How We Digitally Transformed a 50-Year-Old Mid-Market Security Company

What if you could track the compliance of 1,000 on-site physical security personnel in real-time from a single dashboard anywhere in the world?

That’s the challenge we took on, and in the process we not only transformed how this traditional mid-market security company used technology to improve their daily operations, but we also helped them introduce a new stream of revenue for their business.

When the smoke cleared, we re-architected a new physical and digital solution that diminished security incidents and reduced compliance issues. This new solution was so well-received and differentiated them from their competitors that it helped them break into the security operations of a billion-dollar company.

We proved that digital innovation isn’t just for the Netflix’s and Amazon’s of the world. True innovation is possible for mid-market traditional services or product companies.

Here’s how we helped this security company transform their business through digital.

We helped them rethink customer experience in the digital age

For operators of stadiums, warehouses, prisons, and other large facilities, security is top-of-mind theses days. Most make substantial investments in keeping employees and visitors safe. Nonetheless, many can’t address a basic question: Are their security guards located where they should be to keep everyone safe?

We knew that what we were building was not a nice-to-have solution, it was central to the success of their core operations and service offering.

However, we had some initial constraints that limited our ability to create an effective solution.

1. We couldn’t interrupt the activities of security personnel. Having them “check-in” every 15 minutes via an app is time-consuming and distracting.
2. Most client locations have poor or no WiFi availability.
3. Many security personnel are contractors, so facilities cannot require them to carry particular devices or issue them, as they would with employees.
4. The solution must be scalable and repeatable across multiple locations.

We had one goal: Build a physical and digital experience that is seamless to the security personnel and provides our client with real-time compliance information across multiple locations.

Through several executive discussions with business and IT and product execution, we developed and implemented a location intelligence solution that can be scaled across multiple clients. Through the creation of a mobile app, physical beacons, and a web dashboard, we gave them a glimpse of how digital can move their business forward.

This mobile app, installed on a security guard’s Apple or Android device, detects when the guard passes a checkpoint and starts creating a report indicating whether he covered each checkpoint on his route in a designated period of time. Beacons installed at each checkpoint tell the app when the guard has passed it. The system works even if there is no WiFi in a given location or poor WiFi throughout a facility because it relies on offline storage.

Here are some key outcomes:

1) Security personnel had no extra activities – All they needed to do was carry their mobile phone with them in their pocket. That’s it. No checking in through an app, or having to fill out additional information. No re-training needed to occur.

2) Facilities had real-time compliance information – Prior to this solution, it was impossible to know if security guards were doing their routine check-ups besides looking at the video cameras. With this new solution, facilities could see the performance and compliance of the personnel in real-time.

3) Our client now has more insights into the details of their business than ever before – In addition to implementing a seamless digital solution to reduce compliance issues and security incidents, the client now had something they never had access to before: data.

We automated repetitive internal processes so their teams can focus on what matters

Audit and Compliance Reports are the life of any security company. Miss filing a report and risk being fined or fail an audit. Misreport on what activities were completed and risk being fined and/or audited.

Because of the nature of the business, contractors and employees are in and out of the security personnel business. Any time investing in training on reporting is often time-consuming and wasted when the security personnel move on from their job.

At the end of the shift, the facility owner now knows if the security guard has covered all of the checkpoints and if he has done so in the timeframe required to keep the facility safe. This allows managers to uncover issues that lead to security gaps. For instance, on an evening shift, guards may be falling asleep at their station.

Instead of relying on manual reports that are time-consuming, we built a solution that automated the creation of compliance reports, possible because of the new solution put in place. The old pen and paper process could take weeks to process and was often incorrect for multiple reasons. With the new digital solution in place, we put in new automation controls to produce the reports on a moment’s notice.

The new digital experience opened up a new business model and revenue opportunity previously not possible

This proprietary solution worked so well that it opened up a new opportunity to use this platform to sell to other security providers. The solution is efficient, scalable, and most importantly, significantly improves the performance of any security operation.

Our clients recognize that digital innovation is less of a technology play and more the core of how they do business. The impact is far and wide and is not just meant for the Amazon’s, Netflix’s, and Google’s of the world. It has a deep impact on mid-market companies, and when done properly it can elevate how they do business and help them destroy the competition.