An electronic guard tour solution is an essential tool for anyone who manages security officers.
A guard tour system is a tool that is used to track and log the tours of employees in a variety of applications, such as security guards patrolling property, correction officers checking prisoner living quarters, technicians monitoring climate-controlled environments, and maintenance personnel. These systems provide assurance that the employees are making their designated tours at the times and intervals requested and have proven to be extremely useful for overall business performance, business health and safety, and/or for legal/insurance matters.
Companies and organizations have been using guard tour systems for many years, and watch clock based systems were the first created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Methods have, however, greatly evolved throughout time, and present-day solutions rely on the recording of data by means of electronic handheld devices that log data from electronic sensors, such as Deggy Buttons (electronic semiconductors enclosed in steel canisters), RFIDs (proximity microchips), magnetic strips, and optical bar codes.
Present-day systems work by providing a record of the time, date, and location when an employee arrives at the checkpoints on his/her tour. Usually the employee will carry the handheld device which is then activated at each of the checkpoints. Once the handheld device collects the information (time, date, and location) from the checkpoint , the information can then be downloaded from the handheld device onto a computer. After the information is downloaded, the information can be reviewed, and reports can be created.
The most important features in a guard tour system are as follows:
Resistance
Since the guard system is used by security officers in tough jobs, it should resist intentional and unintentional abuse. Resistance is a must!
Simplicity
During the tour the security officer needs to focus on the tour, with his/her attention to any incident or unexpected occurrence during the tour. Therefore, the system operation must be as simple as possible.
Professional Software
The software must be easy to use, work without any complicated setup, and manage an unlimited number of sites, guards, and checkpoints.
When used by security services to manage a number of clients, email alerts, professional reports, network capability, and an online client viewer are all very important features.
Choosing the right checkpoint technology is really important to ensure the guard tour solution performance.
Bar codes and magnetic strips are outdated technologies: they are fragile and vulnerable to cloning, easily allowing for unintentional or deliberate misrepresentations.
Since proximity or RFID checkpoints use RF (radio frequency) waves, they must be encapsulated in plastic in order to be read. This is a resistance weakness. RFID is sensitive to electrical interference and eavesdropping. It also requires a reader made up of plastic parts, with a button or key to activate when reading the checkpoints. Such limitations do not allow for a resistant stainless steel reader. The necessity to generate RF signals makes battery life short, requiring constant battery charging or replacement -- a drawback in the simplicity of use.
The Deggy Button is an electronic circuit with a unique laser-recorded serial number in a stainless steel casing. It does not require a battery. It is highly durable and extremely resistant under almost any condition, ideal for hostile environments with dust, rain, and/or snow.
The Deggy Button technology has been the choice for the Deggy Guard Tour Solution, a choice proven within its 30 years in the security industry and 20 years of developing the most resistant and simple guard tour solution in the market.