Collaboration Made Easy Using a Work Management Platform

• By Stephan R. Sutor
• Mar 07, 2025

Effective collaboration between security operators, teams and other departments is critical to the smooth functioning of organizations. Yet, as organizations grow in complexity, it becomes more difficult for teams to coordinate with each other. This is compounded by staffing shortages, turnover and ineffective collaboration tools.

When staff juggle multiple disconnected tools for dispatch, reporting and task tracking, fragmented systems lead to inefficient operations, creating delays and gaps in communication. These could have serious impacts on safety or security.

Work management solutions, like Genetec™ Operations Center, bridge these gaps by managing, tracking, and documenting activities, streamlining processes, and fostering real-time collaboration. It is more than a dispatching system. It is a solution to manage all day-to-day activities leveraging workflow automation. Operations Center is a work management solution built specifically for security teams that improves communication, productivity, and overall operational efficiency.

Overcoming Barriers to Effective Collaboration
Over time, organizations have accumulated a hodgepodge of databases, spreadsheets and systems. They use them to communicate, create and share reports, and keep track of activities and equipment. A few teams still rely on paper-and-pen processes, too. These methods are time-consuming, error-prone and make it difficult to share information and coordinate efforts.

A digital work management solution can bring all these systems together, so teams have a single, shared view of activities on both desktop and mobile devices. To take full advantage of their security system data, security teams need to consider more than a generic work management solution.

Look for a work management solution built with security activities in mind, such as guard tours, patrols, maintenance inspections and seamless unification with security systems.

For example, with one click, a video operator can create a work request with the camera snapshot attached. They can then route it to the appropriate team with a few clicks. To ensure trustworthy audits and reporting the work management system should be built with strong cybersecurity measures and ensure that data cannot be manipulated after the fact by applying blockchain principles.

Benefits of Work Management Systems
The impact of implementing a work management system for security teams can be transformative.

• Communication improves because all team members see what tasks are in progress, who is doing the work, and what jobs are left to do. They can also share updates and alerts to keep each other informed or request help from colleagues.
• Collaboration becomes stronger because every team member contributes to overall success rather than just executing on an isolated task. Custom API integrations can also be created to connect with other systems, such as employee apps.
• Teams save time through built-in reporting tools that automate activity logs and compliance audits.
• Overall operational efficiency improves through streamlining routine tasks, incident management, and resource tracking. Tasks are assigned to the people with the correct capabilities, knowledge, and tools. They have the information they need readily available.
• Teams improve workflows through automations. This can be as simple as setting reminders to complete routine tasks, generating reports, or automatically alerting team leads when requests are added.
• Work ticketing and asset management features enable teams to optimize resource use. They can seamlessly manage requests from other departments and assign them internally or to third-party contractors.
• Mobile apps can also provide field officers with extra support by improving situational awareness, communication, and on-the-go access to standard operating procedures.

Real-world Results
Brigham Young University (BYU) is home to more than 34,000 students and 5,000 staff and faculty. To protect the 560-acre campus in the middle of Provo, Utah, 25 campus police officers and 15 security supervisors also coordinate with more than 300 student employees on the security team.

The university recently implemented a work management system as a single source of truth that everyone can reference for activities in the security operations center. Teams quickly see who is working on which tasks, items that still need to be addressed, and how situations were resolved. Collaboration is streamlined not only within the security team but also with other university departments. Personalized dashboards allow teams to focus on the tasks and reports that matter to them, while easily communicating updates with other teams when needed.

“Before Operations Center, each of our security divisions managed information separately, making collaboration difficult,” said Chris Autry, managing director at BYU. “Now, with nine departments and more than 200 staff using Operations Center, we’ve greatly improved communication, fostered better collaboration, and facilitated valuable knowledge sharing across our entire security team.” 

Tips for Successful Implementation
Every organization has its own unique ways of working, so choose a work management system that allows you to customize the system and tailor it to your business processes. With a work management solution that is built to be self-serve, you will not need weeks of training to start seeing the benefits.

Look for a solution that can be deeply integrated within your security ecosystem. You gain a cohesive view of your security systems and your work management solution. You also avoid having to copy and paste data or manually upload information from different systems.

A work management solution built for security teams is a simple and intuitive way to break down silos. It empowers your teams to work more efficiently and effectively. A lean and agile approach is best. Start small and add more detail and complexity as your team becomes more comfortable with the system.

This article originally appeared in the March / April 2025 issue of Security Today.