Organisations have shifted business focus countless times since the onset of the pandemic. While many leaders have been primarily concerned with the immediate health and safety of their customers and employees, 2022 has given rise to a new trend: More than ever, business leaders are seeking security solutions that increase operational efficiency and cost savings as well as improve logistics and business insight.
As working environments become more complex, organisations looking to drive higher productivity and profitability margins should consider security upgrades that prioritise integrated analytics and automation.
Security solutions are more versatile than ever
Organisations across the globe are seeking innovative technologies that can help improve operational efficiency without expending valuable and ever-shrinking resources.
Although traditionally adopted to fulfil essential security requirements like access control and video surveillance, modern security technologies also offer a massive opportunity for increased cost savings and efficiency.
Automated operations
In healthcare, the monitoring information can provide a unified dashboard of fall and accident reports
Updated security systems can operate automatically by gathering information about daily operations through existing security tools. This information aids profit generation and business growth by identifying crucial areas for improvement.
Provided insights vary between industries. In the healthcare industry, security technology can use unobtrusive monitoring information to provide a unified dashboard of fall and accident reports in senior living communities.
Using AI and ML
Using artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), these same systems can analyse data to help predict when a fall may occur, thus helping to prevent unsafe situations and reduce hospitalisations. In the restaurant industry, AI can signal when safety equipment may be close to malfunctioning, resulting in quicker repairs and avoiding the cost of customer dissatisfaction.
In both cases, the insights provided are actionable and easy to implement. This type of automation is top of mind for many business leaders. About 78% of leaders are considering AI implementation, according to the STANLEY Security 2022 Industry Trends Report. Among those leaders, 45% are primarily interested in AI-generated analytics.
Innovative safety initiatives in the hybrid era
As assets move to fully remote or hybrid working environments, businesses must address new on-site concerns
According to a recent Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report, 70% of managers identified full or partial remote work as a factor in increased productivity. Yet, the same report found that only 30% of managers believe their organisation is actively innovating, down 10% from the previous year.
As assets move to fully remote or hybrid working environments, business leaders know their organisations must address new on-site health, safety, and security concerns. STANLEY Security research found that 72% of business leaders identify asset security as their top priority for 2022. The health and safety of employees and customers remain another primary concern at 59%.
Asset tracking
Even as businesses emerge from the pandemic, change remains a constant. About 30% of businesses have implemented a permanent hybrid work model.
Those businesses that intend to return all employees to the office (59%) will implement those changes over the next 18 months. As the world shifts rapidly, innovative security technologies with real-time inventory and asset tracking will be crucial for maintaining a full business line of sight.
Real-time location systems
By monitoring asset traffic patterns, leaders can determine peak hours and strategically assign assets to improve space
Real-time location systems (RTLS) ease the pain of expanded business locations and provide greater insurance for top assets, from retail inventory to critical vaccines.
Up-to-date tracking information also empowers business leaders to make data-driven decisions about asset management. By monitoring asset traffic patterns, leaders can determine peak hours and strategically assign assets to improve space management and workflow.
The future of work, powered by automation
Modern businesses consistently struggle to do more with less. Organisations suffering losses from ‘The Great Resignation’ are particularly impacted, like labour shortages and supply chain disruptions impede daily operations, but consumer demands remain high.
Resourceful business leaders are looking for ways to fill the gaps, and one solution lies in the future of machine learning, AI, and automation.
Increased individualised care
When a workplace adopts automation via AI, routine tasks are fulfilled intuitively, freeing time for the human workforce to address high-impact, profit-generating initiatives.
When employees focus on more complex tasks, they improve their skills in service. Adjustments like this could mean a patient receives a greater degree of individualised care or a customer gets their order in record time.
Integrated security systems
Integrated security systems provide rapid threat detection and response, more accessible management tools
Business leaders seeking automation should consider building a cohesive security ecosystem. When implemented successfully, integrated security systems provide rapid threat detection and response, more accessible management tools, and unmatched peace of mind.
Security systems rooted in machine learning grow with an organisation. For example, once a system determines that all employees have exited a controlled facility, it can lock doors and power off heating, cooling, and lighting systems.
Innovative security solutions
The savings of a properly implemented security system go beyond an electric or heating bill. Automation improves security fallback features at all levels of an organisation, thus improving efficiency and safety.
Most business leaders acknowledge the importance of security systems for asset safety, but true efficiency and safety must go further. As we navigate the modern working world, successful organisations will be proactive in adopting innovative security solutions.