24/7 secure media equipment access

While France Médias Monde's radio and television networks broadcast around the clock, their equipment loans management team only operates during normal business hours. When a breaking news story hits during the night or over the weekend, journalists and technicians need a way to gain immediate access to cameras, recorders, and transmission equipment without waiting for the management team to arrive.

FMM previously kept all field reporting gear in a shared storage room to accommodate these 24/7 operational demands. Anyone could access the room and take what they needed. While this ensured reporters could grab gear after hours, it created a massive accountability blind spot. The management team had no way of knowing who was taking specific pieces of equipment or when they would be returned.

FMM deployed over 130 ecos intelligent lockers to manage their field reporting gear. To keep their operations running smoothly, they opted to divide the installation into two phases:

• One for general, non-live reporting gear
• Another is exclusively for live broadcasting equipment, like transmission units and cameras.

The ecos lockers feature integrated charging ports for electronic devices. The sheer volume of available lockers FMM deployed also allows the equipment management team to pre-stage gear. If a journalist has a scheduled weekend assignment, the team can secure the requested equipment in a specific locker for easy, unassisted pickup outside of standard business hours.

FMM chose to implement role-based access controls. Administrators organize staff into specific user groups, such as the "Radio Reporting" group, which automatically grants them access only to the lockers containing the tools relevant to their job.

The ecos smart lockers transformed how France Médias Monde manages its field broadcasting equipment. FMM management now knows exactly who took what gear and when it will return. Management can now safely pre-stage equipment during the day, confident that journalists can retrieve it at night or over the weekend without needing an equipment manager on site.

Every item placed in an ecos locker is tagged with an RFID chip. When a reporter retrieves a piece of gear, the system automatically sends a notification confirming the user's identity, the time of removal, and the expected return time. The system also automatically sends reminder messages to journalists if their equipment is overdue.