manage cameras, access control, alarms, air quality sensors, intercom, and workplace management solutions. Charles notes, “Everything is intuitively designed and easy to access.”
The user-friendly design empowers regional managers to monitor and manage their sites independently of IT. “I was one of the only people who knew how to use the legacy system, I’d have to spend late nights retrieving footage if there was an incident,” says Charles, “Verkada Command is intuitive so our local business managers can use it without help, while professional monitoring agents help screen out the false alarms.” Role-based permissions and SCIM integrations also strengthen security while streamlining credential management. Doors brought into the Verkada platform can be remotely managed and paired with corresponding cameras to quickly find footage for door-held/forced-open events.
Looking Ahead
The move to Verkada signifies a shift toward modernized security management. It represents a commitment to not just maintaining–but continuously improving–systems and processes to meet the demands of a dynamic industry. The team is continuing to test new features to enhance security operations across the organization, including Sentry Mode on the PTZ cameras and line-crossing as an alarm trigger.
“With Verkada, we’re not just protecting our properties. We have the actionable insights to streamline operations and increase productivity,” says Dirk. Charles adds, “We look forward to the new updates – both product and features – that improve the way that operate and keep properties safe.”
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