ADRM Introduces Design Studio Module to Streamline Security Layout Design Within DEFENDER Platform
A security designer uses Design Studio within DEFENDER to convert a floor plan image into a fully annotated device layout with coverage visualization.
ADRM has introduced Design Studio, a new module within its security management platform ADRM DEFENDER, aimed at addressing long-standing challenges in communicating device layouts across security design professionals, end users and integrators.
For years, stakeholders have relied on disconnected methods to convey security system designs, with rough sketches often leaving too much open to interpretation and professional CAD and BIM tools requiring significant time, training and budget. Design Studio was developed to bridge this gap by enabling users to quickly transform visual inputs into structured, professional layouts.
Design Studio allows designers to take a floor plan, a 3D rendering or even a photo of a building exterior and convert it into a fully annotated, professional-grade security layout drawing. The module is designed to be intuitive and accessible, offering a clean canvas that aligns with how security practitioners approach projects. It is available across desktop, laptop, tablet and mobile devices without limiting features.
Matt Isgur, CTO at ADRM, described the platform’s alignment with the company’s broader approach, stating: “DEFENDER aligns with the ADRM business model for conducting risk assessments, designing security systems and providing managed services. Design Studio is a monumental enhancement to our design services offerings in DEFENDER”.
Design Studio is now available to all DEFENDER users. ADRM plans to demonstrate the module at ISC West, where attendees will see how a raw floor plan image can be transformed into a complete and communicable security layout entirely within Design Studio.
The module supports three primary ways to begin a design. Users can upload an image directly into the studio, open a file already attached to a DEFENDER project or pull in an image stored within an existing project. In each case, the relationship between the design and the source file is preserved, allowing users to return to a drawing and continue working with all markups intact.
Design Studio includes a built-in device library tailored to the security industry. It features common device types such as cameras, access control readers, intercoms, motion sensors, glass breaks, keypads, panic buttons, smoke detectors, sirens and network infrastructure like racks, switches and access points. Users working with specialty equipment can define custom device types with custom colors to ensure all components are represented in the drawing.
Adding devices is straightforward, with placement handled through a simple selection and click on the canvas. Each device can be named, typed and annotated with notes that appear on hover, providing immediate context for anyone reviewing the drawing.
The module also visualizes field of view for cameras and motion sensors through configurable cones that can be adjusted in real time for direction, angle and range. This helps clarify design intent so installers and general contractors understand coverage requirements. A coverage heat map overlays the design to highlight overlapping fields of view and identify gaps, enabling quick validation before work begins on site.
Design Studio further includes a range of tools to support complete drawing workflows. Cable runs map wiring and fiber pathways between devices with labels and notes accessible on hover. Layers allow users to isolate specific device types for focused editing and then recombine them into a full layout. A device legend automatically updates to reflect a live count of all device types on the canvas.
Additional features include an annotation stamp that marks drawings as Draft, Reviewed, Approved or As-Built with user attribution and timestamps, as well as plan notes that record time-stamped, attributed comments for reviewers. Optional grid and snap tools support precise alignment while auto-save ensures work is preserved after brief pauses. Designs can be exported and saved as PNG, PDF or JSON, with the ability to generate an Excel bill of materials and produce print-ready layouts complete with title blocks, device legends, revision information and annotation stamps.