Why are Security Industry Digital Plans Essential for All SMEs?
The security industry is mainly concerned with providing security systems and workforce for protecting people, property, or places. Security can be in the form of staffed services such as security guards who protect people and property or security systems like CCTV, fire alarms, or access control systems. They can also take the form of physical means of security like grills, locks, or gates.
In recent times with technological advancements and the emergence of cybercrimes, cybersecurity has also become a necessity to prevent data theft. The security industry has been facing challenges in the form of rising costs and the shortage of qualified employees. Educated and skilled people feel that there is not enough opportunity for growth in the security industry. The security industry must adopt digital solutions to cope with the changing needs, retain their employees, and stay competitive. As a result, this promotes the company brand for all SMEs in Singapore. This is possible only with proper security industry digital plans.
Launching of these Digital Plans in Singapore
In Singapore, the Security industry has played a significant role in protecting people and property from breaches. The private security services in this industry have been responsible for maintaining security and safety in Singapore. They protect enterprises, residential areas, educational institutions, and government buildings, to name a few.
In recent years, the security industry has been dealing with challenges like increased terrorist threats along with rising costs to employ equipped staff and equipment. The educated workforce has become ambitious, and it is also a challenge to retain them in the security industry. Singapore has realized that digitalization is the way forward for the service industry to keep pace with changing times and use technology to meet the new security requirements and increase its productivity.
The Security Industry Transformation Map (ITM) has been launched to create a vibrant, productive, and competitive security industry that delivers improved security service in Singapore. The Security Industry Digital Plans aim to achieve the goals as outlined in the ITM.
The SMEs Go Digital Plan aims to provide step-by-step guidance to SMEs on the road to digitalization, and it consists of:
- The Digital roadmap which will assess your digital readiness and provide digital skills.
- Provide consultancy to SMEs at all stages of digitalization.
- Pre-approved digital solutions that can help to achieve your digital aims.
- Participation in projects led by leaders in the industry.
- Project management services for increased productivity and maximum utilization of resources.
What is the Digital Roadmap for Security Industry Digital Plans?
The Digital Roadmap is a guide for SMEs that will help them at every stage to adapt to digitalization. It consists of three steps:
Getting Digital Economy Ready
It consists of digital solutions that will enable the optimization of available resources. They are:
- Management of patrol and incidents through mobile: Use mobiles to monitor, organize, and manage documents, patrol functions, assets, and routes. Enable the access of assignment and reporting of work through mobiles.
This will provide the benefit of monitoring, communicating, and reporting in real-time. It will enable the management of various sites remotely and also make them more visible.
- Automating the visitor management process: Visitors must register for gaining access to the facility. Biometrics and car plate recognition may also be used. Unauthorized entry by visitors can be prevented by merging with the access control systems.
It will help in quicker registration and better visitor flow. It will also improve the accuracy of data and enable the study of visitor patterns. Lastly, it will allow the use of human resources for other value-based services by automating self-service.
- Surveillance of site augmented by analytics: Utilize analytics together with IP-enabled video cameras for onsite monitoring to detect and prevent incidents.
These analytics will help in monitoring the sites remotely. It will improve the security system and assist in better productivity.
Growing in the Digital Economy
- Centralized security: Enable surveillance and safety of various facilities together with the aid of video feeds in real-time, sensors, analytics, and mobile response teams.
It will be helpful in the creation of a business model that can be expanded in the future. Also, it will enable a quick response in the event of incidents. It will help to use the security workforce in the best way possible so that more facilities or buildings can be covered.
- Predict and detect risks and threats: Enable detection of security threats in places where there are huge crowds and where the flow of groups cannot be estimated.
You will be able to have access to surveillance of sites having heavy activity and which are difficult to access. It will enable the maximum utilization of scarce resources. It will provide additional support to the security personnel to detect potential incidents.
- Using digital technology to equip security: Utilize the latest digital tech to empower security guards to capture events and for geological tracking. It will also allow them to send or receive man-down alerts in the event of injury to any guard or shortage of a guard due to other reasons.
Thus, there will be better protection and safety of the security personnel. It will also help to monitor all the incidents in real-time, improve the preparedness, and make quick responses.
Leaping Ahead
- Using robots for surveillance: Utilize unmanned drones and robots for surveillance and patrolling. They can be deployed in dangerous situations and in remote places where it is challenging to use cameras or deploy the workforce. With this, robots can prevent crime and respond to any incident.
Robots, thus provide security in places where the terrain is tough and deploying the workforce is not easy. It will also help in delivering non-stop security with 24/7 surveillance and monitoring.
- Utilize AI /VR to train personnel: Provide training to security personnel using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Virtual Reality (VR).
This will help to provide immersive training in artificially created but realistic scenarios. It will help the security staff to avail of more training resources and to also monitor their performances. Thus, utilizing the training resources can be optimized. It will result in better efficiency for trainers and trainees. Trainees will also be able to learn skills better since they can easily remember and retain the training information.
- A platform for security collaboration: Enable visualization, intelligent response, and sense-making by merging all the visual feeds and other data with building or environmental systems. Collaborate with Building Information Management (BIM) for high tech 3D security planning and implementation along with simulated scenarios. Everything will also be connected with the Smart Facility Management platform.
There will be better sharing of data with the police, facility owners, and government agencies. It will also enable improved security sensing and analysis. Thus, augmenting the skills of the security team and even improve productivity because of sharing equipment and management systems.
Providing Digital Skills for Successful Implementation
As per the Security Industry Digital Plans, security personnel will undergo training to garner digital skills. Job roles include security officers, chief security officers, and/or security supervisors. There are two courses available on which training will be imparted, and they are:
- Tech Basic courses: This course will provide broad-based digital skills and awareness to security personnel who are digital light users and only use simple apps.
- Tech Advanced courses: This course will provide higher-level digital skills to security personnel who perform supervisory and managerial roles and who use digital solutions for managing security functions.
Support will be provided to SMEs at all stages on their way to digitalization. Security personnel can opt to either Self Assess using a self-assessment checklist or contact the nearest SME centre for receiving help from business and advisors. Or, they can be referred to the principal consultants at the SME Digital Tech Hub.
