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Key Takeaways from the Virtual Physical Security Summit

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Key Takeaways from the Virtual Physical Security Summit

On October 6-7, 2020, Thinkcurity presented the first-ever Virtual Physical Security Summit. Over 1200 physical security professionals signed up for the 2-day event to get actionable insights from thought leaders in every area of the physical security industry.

If you didn’t get a chance to attend the virtual summit, this blog will go over key takeaways from every session to give you an idea of what was covered. And if you want to watch the sessions themselves you can watch them all on-demand for free.

Day 1 Keynote - Security Guard Industry Long-Term Success feat. Robert Perry

For over 40 years, Robert Perry has managed the selling of over 250 security companies. He has incredible experience in the industry and has used that experience to publish 12 editions of the White Paper on the U.S. Contract Security Industry. In his webinar, Robert focused mainly on 2020 trends in physical security and what security companies can do for long-term success.

Key Takeaways

  1. Robert’s 2020 White Paper shows that the industry is on a consistent trajectory from 2019, with the same top 5 operations leading the industry. It also covers some of the trends as a result of COVID-19 and the economic impact of shut downs.

  2. There are opportunities for contract security are companies to win over in-house security contracts.

  3. The ultimate goal for long-term success in the security guard industry is selling your company at the right time and for the right reasons.

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Day 1 Roundtable - Technology and Manned Guarding

Over the past few years, technology has become more important to the physical security industry than ever before. Tools like guard management software have been necessary for a long time, but there have been a lot of recent events and trends that are making security companies think more about emerging technologies.

This session featured experts from every stage of the security guard industry, from small business to enterprise security companies. They shared their experiences using technology in their businesses and what technology guard companies might want to be on the lookout for in 2021 and beyond.

Key Takeaways

  1. Make sure you evaluate your technology needs, both for running your business and being a successful security operation.

  2. Emerging technologies - especially drones - are getting more and more attention in the private security industry. Drones becoming common in security services will likely not happen for another few years, but other technologies like Artificial Intelligence are already gaining popularity.

  3. GPS functionality helps your supervisors stay up-to-date on operations and your clients' happy with an additional level of transparency.

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Day 1 Technology Session - A Day in the Life of a Supervisor

In order to get the most out of the technology you use in your security company, it’s important that employees in every job function know how to use it effectively. Steve Williams of Trackforce Valiant shows how supervisors can improve their effectiveness through security guard management software.

Key Takeaways

  1. Back-end visibility within your guard management solution is key to supervisors ability to manage your officers.

  2. Customized software can help to make more complex property watches easier.

  3. NFC Tags & QR Codes are both great options for guard tours.

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Day 2 Keynote - Incorporating New Services into Your Operation feat. Stefano Vitale

One effective growth method for security guard companies that are small or just getting started is to add new security services to their business. But it can be difficult figuring out which services to add or how to add them.

In his role as Executive Vice President and Principal at P4 Security Solutions, Stefano has a strategic focus on integrated guarding solutions, operations, sales and marketing. He applied his vast knowledge and experience to give guard companies on the session effective strategies for incorporating new services.

Key Takeaways

  1. Reinvest money back into your employees, promoting training and culture. This will help you create a strong security company capable of scaling up and bringing on new services.

  2. One very effective way for small guard companies to incorporate new services is to partner with larger companies that already offer those services.

  3. Risk assessments are key to success and can help to set your security company apart from the competition.

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Day 2 Roundtable - Communication, Soft Skills, and De-Escalation

The physical security industry usually gets a lot of focus on how to run better guard tours and how to stay safe on the job. These things are great, but it’s just as important for security guards to be trained in communication, soft skills, and de-escalation tactics that will set them apart from negative stereotypes in the industry.

Chris Anderson and Steve Donofrio have decades of experience in these subjects and specifically how they can be applied to law enforcement, private security, and other related industries. They shared all of this knowledge in a very engaging Q&A session.

Key Takeaways

  1. The 3 Cs: Care, Compassion, Courtesy that are absolutely essential to running a safe and effective guard company.

  1. Training employees on these three areas, can make a huge difference in the quality of your security guard teams.

  2. There are a few good pieces of equipment that your officers should carry, but a sharp mind, critical thinking, and effective communication are most important.

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Day 2 Technology Session - Integrated Technology Solutions

Even more beneficial than just having technology in your security guard company is having technology that can integrate into your other tech solutions. James Grimes went over how time and labor management software can easily integrate into your guard management software to simplify back office technology management.

Key Takeaways

  1. Time & labor management solutions help provide visibility over your employees.

  2. HR solutions help to onboard and maintain employee retention.

  3. Benefit management solutions help keep things simple.

 Watch Now

Closing

If you want more great content - like these summit sessions - from Thinkcurity, be sure to check out all of these additional resources:

Don’t see a topic you’d like to learn more about? Email info@thinkcurity.com to let us know what you’d like to see more of in the future.

Thinkcurity Articles
Thinkcurity Articles
Thinkcurity is revolutionizing education in the physical security industry through engaging content and thought leadership in every aspect of running a successful security operation.

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