SUMMARY
A national retail brand with a decades-long security partnership with Alen had relied on standalone combination locks across its store locations, a system that left doors routinely compromised by shared codes that were rarely changed and easily observed. Alen designed and deployed a Brivo cloud access control platform built around wireless lock readers, eliminating the need for new wiring in finished retail environments and giving Corporate and Regional Security Managers the ability to issue, manage, and revoke individual credentials instantly from a single mobile app. With five locations live, ten more deploying this year, and approximately 50 readers installed by year end, the brand has replaced a chronic vulnerability with a scalable, auditable, and remotely managed security platform.
THE CLIENT
A national retail brand with locations across the United States. With a growing store footprint and a distributed security management structure organized by region, the brand required a modern access control platform that could be managed centrally, deployed efficiently, and scaled consistently across every location. Alen Security has served as their trusted security partner for decades.
THE CHALLENGE
For years, the retailer relied on standalone combination locks to secure doors throughout its retail locations. The approach created persistent and compounding security vulnerabilities. Former employees retained knowledge of access codes long after their departure. Codes were rarely if ever changed and were routinely observed by others during entry. There was no audit trail, no visibility into who accessed which door or when, and no ability to remotely lock or unlock a door on a schedule. Corporate Security had no single interface to manage access across locations and no mechanism to respond to a security event in real time.
The combination lock model had reached the end of its useful life as a credible security solution.
THE SOLUTION
Drawing on a decades-long advisory relationship with the brand’s Corporate Security team, Alen designed and deployed a Brivo cloud access control solution built around wireless lock readers, purpose built for retail retrofit without the cost or disruption of running new wire through finished store environments.
Each location receives between four and eight wireless readers depending on store size, with credentials issued as access cards or key fobs that can be added, modified, or instantly revoked by regional security managers or corporate administrators from anywhere via the Brivo mobile app. A single management interface gives both regional and corporate security teams complete visibility and control across their entire portfolio from one screen.
A key architectural decision was the deployment of Brivo’s cellular module at each location, keeping the access control system on its own independent network rather than routing through the retailer’s corporate or store infrastructure. This approach eliminates dependency on the in-store network, simplifies deployment, and removes access control as a variable in the brand’s broader cybersecurity exposure.
The program currently includes five active locations. Ten additional stores are scheduled for deployment this year, bringing the total to approximately 50 wireless readers installed across the portfolio by year end.
THE RESULT
The combination lock vulnerability has been eliminated entirely. Credentials are tied to individuals, not shared codes, and can be deactivated the moment an employee leaves. Regional Security Managers can manage every door in their territory from their phone. Every access event is logged, timestamped, and auditable. Doors can be placed on automated schedules to lock and unlock without any manual action required at the store level.
Corporate Security now operates from a single platform that scales as new locations are added, with Alen coordinating each deployment so store teams experience no disruption to daily operations.
A decades-old partnership, now running on a platform built for the decades ahead.
