Using IT To Improve Physical Security

SFW Controller helps businesses and security firms manage and automate the gathering and analysis of building security data.

Martin Garvey, Contributor

March 25, 2005

2 Min Read
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Retailers face a wide variety of threats to the bottom line, including theft, accidents, fires, and other events that can affect the products a store sells. But retail companies haven't had many technology tools to help them manage and automate physical security and surveillance. Security Frameworks LLC on Monday will introduce software and a service to help businesses control real-time physical security.

The SFW Controller software is designed to help businesses or security firms gather and analyze security and asset information quickly so they can react much faster to events like accidents, break-ins, and fires. Controller is a Web-based security, safety, and emergency preparedness tool that security officers can use to communicate much more efficiently with fire and police departments. It even helps users measure distances between points, which could later help ensure that fire departments bring the right length of hose to put out a fire.

Controller, which is offered as a hosted service costing around $400 per month for a 200,000-square-foot facility, gives a security team a single interface to gas zones with shut off locations, assembly points, and evacuation routes. It gains such views by starting with a floor plan of a facility, such as a shopping mall. Used in conjunction with SFW's existing Accendo graphical mapping tool, it delivers information to security officers via pictures, diagrams, and videos.

Global Security Concept Inc., a facilities management and security provider, began using SFW Controller in December. "Before, when an incident happened, some piece of paper wasn't available or wasn't dated," says CEO Alex Udler. By having so much information available online, GSC is much more organized as its employees monitor and patrol a location. "Before, four slips-and-falls in an area would lead to about 20 phone calls back and forth," he says. "Now a security officer enters the information on his laptop, and the insurance company is viewing it."

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