ATS Integrated Solutions

BUILDING SOLUTIONS

Controls ● Security ● Integration

Facility Care header image

facility management

Changes in space, here on earth.

By

Words/phrases we were hoping not to deal with in 2021:

“Unprecedented”

“New normal”

“Lockdown”

“Social distancing”

And yet.. here we are. 2020 brought us the pandemic and these terms. 2021 will bring the aftermath and what it means for business, commercial real estate and facilities management. While you might assume that companies have decided as a whole that they are doing fine with virtual employees and can let go of some of their unused space, this isn’t the case across the board.

In come instances, yes, we are working with customers who are realizing that their space is now more than what is needed. They’ve learned to pivot and adapt to a virtual workforce, and the effect of this is needing less office space, fewer cubicles and a downsizing of telecom equipment, furniture and conference rooms.

At the beginning of 2020 we were in the process of working with a customer to determine if their space design actually met their needs. Our proprietary system, Space Vi , does just this and now we’ve used this technology to help companies figure out what they need and what they don’t. In the case of one customer, they learned (even before sending employees home to work) that they were occupying space on their lease on two floors of a building and were never utilizing it. Now that many of their employees will continue to work from home, they can clearly see that those two floors are not needed, even as they redistribute workspace.

But, for other companies, re-allocating space and re-working it could mean a business needs MORE space. One of our customers, a call-center, needs to have employees on-site. Supervisors need to be able to walk by and listen in for evaluation purposes, for instance. Prior to the pandemic, these call-center cubicles were crammed in, allowing a company to maximize their space with the number of call-center representatives they needed. Now, in order to have that same number of people working, they need more space for social-distancing purposes. They need room for plexiglass dividers. In some cases, this could double the square footage a company requires.

As our customers move forward and bring their teams back onsite, we will continue to work with them on the design of their space. Our customers know that with our help they can be sure they are utilizing only the space they need, and that their employees will be safe.

If you’re looking for help on reassigning space assets for your business, we’re just a phone call away. You can reach us at (800) 567-1180 .

Bringing together intelligent data to answer critical questions about facilities

By

Lately, while companies are opening and preparing to reopen, we’ve offered solutions and advice for how to safely do so. As we continue to hear from customers about their needs, we continue to fine-tune our suggestions and solutions packages.

We’ve shared thoughts about temperature scanners but once an employee is inside, either on the manufacturing floor or in a corner office, do your systems allow you to know if they have traveled lately and are putting others at risk? Do they insure that employees are following proper social-distancing guidelines? This brought us to another set of questions regarding building space, in general.

Long exposure image of a subway train going past a building

How do you know not only if your spaces are safe, but if they are being used efficiently? Are there areas in your building which lend themselves to higher productivity levels? Do you know why?

ECT Services has developed the space Vi Facility Visualization Application to accomplish all of this. Recently, a customer discovered an entire FLOOR of their office was not being used. By taking a deeper look at the space, they are now able to spread teammates out, making it safer for them to return to their workspaces.

The spaceVi® Facility Visualization Software is a set of software services, apps, and connectors that work together to turn your unrelated sources of data into coherent, visually immersive, and interactive insights. Your data may be Excel® spreadsheets, human resource databases, accounting databases, access control systems, video surveillance databases, building automation systems, or a collection of cloud-based and on-premises data warehouse repositories.  spaceVi® will enable you to connect to your data sources, visualize, analyze, and discover what is essential, and share the results with anyone or everyone you want.

The software platform allows you to graphically visualize space efficiency, resource allocation, people traffic flow analysis, and event tracking and response. spaceVi® utilizes the latest in graphic technology to immerse you into the activity of your building’s space providing you with key data to make critical business decisions quickly.

We see this software as a highly useful tool in the immediate future as we all work to get back to work, keeping our team healthy while doing so. We also see this has a tool going forward to plan, design and adjust space usage within companies to be sure the space is optimized for each job.

If your company is preparing to return to work and you are looking for solutions, please contact ECT Services at 800-567-8810 or visit our website to contact us by email.

Federal grant money available for nonprofit, church security enhancement

By

Women looking at a wall full of security cameras

The waning months of 2019 brought news of a several attacks on churches and religious gatherings, including an attack on a Hanukkah gathering in New Jersey and an active shooter at a church in Texas.  

In the wake of these attacks and others, Congress has appropriated an increased amount of $90 million to fund grants for enhanced security programs and churches, synagogues, mosques and other nonprofit organizations. President Trump signed the bill into law at the end of January.

