How one security services company used mobile wireless computing to cut costs and improve efficiency!
Security services companies have scrambled to make greater use of information technology in the post-9/11 world, but paper-based, manual systems for data collection have remained a mainstay of the business—until now. Like other businesses, ours is learning that you can do a lot more with mobile handheld computers and smartphones than just send and receive e-mail and organize your life.
ABM Security Services, a subsidiary of ABM Industries Inc., is one of the nation's largest private security providers for high-rise buildings, high-tech computer campuses and complexes, financial institutions, data center facilities, and commercial and industrial sites throughout America. With over 13,000 employees and 52 branch offices in 28 states, we provide security professionals to a growing number of Fortune 500 corporations.
ABM Security personnel manually collect large amounts of data during their daily rounds including activity logs, incident reports, and vendor rosters. Traditionally, collected data has been stored at each station in filing cabinets and occasionally archived by third-party document storage vendors, where the data must remain for seven years. Storing paper forms at an off-site storage facility means ongoing rent, and if we need to gain access to an archived form, there are delays and further "retrieval" costs that come right out of our profit margin. In short, pulling relevant information out of archived paper files is expensive and a hassle for both us and our customers.
In addition to our need to become more efficient, we face another challenge: how to differentiate our company from its competitors. Despite the fact that we spend a great deal of time and money training, testing, and continuously improving the performance of our security officers, customers tend to view all security companies the same and only shop on price. We needed something substantive to differentiate ABM Security Services in the marketplace.
The solution
With all this in mind, we implemented a mobile data collection and reporting system on the initiative of Executive Vice President Chris Hansen. His long-term plan was to introduce modern data gathering and reporting technology to reduce costs, and provide a real-time facility security information dashboard accessible via the Internet to our customers. Offering this new system to our customers would create an advantage over our competitors, as well as lower our paper handling and storage costs.
Data is collected using a Pocket PC running the AuditMatic software for Windows Mobile Pocket PCs.
After considering various options, we selected Form Automation Solutions, Inc. (FAS) (http://www.auditmatic.com) to provide its AuditMatic Data Collection and Reporting System. It is based on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5-powered Pocket PCs and Microsoft SQL Server database technology for central storage and analysis. FAS hosts the ABM Security Data Collection System consisting of a highly secure Internet-connected dual-core server running Microsoft Windows Server 2003 to host the AuditMatic database, a Microsoft IIS Web server to present the AuditMatic reporting and administrative Web site interface, and multiple handheld computers used as data collection tools. FAS also assisted with application development and trained ABM Security staff.
The AuditMatic solution makes use of Pocket PCs to lead ABM Security guards through their data collection rounds and also utilizes standard forms to allow more consistent reporting. Our guards could also use smartphones, but prefer the larger screens, simple cradle synchronization, and other features of the Pocket PCs. Officers share one or more handhelds stored at their work areas to complete their security information data collection tasks.
AuditMatic data collected on the Pocket PC is synced through a PC to the FAS-hosted, central database.
