Arthur Agnew

The new center will be home to Securitas Alarm Receiving Center and Training Academy Building is now complete on a state-of-the-art Security Operating Centre (SOC) which will be home to the Securitas Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) - built to BS EN 50518 standards - and the Securitas Training Academy. Centralization Of Operational Teams The facility, located in Milton Keynes’ prestigious Wavendon Business Park, brings together Securitas’ communications, dispatch and ARC teams in a purpose-built, people-friendly environment which will be the hub of the Securitas solutions strategy. The new center will create over 100 local jobs across its technological, human resources and security functions as well as opening up opportunities for other local businesses to partner in areas such as catering and facilities management. Arthur Agnew, Chief Technical Officer at Securitas said: “This is a really exciting time for the company.  Centralizing our operational teams into the SOC will provide us with the ability to deal with fast changing scenarios as they happen. Interdepartmental processes will be managed much easier with everyone under the same roof ensuring accuracy and efficiency when dealing with client incidents. “Whether it’s alarm activation, missed check call or an engineer request, our specially trained operators, supported by a bespoke call handling system, will take appropriate action to despatch an officer or mobile unit, or contact one of our many technology partners to respond to the incident.” Training Academy  Alongside the ARC on the ground floor will be a remote technology support team and a uniquely designed customer area demonstrating Securitas’ technical solutions and providing visitors with a more hands on, interactive experience. The Training Academy will house two training rooms for the delivery of courses as well as a number of meeting/breakout rooms capable of accommodating up to 10 people. There will also an auditorium/conference room with the capacity to accommodate up to 100 people and an executive boardroom.  Modern Open Workspace A feature of the first floor is a widening corridor leading to the auditorium. This glass-walled corridor has been overlaid with images of trees and shrubbery, giving the feeling of an airy, outdoor space. The first floor features a number of hot desk rooms which can accommodate up to four people with wall mounted screens, whiteboards and Apple TV to help facilitate meetings and presentations.  Outside, there is a small garden for staff to enjoy and car parking spaces for over 100 vehicles. Securitas Country President, Brian Riis Nielson, said: “We believe it is our people who make the difference and, by bringing together our core support services into a single location and offering a modern open work space, complete with the latest in control room fittings, we will harmonise our processes and remain truly customer focused, with accurate and effective communication being at the heart of everything we do. “The investment we are making in this SOC is in line with our strategy for growth and demonstrates to our employees, customers and potential customers that we are progressing well on our security solutions journey.” The center will be officially opened by Brian Riis Nielsen and Securitas President and CEO, Alf Göransson later this month when a special event will be held for invited customers and members of the press.  

The team will be driving the firm's strategy to integrate traditional guarding solutions with evolving technologies Securitas has announced the creation of a new specialist team which will play a vital role in driving forward the security firm's strategy to integrate traditional guarding solutions with evolving technologies. Brings A Specialist Technical Knowledge The new technology team, under the guise of ‘Chief Technology Officer’ (CTO) brings with it a specialist technical knowledge that didn’t previously exist within the business and Securitas Chief Technology Officer, Arthur Agnew says no other security company has made this kind of investment or has this extent of expert knowledge in-house. "There are some big changes happening in the security industry today, skilled labor is becoming more expensive and sought after, and technology is developing at a fast pace, at the same time as becoming more affordable. In addition, a new generation of high-capacity telecom networks means the transmission of images and video is becoming more viable and secure. The opportunity is here to utilize technology more intelligently and, when coupled with specialist remote services, savings are there to be made." "Advances in video analytics and intelligent cameras are enabling us to determine suspicious or dangerous behavior at an early stage, thereby minimizing the risk of business interruption. This means we are better equipped to detect potential crime before it happens - and do it more cost-effectively than before." Focus On Technology And Remote Services Securitas saw these developments as an opportunity to make investments in technology, monitoring and response capacity and, since 2011, the firm has been working intensely to improve its internal technology competence and know-how worldwide. There is now a dedicated technology organization in place in all its business segments, including chief technology officers in all major countries, a central support service and approximately 2,100 employees who are focused on technology and remote services. "To deliver and manage our strategy, we have introduced an expert technology team which is at the forefront of driving the company along its 'Solutions Journey'" said Arthur. The team is spread throughout the UK. Regional technology directors cover the existing eight pre-defined areas. "Our strategy is to integrate static and mobile guarding services together with technology solutions", says Arthur Agnew, CTO, Securitas They have the support of local technology managers, backed up by highly-experienced management and support staff. Projects are delivered through a strictly managed partner program, with a single point of contact put in place to manage all customer queries and expectations. New Security Operating Center In addition, Securitas has invested 15 million in a new Security Operating Center in Milton Keynes, which is due to launch in September this year. The central technology team will be based here, maintaining the IT platforms and providing extensive support for the remote service and dispatch functions. "Our strategy is to integrate static and mobile guarding services together with technology solutions to achieve cost-efficiency, added value and stronger customer relationships. A fundamental part of our strategy is to make the investment in the customer, through a CAPEX investment. We recognize businesses are under pressure to save money, year on year, and what better way to achieve this than to have a trusted partner take the investment for you,” said Arthur. In the past 12 months Securitas has seen solutions conversions grow from 4-10 per cent, with some top name customers within the commodities, facilities and media sectors. "Our customers are increasingly looking for something more than just mainstream guarding." added Arthur. "With our new technology team in place, we are perfectly aligned to put together a technology-based system which, together with our guarding, mobile, key holding and monitoring services, will provide a service that offers our customers greater flexibility and a more proactive security solution overall."