The Nonprofit Security Grant Program expands access to funds that will enable nonprofit organizations to enhance their security systems using fencing, surveillance cameras, enhanced entry ways, windows, alarms and communications systems, staff and personnel training, and contract security guards.

Applying for a federal grant can be intimidating, but the Department of Homeland Security is hosting a series of free conference calls and webinars to help potential applicants understand more about the grants and the application process. To register, click the webinar title below:

February 20th, 2pm: Protecting Your Organization: The FY2020 Nonprofit Security Grant Program and other Resources to Help Keep Your Facility Safe (No call-in, webinar audio only through the link).

February 26th, 2:30pm: Nonprofit Security Grant Program Overview, 877-446-3914.

March 5th, 2:30pm: Nonprofit Security Grant Program Overview, 877-446-3915.

March 12th, 2:30pm: Nonprofit Security Grant Program Overview, 877-446-3916.

March 19th, 2:30pm: Nonprofit Security Grant Program Overview, 877-446-3917.

March 26th, 2:30pm: Nonprofit Security Grant Program Overview, 877-446-3918.

ECT Services also offers security training and complete security system enhancement and servicing, including access control, video and gunshot detection. For a free consultation to review your organization’s current security systems and look for opportunities to enhance your capabilities, call 800 567-1180.

John Arnold promoted to VP Security Operations

By

As ECT Services continues to grow as a trusted building integration services partner nationally, we’re pleased to announce the appointment of John Arnold as our vice president of Security Operations.

The newly created role will continue to expand the reach of ECT Services capabilities across the country.

“One of the things the position represents is the growth in that division that ECT has experienced over the past few years,” says Jeff Murphy, president of ECT Services.

Arnold joined ECT Services in 2011 as an account manager focusing on commercial and industrial security integration design and sales. His areas of expertise include access control, IP video and intrusion detection and alerting.

He quickly progressed to project management, where he led security project planning, procurement, staffing and execution for dozens of projects annual that ranged in size from a few thousand dollars to more than a million dollars invested.

“He has demonstrated a consistent ability to build, develop and lead the Security Operations Team with excellence and grow the business through building valuable relationships with our customers and vendors,” adds Murphy.

Arnold’s skill is rooted in his deep experience in a variety of contexts across the security industry. Over the past 20 years, Arnold has built his expertise through roles leading security efforts for retailers as well as managing service operations and installations for vendors. As a result, more than 91 percent of the hundreds of projects he has led have been delivered on time and under budget.

Arnold’s path to leadership with ECT Services also enables him to understand the business and customer needs end to end – from sales through installation and service – and also opens up a path for others to advance and deepen their skills.

The “build from within” culture that ECT Services has fostered for more than 30 years means customers know they can rely on consistent team of experts to partner with them.

To learn more about how you can partner with ECT Services, call (800) 567-1180 for a consultation.

Considering insider threats

By

What’s the most important integration into every system that we service and/or install?

People.

Every single system must integrate with people in some way. Every integration point opens up a new opportunity for a threat.

This post from Security Magazine really raised my awareness about the nature of insider threats and approaches to mitigating risk. What is an insider threat? It is any act of theft, fraud, sabotage or violence instigated by someone inside an organization. The post outlines several types of insider threats and some tips on how to recognize each:

Unintentional insider threat. This threat isn’t caused by someone acting maliciously; this type of threat is tipped off by someone who is distracted or stressed. They forget or shortcut important steps. To guard against this type of threat, be aware of staff members who are careless with sensitive information, overshare on social media and consistently miss deadlines.

Intellectual property/sensitive data theft. Do you have an associate that “borrows” office materials for home use? Has gotten a poor performance review, missed a promotion or is about to be fired? They may be a risk to steal intellectual property or sensitive data for their own benefit on their way out the door. That sensitive information could end up being used against you by a competitor or other threat.

Insider fraud. Keep an eye out for associates who routinely live beyond their means or are suddenly facing unexpected expenses. They could be at risk of perpetrating insider fraud to benefit themselves and get out of a tight spot.

Sabotage. The office bully isn’t just bad for morale. Bullying is a red flag for sabotage. The saboteur wants to disrupt or even destroy work in an effort to assert their dominance or get revenge for a slight.

Workplace violence. I see the threat of workplace violence as a progression of sabotage. The perpetrator of workplace violence wants to go beyond damaging a piece of equipment or undermining a sale. They want to cause physical harm to those around them, perhaps in an outburst. They share characteristics with saboteurs, but may also threaten violence.

Each of the above threats can be detected and mitigated with team effort. We’d be happy to talk to you about how systems can be integrated to help you detect these threats and others. Give us a call at (800) 567-1180 to consult.