Electronic article surveillance, or EAS, is a type of technology that prevents shoplifting. EAS is most often used in retail stores but can also be found in libraries and office buildings. EAS usually involves three components:

When you think of cyber security, what comes to mind? For most it’s software, hackers, and computers in general. According to the FBI, “A cyber incident is a past, ongoing, or threatened intrusion, disruption, or other event that impairs or is likely to impair the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of electronic information, information systems, services, or networks.”

The last 24 months have been filled with news of breaches, attacks, and privacy concerns with no end in sight. Here are my 2019 cyber security predictions.

What comes to mind when you think of organized retail crime (ORC)? High shrink items with high resell values, such as razors, baby formula, jeans and such? Or fencing operations, whether online or at the corner store? Recently I wrote an article about the broader scope of ORC, and the narrowing gap between ORC and cybercrime. In this article I will dive deeper into another aspect of ORC not often thought of, which is human trafficking.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly being applied in many industries, and retail is now no exception. From machine learning to robots, retailers are testing and hoping AI is the answer to their two perennial challenges—expense reduction and sales growth.

Brick-and-mortar didnt die, and Amazon just confirmed it with its purchase of Whole Foods. Unless you live under a rock, you have seen the news related to Amazon’s purchase of Whole Foods for more than $13 billion. Over 90 percent of retail purchases are made in-store today. So why all the news of store closings and retailers that are underperforming?

Fraud and cyber security have never been more on the forefront of asset protection professionals’ list of things that keep them up at night than they are today. With the introduction of the EMV chip, we were hoping to get a little bit more sleep at night. However, the EMV isn’t exactly “new” technology; it’s decade old, and the bad guys already can defeat it. EMV was first developed in 1994 as a way to mitigate credit card fraud, but before we get too deep in the issue at hand, let’s start with some basics.

Cybercrime and organized retail crime (ORC) are words we hear on a daily basis. Let’s talk about how they’re related and how they’re different. ORC is very difficult to define because it falls under many different definitions depending on where you are reading it. For the purpose of this discussion, ORC is defined as groups of people engaged in illegally obtaining merchandise in substantial quantities through both theft and fraud for the purpose of resale. Cyber crime is defined as crime conducted via the Internet or some other computer network. The two have both similarities and differences.

Fraud and cyber security have never been more on the forefront of asset protection professionals’ list of things that keep them up at night than they are today. With the introduction of the EMV chip, we were hoping to get a little bit more sleep at night. However, the EMV isn’t exactly “new” technology; it’s decade old, and the bad guys already can defeat it. EMV was first developed in 1994 as a way to mitigate credit card fraud, but before we get too deep in the issue at hand, let’s start with some basics.

No one can argue we’re in a time when technology seems to be moving faster than we can keep up with it.  That may be why EAS (Electronic Article Surveillance) technology seems to be elusive and confusing when it comes to its evolution and modern capabilities. Well…it isn’t and doesn’t have to be. This article will attempt to break down very succinctly the evolution of EAS without too much “geek speak,” and will give the LP professional a quick, useful explanation of how this technology has advanced in an effort to support retail’s ever-changing needs.