Screenshot of 360 photo comparison with Visual Plan for security design

A Game Changer for the Security Integrator

8 Ways Visual Plan Can Improve Workflows for a Security Integrator, saving time, reducing cost and driving value to customers.

Recently, the team at Visual Plan completed a large security by design project with a risk consultant and large security integrator. When the time came for pre-sales, the security risk assessor, designer and engineers to present their findings and recommendations, Visual Plan because the primary tool used to communicate with the client and other stakeholders. Visual Plan allowed all stakeholders to become active participates, to truly visualize and understand from perspective viewpoints why these recommendations were important. Often these meetings are very boring, reviewing old 2D diagrams lacking a visual element of learning, or require a walk-through of the property to get a better understanding of the proposal. Topics such as how trees and vegetation would prevent CCTV visibility simply can’t be shown with a 2D map effectively.

As a result, the client was deeply involved in the process and came away with a clear understanding of the proposal, giving him the confidence to make approvals to move forwards. From this recently experience and the feedback we received at every level in the instigator’s organization, we can clearly articulate 8 ways in which Visual Plan is changing the way Security Integrator’s do business.

1.  Pre-Sales and Client Collaboration: one of the most time-consuming and costly steps for an integrator is bidding a project, creating proposals and getting customers to “buy-in” to move forwards. Visual Plan offers a unique way to involve the customer into the process. The customer can visually see exactly how and where assets will be installed, and questions can be answered quickly and easily as you navigate the 360° model. Items such as vegetation or obstacles such as piping or vantage points and blind spots are not easily explained through 2D diagrams alone. Visual Pan is a full 360° collection of all building information in just 1 site visit, ensuring nothing is neglected or gone unmeasured. With Visual Plan, the client is immersively involved in the process, gaining an intimate understanding of what, how, and why the integrator is proposing. As a result, customers are empowered to make quick and decisive decisions based on a true understanding of the process. Not only will you save time and reduce costs through the entire process, you will elevate your value and can likely increase your price as a premium service offering. A further value is that you will leave your client with a perfect tool to be used for future integrations, or to manage their facilities and maintenance schedules.

2.  Identify & Measure Your Risk while designing programs to help mitigate that risk: Having 360° situational awareness is critical for the risk assessor. Notes, basic photographs and inaccurate 2D plans present challenges as they leave gaps of missing building information. Not everything is captured, measured and sensitive risks can be overlooked. Why leave to memory what Visual Plan can permanently and completely digitize, ensuring all building information is available at your fingertips to revisit anytime. This is especially important when applying critical thinking to assessing risk and designing a mitigation plan. By having a virtual 360° model, the security consultant will have full confidence in the countermeasures they recommend, without requiring repeated site visits or involving the customer. Visual Plan depicts the findings of a risk assessment to graphically identify, measure, and mitigate risk.

3. Development EngineeringVisual Plan offers a virtual space from which to develop an architecture and road-map to drive efficiencies, lower costs and mitigate risks. Multiple stake-holders can collaborate off a trusted complete 360° model, rather than comparing notes from independent site visits, where almost always key information is missing and further site visits required. The time-savings and efficiency of communication here is invaluable.

4. Design Engineering: Digital design today, with BIM and CAD engineers, can be very time consuming and costly. Visual Plan’s unique drawing functions and output to AudoCAD Revit streamline the process of rapidly gather as-built information and compare with existing BIM designs or other as-builts over time through 3D Twin digital management. Intelligence gathered here is invaluable to suggesting or drafting design changes. The 2D world is no comparison for the 360° model, giving a completely new dimension to the process, increasing efficiency, collaboration and decreasing time to implementation.

5. Program and Project ManagementA key component to efficient workflow is getting all stakeholders on the same page. Visual Plan is the centralized place where the entire life cycle of the security process can live. Everyone from pre-sales, to risk assessment, design, project management, implementation to client engagement have a centralized place to work efficiently.

6. ImplementationWasted supplies, time or faulty design considerations can kill the profits for an integrator. Visual Plan offers a unique platform to ensure every step is considered carefully prior to moving forwards. Details such as what type of bracket is required, what screws are needed to mount it, or what wall surfaces you are dealing with can be addressed. Measuring the length of cabling, locating electrical connections or reviewing electrical, HVAC or consulting fire or building codes can be done virtually. Everything can be visualized through every vantage point before you arrive on the job site. As a result, you will increase quality, efficiency and reduce costs.

7. Training & Advanced Integration:Virtual building sites offer a tremendous value to offsite or virtual training, especially when dealing with secure or dangerous spaces. Past as-built documentation from Visual Plan can be extremely valuable to future integrations, where knowing critical information now hidden behind walls, drop ceilings or crawl spaces.

8. Performance Management:Ensuring investments are showing a return and protecting investments made is critical to performance management. By using Visual Plan, security professionals and facility managers can mark assets, link maintenance records, preserve historical notes, warranty, vender information, instruction manuals and other critical details so you have them at your fingertips when required. Beyond access to documentation, Visual Plan is very helpful when directing and managing people efficiently to address asset failures or building maintenance.

To learn more about Visual Plan and how our team can help you with your next project, please call us today. Schedule a web demo or free consultation to see how we can help.

Also look for a local workshop for our popular 1 day workshop on Approaches to Risk Assessment Tools and Processes – https://visualplan.net/our-events/

Kelly Watt | CEO & Founder

Visual Plan Inc. | kelly@visualplan.net | +1 206-202-4220