Securitas has announced the creation of a new specialist team which will play a vital role in driving forward the security firm’s strategy to integrate traditional guarding solutions with evolving technologies.

A new technology team —under the direction of Chief Technology Officer (CTO)— brings with it a specialist technical knowledge that didn’t previously exist within the business. Securitas Chief Technology Officer, Arthur Agnew says no other security company has made this kind of investment or has this extent of expert knowledge in-house.

“There are some big changes happening in the security industry today, skilled labor is becoming more expensive and sought after, and technology is developing at a fast pace, at the same time becoming more affordable. In addition, a new generation of high-capacity telecom networks means the transmission of images and video is becoming more viable and secure. The opportunity is here to utilize technology more intelligently, when coupled with specialist remote services, savings are there to be made.

“Advances in video analytics and intelligent cameras are enabling us to determine suspicious or dangerous behavior at an early stage, thereby minimizing the risk of business interruption. This means we are better equipped to detect potential crime before it happens – and do it more cost-effectively than before.

Securitas saw these developments as an opportunity to make investments in technology, monitoring and response capacity and, since 2011, the firm has been working intensely to improve its internal technology competence and know-how worldwide.

There is now a dedicated technology organisation in place in all its business segments, including chief technology officers in all major countries, a central support service and approximately 2,100 employees who are focused on technology and remote services.

“To deliver and manage our strategy, we have introduced an expert Technology Team which is at the forefront of driving the company along its ‘Solutions Journey'” said Arthur.

The team is spread throughout the UK. Regional technology directors cover the existing eight pre-defined areas. They have the support of local technology managers, backed up by highly-experienced management and support staff. Projects are delivered through a strictly managed partner program, with a single point of contact put in place to manage all customer queries and expectations.

In addition, Securitas has invested 15 million in a new Security Operations Center in Milton Keynes, which is due to launch in September this year. The Central Technology Team will be based here, maintaining the IT platforms and providing extensive support for the remote service and dispatch functions.

Our strategy is to integrate static and mobile guarding services together with technology solutions to achieve cost-efficiency, added value and stronger customer relationships. A fundamental part of our strategy is to make the investment in the customer, through a CAPEX investment. We recognize businesses are under pressure to save money, year on year, what better way to achieve this than to have a trusted partner take the investment for you” said Arthur.

In the past 12 months, Securitas has seen solutions conversions grow from 4-10 percent, with some top name customers within the commodities, facilities, and media sectors.

Our customers are increasingly looking for something more than just mainstream guarding.” added Arthur. “With our new technology team in place, we are perfectly aligned to put together a technology-based system which, together with our guarding, mobile, key holding and monitoring services, will provide a service that offers our customers greater flexibility and a more proactive security solution overall.”