Oxford, Conn. – In the news business, it is common practice to check information with one or more sources to ensure and verify its accuracy. It was no surprise then that this is exactly what Kevin A. Cassidy, Thomson Reuters’ vice president and global head of security, did when looking for a system which would better secure the company’s assets with improved key control and reduce liability by documenting guard patrols.
"Morse Watchmans provided me with the names of individuals at other companies who were using the same products that we were looking at," said Cassidy. "Without exception, they highly recommended the products and the service provided by Morse Watchmans. It was clear from these testimonials that Morse Watchmans offered the quality solution we were looking for."
Thomson Reuters had specific requirements for physical security and guard procedures; first, a system which would allow them to document that guards were on patrol throughout the facility on a regular basis and that would ensure logs were simple and easy to record, manage and retrieve. Second, they needed an automated key control system rather than a manual system in order to improve asset protection and to better control the number of and whereabouts of building keys. It was also necessary that the systems be customizable to meet the specific needs of the organization. Finally, the solutions had to fall within a defined budget but be more than simple, entry-level products because Thomson Reuters expected future expansions and upgrades to be budgeted.
Thomson Reuters selected the Morse Watchmans PowerCheck Guard Tour System to meet the challenge of tracking their security officers’ activities and to visibly ensure that scheduled patrols and fire watch procedures were completed as assigned. Because of fire safety and insurance requirements, it was crucial that Thomson Reuters keep an accurate account of the patrol times, and the computerized data recorder eliminated the need for manual entries and reduced the potential for error.
According to Cassidy, recording, managing and retrieving the access and guard tour data has been an uncomplicated procedure. Reports are quickly generated using the TourPro software and for added convenience, this same software is used to program the data recorder and manage the files. He also notes that the guard tour system has been additionally valuable as a backup for verification that the security officers inspected vital areas of a specific location at a specific time.
Thomson Reuters also implemented the Morse Watchmans KeyWatcher Key Control System for management of building keys. By only releasing assigned keys to users with the proper authorization code, the KeyWatcher system helps to prevent lost or stolen keys. In addition, Thomson Reuter’s security management can set custom parameters to indicate when a key should be returned and when a key has been signed out for longer than it was supposed to be. It also records the access history of each key, including user, date and time of checkout/return.
Simple and elegant in design, the wall-mounted key storage cabinet eliminated the outdated lock boxes, unreliable manual logs and messy key identification tags which were previously used.
"By implementing the PowerCheck Guard Tour System, along with its accompanying TourPro Software, and the KeyWatcher Key Control System, our liability issues have been vastly reduced," adds Cassidy. "The procedural and system challenges have been addressed exactly as Morse Watchmans promised them to be."
