UNPACKING THE PURPOSE OF A SECURITY OPERATIONS CENTER FOR PHYSICAL SECURITY PROVIDERS
Ashlee Cervantes Thomas, Guardian Secure Solutions LLC, CALSAGA Associate Member
A Security Operations Center, also known as an SOC, is a facility with a team of security professionals who track, respond, and analyze the ongoing operations of an organization. An SOC can handle a plethora of responsibilities but stripped down, an SOC is your company’s first line of defense. There are various different types of SOCs and some companies may even go the route of building an in-house Dispatch Center. An in-house Dispatch Center can be defined as a dedicated staff and equipment solely for their own incoming and outgoing operations.
In this article, we break down commonly asked questions regarding SOCs vs Dispatch Centers, building your own dispatch center, and identifying which option is best for your company.
When looking into building your own dispatch center, consider these 5 key areas:
1. Assess Your Call Volume
A smaller company may receive 10 calls per day whereas a larger company may receive 10+ calls per hour. Call volume in relation to needing an SOC will vary depending on the needs of your company.
2. Consider Existing Resources
Consider utilizing existing staff to create a patchwork dispatch center. While using this tactic may be cost effective, it is important to remember that these individuals most likely already work long, intense hours where burnout may occur. Additionally, as security professionals, we can recognize that security officers, patrol officers, and even managers may not be best equipped to handle all incoming and outgoing company operations. Guard Card Training is much different than Dispatch Training!1. Conduct a Tech Assessment
Is your company already equipped with additional phones, computers, monitors, radios, etc? These items can be costly and while basic dispatching can be completed with just a phone or radio, enhancing your company will require more technology. If you are expecting your employees to utilize their own personal devices, remember equipment allowance costs will be added to overall payroll costs.
3. Client Inventory
We think this may be one of the most important considerations. It is vital to the success of any company that you know who is routinely contacting you. Do you receive mostly service requests? Do you receive mostly employee calls vs client calls? All these aspects are important to consider not only when deciding whether an SOC or dispatch center is best for you, but also when training your dispatchers!
4. Conduct a Budget Analysis
And most importantly, conduct a budget analysis! Can you afford to build an in-house dispatch center? Would outsourcing be more cost effective? At the hourly rate of $22 per hour for 24/7 dispatch, you are looking at close to $200,000 per year, on base rate cost alone! Add in additional payroll costs, equipt costs, training costs, supervisor costs, and more and we come to the conclusion that building a full in house dispatch center will be very costly. For most companies, this just isn’t feasible or a smart business decision.
As a security operations center, we often see clients who at company launch handle all their incoming and outgoing operations. This means supervisors and even owners are up at all hours of the day working tirelessly, however during this time energy and spirits are often high! As a company grows and activity level increases, we see time and time again where this leads to burnout. Your supervisors and YOU can only maintain working endless hours for so long.
While many smaller companies may believe handling their own dispatch services is easiest, we have come to recognize that while these processes may work at first, your company will quickly outgrow them. This is where a Security Operations Center can step in and alleviate your time, money, and improve efficiency. At first glance, we understand that starting services with a Security Operations Center may appear as an additional cost, however after reviewing the 5 key areas we just discussed, you can see how this will actually add value to your company and relieve you so you can focus on what you do best, running and growing your company.
A Security Operations Center is a specialized facility in charge of handling all incoming communications and security issues. A Security Operations Center will combine various different areas of security, such as Dispatching, Incident Tracking, and
More. A sole Dispatch Center can handle security responsibilities, however Dispatch Centers are typically for one company with one set of specific protocols whereas a Security Operations Center provides more flexibility to provide a larger benefit to multiple companies. A Security Operations Center is a shared center between multiple companies, which is why we see both cost savings and enhanced service offerings when utilizing these services.
To learn more about our Security Operations Center and how we can serve you, visit our website guardiansecuresolutions.com.
Ashlee Cervantes Thomas is a seasoned security executive who is passionate about all things related to Security Solutions, Physical Risk Mitigation and Management. Ashlee holds her Masters in Business Administration from University of California, Davis. In her 15+ year career she has overseen hundreds of security professionals who specialize in Armed Security and Executive Protection. Ashlee is based in Northern California where she serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Guardian Protection Force Inc., as well as the Founder of Guardian Secure Solutions LLC – a full service technology centered Security Operations Center (SOC). Ashlee has built a legacy established by prioritizing core values each day to deliver the highest caliber security service to our communities and customers.