When large organizations plan technology upgrades across hundreds or even thousands of locations, one challenge consistently rises to the top: avoiding lock-in. Every retailer, restaurant chain, hotel group, and enterprise environment has unique operational requirements, legacy investments, and performance expectations. Yet too often, technology deployments are constrained by brand requirements. 

At Bailiwick, being brand agnostic is a core philosophy that guides how we design, deploy, and support technology across North America. “Our goal is to avoid pigeonholing customers into a particular solution,” says Joe Hinrichs, Bailiwick’s Vice President of Product Development and IT. “Every client has distinct operational needs. Being brand agnostic allows us to select the technologies that truly fit our client’s use case.” 

This flexibility is especially important for multi-site companies, where store formats, regional requirements, or operational priorities may vary. A camera that performs well in one environment may underdeliver in another. A specific type of sensor might be ideal for a flagship location but unnecessary in smaller footprints. Bailiwick’s model ensures customers don’t have to compromise. 

Maximizing Existing Investments

Many Fortune 500 organizations already have significant infrastructure in place, from switching and cabling to camera networks and IoT platforms. Replacing it all is often cost-prohibitive and unnecessary.

“Most of our clients have made sizeable technology investments over the years,” Hinrichs said. “If that infrastructure still has the capabilities to support their future goals, we want to repurpose and extend it rather than recommend a full replacement.”

This approach commonly applies to camera systems. A retailer looking to add AI-driven insights such as people counting, dwell-time analytics, or loss-prevention alerts may assume a full camera replacement is required. But in many cases, existing cameras can stream video to an on-site appliance with a built-in GPU (graphics processing unit), enabling the AI features with only minimal upgrades. Hinrichs explains: “If the existing cameras support the necessary streaming capabilities, we can leverage them. Customers get the benefits of advanced analytics without the cost and disruption of replacing every device.”

Accommodating Preferred Brands—Without Restriction

Being brand agnostic never means ignoring customer preferences. Many organizations already have standards in place or strong partnerships with specific OEMs.

“If a customer prefers a certain brand, we’ll support it,” says Hinrichs. “The value of our approach is that we’re not steering clients toward a specific vendor because of our interests. We’re focused on delivering the right outcome using the technology that best aligns with their strategy.”

Because Bailiwick works across so many platforms and device types, teams are equally comfortable deploying established technologies and emerging solutions. This breadth of experience ensures customers are never limited by a narrow set of options.

Managing Complexity Through Documentation and Training

One concern clients often raise is the perceived complexity for field technicians. If a deployment involves multiple brands, models, or configurations, how do technicians maintain consistency and quality?

According to Hinrichs, this is where Bailiwick excels. “Our documentation and training model is the secret sauce,” he says. “Every technology we deploy is thoroughly evaluated by our engineering team. They create detailed documentation and short video guides that highlight installation requirements and nuances.”

These materials support Bailiwick’s national network of more than 25,000 technicians—as well as the internal teams responsible for configuration and staging.

“We remove the guesswork,” explains Hinrichs. “Our configuration and staging teams fully vet every device before it ships. Then our training model ensures that every technician arrives on-site prepared and confident.”

This level of preparation results in consistent deployments, fewer site visits, and systems that work correctly the first time—regardless of vendor or device type.

Why Brand Agnostic Deployment Will Matter Even More in the Future

Technology environments are changing rapidly. AI-enabled devices, sensor ecosystems, wireless upgrades, security platforms, and digital customer experience solutions all evolve at different speeds. Tying organizations to one vendor limits their ability to adapt and innovate.

A brand-agnostic partner ensures organizations can:

In a world where technology lifecycles are shorter and expectations are higher, agility is no longer optional.

Conclusion

Bailiwick’s brand-agnostic philosophy is a strategic advantage for organizations with complex, multi-site environments. By focusing on customer goals rather than vendor allegiances, Bailiwick helps organizations deploy smarter, adapt faster, and maximize the value of every technology investment.

As Hinrichs summarizes: “Our role is to ensure customers have the freedom and flexibility to choose what’s best for their business. Being brand agnostic empowers us to design solutions that truly meet their needs today and in the future.”