3 Technologies That Will Improve Any Physical Security Operation

If you had told someone in the 1980s that most people would one day carry a phone the size of a wallet with more computing power than the systems that took us to the moon, they would have thought you were joking. That future arrived, along with many other technologies we could never have imagined, and technology is now built into nearly every part of how businesses operate.

In the physical security industry, you have probably heard plenty about the hot topics: artificial intelligence, drones and remote guarding services. They are all worth considering, but with so much excitement around new tools, the basics can easily be forgotten.

Every security company, no matter its size or stage, needs three foundational technologies to succeed:

1. Security incident reporting software
2. Smartphones for officers in the field
3. Time and labor management software

1. Security Incident Reporting Software

Today, security incident reporting software is a requirement for any modern security company. It replaces pen and paper, gives you real insight into what is happening in the field and makes reports clearer and faster for clients. See what separates strong reports from weak ones in the good, bad and ugly of security incident reports.

When you evaluate reporting software, look for four core features at a minimum: incident reporting, GPS tracking, guard tours and a client portal. From there, most options fall into two categories: simple and straightforward, or fully customizable.

Simple Incident Reporting Software

Simple reporting software gives you the basic tools you need to eliminate pen and paper and gain more insight into your operation. It is often geared toward smaller security companies, though larger organizations use it successfully too.

Because there’s nothing complicated about it, simple software can be set up quickly, and even less tech-savvy officers can be trained fast. If you need to modernize your reporting or want a no-nonsense solution, this is a great place to start.

Fully Customizable Incident Reporting Software

If you run a large operation across multiple cities, states or industries, customizable software is probably the better fit, although smaller teams can benefit too. It adapts to the specific needs of each site, with configurable report forms, workflows and permissions.

The biggest benefit is that customizable software usually captures more information, which helps you make better decisions. If you are willing to invest a little more time up front, that information can make a big difference.

2. Smartphones

Guard tour and reporting software only works if officers have a device to use it on. Fortunately, smartphones are easy to find, and a well-designed security guard tour app turns any modern phone into a powerful field tool.

There are two main approaches to smartphones on security contracts: company phones or bring your own device (BYOD), with site phones as a useful middle ground.

Company Phones

Company phones give you the most control over what officers can and can’t do on the device. Officers may still bring personal phones to a site, but company devices help limit distractions.

The downside is cost. The company has to buy, repair, update and maintain the phones, and every lost or damaged device comes out of your bottom line. These costs add up quickly, especially for smaller security companies.

Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)

The biggest benefit of a BYOD strategy is cost. There is no added overhead to buy phones, and repairs and upgrades aren’t the company’s responsibility.

BYOD has trade-offs, though. Not every officer has a reliable phone or carrier, and you can’t control how officers use their personal devices on the job. Learn more about BYOD best practices for physical security.

Site Phones

Site phones can minimize the drawbacks of both approaches. You keep control over apps and usage, and costs stay low because you only need one phone per post rather than one per officer.

Factor	Company phones	BYOD	Site phones
Upfront cost	High	None	Moderate
Control over apps and usage	Full	Limited	Full
Maintenance responsibility	Company	Officer	Company
Device reliability	Consistent	Varies by officer	Consistent
Best for	Larger or high-security operations	Small companies and tight budgets	Fixed posts with shift changes

3. Time and Labor Management Software

The third technology every physical security company needs organizes the back office: time and labor management (TLM) software.

Scheduling errors hurt your business. If a post goes unfilled, clients get upset. If an officer is accidentally scheduled into overtime, payroll costs rise for no reason. Make sure you understand overtime compensation compliance before building schedules.

Manual payroll also makes an operation inefficient. It can delay paychecks and frustrate officers, and timesheet errors can lead to underpaying or overpaying employees. The longer payroll takes, the more of your own valuable time you lose.

TLM software solves these scheduling and payroll problems by speeding up the process and keeping mistakes to a minimum. The TrackTik back office suite was built specifically for security companies, connecting scheduling, time and attendance, payroll and billing inside the same platform your officers already use. TrackTik business administration also helps prevent unplanned overtime and fill open shifts quickly.

How TrackTik Brings All Three Together

Many security companies end up with separate tools for reporting, field devices and the back office, which means duplicate data entry and gaps between systems. TrackTik, the security workforce management platform from Trackforce, connects all three.

• Reporting and guard tours: Guided incident reports with photo, video and GPS evidence, plus checkpoint tours with instructions at every stop.
• A mobile app for every device: The same app works on company phones, site phones or officers’ own devices.
• Back office on the same data: Clock-ins flow into payroll and billing automatically, without an integration project.
• Client visibility: TrackTik security operations includes a client portal that shows clients the work in real time.

Having the right technologies in place makes a big difference in the success and growth of security operations of every size. Before you buy, use these 20 questions to ask before buying guard management software, or book a TrackTik demo to see all three working together.