AI Magazine Issue 10 2018

38 Acquisition International - Issue 10 2018 The security industry is currently based on providing the lowest possible bill rate to clients while still trying to satisfy all of their requirements, meeting client expectations, adhering to legislative and regulatory obligations and minimising employee turnover. Clients expect and demand properly trained, accredited and certified, engaged security personnel at minimum wage. This is often difficult to achieve and/or maintain. Although clients expect a high level of service and commitment from security personnel, they are unable and/or unwilling to pay the costs associated with this level of service. Providing high-quality, security solutions to valued clients is Paragon’s DNA. Paragon believes that good guards are made by good guard companies. As such, huge investment in proper on-boarding processes and procedures as well as prerequisite training of security personnel have been made. Paragon’s training academy has raised the bar in the industry by levering with multiple industry leaders to customised essential trainings that is customized for each business verticals. Their commitment to excellence sets us apart from their competitors, who have commoditised their services, and compete on the basis of lowest price/ bill rate. At Paragon, the team will not sacrifice the quality of their service offerings in order to become the lowest-cost alternative. In addition, they also commit to clients that their solutions justify their expenditures. The firm provides true value for the security spend, and their account management procedures provide clear and transparent evidence that speaks to their value. Paragon provides higher quality security personnel who are better trained and qualified. The firm ensures that the amount and level of their training is relevant and appropriate. Having qualified and engaged security personnel helps to reduce staff turnover and increase employee retention; and it ensures that they are able to provide staff to fill all shifts. Speaking of staff, it is no secret that behind every successful company is a dedicated team of individuals who form the backbone of the firm. For Paragon, they have talented, hard-working team who work tirelessly to ensure that the clients receive the best service possible. Hamed highlights the strong workforce, as well as explaining how he cultivates an atmosphere that is conducive to a working environment. “At Paragon, we have a collaborative employee management style. Senior management listens, considers and cooperates with all levels of Paragon personnel (including Directors, Managers, Administrators, Schedulers, Communications Staff, Mobile Supervisors, Security Supervisors, and Front-Line Security Personnel). This contributes to building and strengthening robust team dynamics and performance. “Achieving and maintaining a productive work environment is challenging in any industry or sector. We attempt to achieve this by offering our personnel competitive wages, benefits and incentives. Additionally, we have customised an incentive program for our security teams which includes gift cards, movie tickets, employee-of-the-month awards, annual awards and Paragon merchandise for going above and beyond. Group activities, events and outings, beverages delivered to onsite personnel, and other team-building exercises are motivational and encourage engagement from our personnel. “Additionally, personnel have access to ongoing professional development. We provide a career path and framework that encourages longevity and promotes success at Paragon. Security personnel and supervisors are encouraged to seek training and developmental opportunities that will further their career aspirations. “Providing our security personnel with benefits, incentives and career opportunities all contribute positively to a productive work environment at Paragon.” As for the firm’s IT department, Hamed is keen to explain the extraordinary history of how the section created and implemented their successful programme ‘PRISM’. “In 2009, we looked into readily available application for our day to day operations, however, we could not find any! The reason being either they were single purpose applications or designed with limited possibility of expansions. As such, we decided to start our own in-house application, code name ‘PRISM’. “Under my leadership, PRISM was implemented and went live in 2011. Since then, it has grown into a major enterprise application, covering all aspects of Paragon. It is constantly being updated based on new technologies which are available. For example, the most recent changes are in related to mobile devices and cloud integration. “PRISM has scheduling, payroll, accounting, HR, Uniform, and soon it will have clients and security guards’ portals. It has been designed with a fully dynamic API, so that it would easily fit into other technologies such as KEY SYSTEMS, GPS TRACKING MODULES, etc. “PRISM has made Paragon the only Canadian security company to use technology in this level and we are proud of this accomplishment. Paragon has been the recipient of numerous provincial grants for PRISM and has been recognized as best innovation in security industry in Canada.”” Bringing the interview to a close, Hamed reflects on the challenges and opportunities he has faced during his time at the firm, and touches on how they have shaped him within his role. “One of the biggest challenges faced by professional security providers in our industry, is the education process for the end users. In today’s economy, with increasing budgetary restraint, security services have become heavily commoditised and does not address the real security issues and threats. Proper security programs are designed from ground-up through thorough risk assessment, customised program design and execution through best practices. This process is aimed to evaluate client’s risk and provide measures to eradicate and/or mitigate the biggest security threats in their