Securitas Groupand IBS – a secure partnership
Security companies help ensure safety for other businesses: but where does a security company turn for a safe and sure IT system? Securitas GroupBelgium protected its IT future with IBS.
Company background
Securitas Groupwas founded in 1934 in Helsingborg, Sweden. The company provides customized security solutions in the business areas of security services, security systems and direct cash handling services. The Group now employs more than 200,000 people and operates in more than 20 countries, mainly in Europe and North America.
Securitas GroupBelgium is a wholly owned subsidiary of the group whose activities are linked to security. From its headquarters in Brussels, the company provides security services, aviation security, training and consultancy.
Securitas GroupBelgium employs some 4,100 people with a turnover of EUR 170 million.
Business issues
The security services division of Securitas GroupBelgium caters for guard services on a permanent and mobile basis, as well as front desk services and roaming personnel. Before its acquisition by Securitas, the old company did not have an in-house finance system. For processing financial data, the company was forced to use a communications link with the head office, where customized software handled the transactions. This caused numerous headaches especially in the areas of reporting, manual errors and the speed of processing financial transactions. When Securitas Grouptook over, the new subsidiary was allowed to search the market for its own financials solution, provided the system could handle the specific reporting requirements needed by Securitas' head office in Sweden.
Because its customers require permanent guarding, in most cases Securitas' agents have to go on guard duty each night and over weekends. Once on-site, these agents are likely to be alone for most of the time and are required to phone in on a regular basis.
To improve the service to its customers and provide agents with a reliable back-up system, Securitas GroupBelgium decided to write a tailormade, automated follow-up solution.
The system had to be 100 percent reliable: therefore, Securitas GroupBelgium also decided to purchase a High Availability application, which would not only ensure 24/7 access but also 100 percent data accessibility. Purchasing this application turned out to be fortuitous, as the Belgian Government recently passed a new law requiring security companies to operate either a minimum of two security guards on any single site or shift or that security companies install an automated follow-up system.
Without the High Availability solution from IBS, we would not be 100% sure that our agents were safe.
Bart Gouweloose
IT Manager
Securitas
Solution and capabilities
After thoroughly checking four other financial offerings, Securitas GroupBelgium decided that IBS Financials software was the best fit for its business. This was born out by a visit to its sister company in the UK, which had successfully implemented IBS Financials. When the time came to find a high availability solution, Securitas Groupemployed external consultants to compare the systems available in the market.
IBS High Availability, which combines reliable hardware and software powered by Vision, came out as the best solution.
This solution helps Securitas Groupensure that valuable data is not lost and that its agents can be contacted 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
IBS Financials software provides full support for automating and streamlining the company's financial operations and reporting. The software keeps track of day-to-day financial details and can act as a valuable resource in terms of planning and decision-making. IBS Financials is built with transparency, scalability and flexibility in mind.
Securitas Groupfinds the IBS Analyzer module to be particularly useful for everyday analysis of operational information, as well as for strategic boardroom decision-making.
Securitas Groupis able to adapt the software to reflect its management reporting routines, while at the same time providing all the complex reporting needs for the head office in Sweden. The IBS software, which has won awards for state-of-the-art development, enables real-time information flow throughout the organization.
Benefits and value
IBS software has helped Securitas GroupBelgium to lower costs as well as strengthen its market share. An added benefit is that the IBS High Availability solution has enabled the group to meet its objective of providing reliable support for critical data, along with a significant reduction in planned downtime.
IBS Financials has become the backbone of Securias Belgium, providing the right information at the right time and in the right format. With IBS Financials in place, the company has seen dramatic improvements in efficiency and speedier processing of financial transactions IBS software uses automation as much as possible, making the entire range of processes at Securitas Groupsimpler and more reliable. Manual input and staff intervention are minimal, which has reduced the amount of erroneous data.
Securitas Groupis now assured that its data is accurate, always accessible and with the absolute minimum downtime. Security is at the forefront of everyone's minds, and with IBS Financials and IBS High Availability in place, Securitas Groupcan see that its future is as good as its name implies.
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