Security.ca is a Canadian security solution provider based in Ottawa that is using mobile technology to open up new markets. The firm has developed an automated inspection tool that is installed on a client’s smartphone and then used to scan square QR codes. This will prompt the mobile app to bring up a check list relating to the item that has been scanned. The app will also ask the user if there is a problem with the scanned item. The app can also be used to create an inspection schedule and setup alerts to inspect building necessities like fire hoses and extinguishers.
Property managers in Canada will tell you that equipment maintenance is a necessary part of property management but can be delayed when dealing with various buildings due to the time it required. This can lead to loses especially if equipment breaks down and needs to be replaced. Most losses can be prevented if a proper maintenance and inspection schedule is followed. That is exactly the problem that 29-year-old Security.ca wishes to solve with its app and has been supplying the mobile software to large landlords in the Ottawa area.
Sakto is a real estate development, management and investment firm in Ottawa that utilizes the mobile risk mitigation app. Company vice-president, Barry Wilkinson, uses the automated maintenance schedule for the fire equipment, fans and other machinery in building under the firm’s control. He mentions that, “(Without the app), it could be a couple of months before you get to it. It could cost me the loss of a fan going down or a burnt motor – something we could have detected and rectified.”
A total of 50 customers use the app right now and include names like Morguard Investments Ltd., RioCan, Colliers International and Manulife Financial. Security.ca has made the app only for the BlackBerry platform due to customer demand but plans on releasing iOS and Android versions very soon.
The Quality Responsive Assurance (QRA) app is not a new concept. There have been scanners on the market for a number of years that do the exact same thing. However, Security.ca has utilized the adoption of smartphones to reduce the purchase of hardware and make it easy for a landlord of any size to use the technology. The company has also filed for patents and will also be using near-field communication (NFC) for future apps. Hotels, retailers and hospitals will also likely be able to benefit from the app’s functionality. Security.ca president Mark Macy wants to expand the base of users for the app an plans to sell to occupational health and safety committees for the inspection of stations, defibrillators and first aid kits. Even security guards can use it show that they have inspected area on a property.
Another very important advantage of the technology is that it can be used to show detailed audits reports which can be used to lower insurance premiums. Mr. Macy talks about the basic purpose of the app and says, “I trust all my employees, but there’s so many things we have to do. This is a way to ensure things aren’t falling through the cracks.”
Source: Ottawa Business Journal
Photo: Rosenberg
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