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2000 services in one platform

Technology Solution House is a local software development company founded in 2009. Its founders, including the current MD, Tiaan Janse van Rensburg, were all part of the i-to-i group of companies and therefore have a long history in the security and technology markets.

The company has evolved over the years and now the holding company, Solution House Holdings, is made up of three companies: Technology Solution House, Solution House Software and Samian Technologies.

Samian Technologies is a physical security technology distributions company for solutions such as the Vibratek perimeter intrusion detection system (PIDS) from Detection Technologies in the UK (www.securitysa.com/11002r).

Tiaan Janse van Rensburg.

Technology Solution House focuses on the integration of physical security devices and solutions, from surveillance technology through to access control, smart perimeters, networking and other IoT integrations. The key here is converged technology solutions, says Janse van Rensburg, as it is only through integration that data from different systems can be collected, collated, analysed and managed effectively.

This concept has driven the evolution of the business over the years and we have seen the market developing along these same lines, moving from technology which provides data, which can be collated and analysed into information, which is then translated into knowledge to improve operations and services.

Integrated knowledge in Incident Desk

This is where Solution House Software comes into the picture. The company identified the need for a light and flexible incident management system (IMS) and developed Incident Desk. Far from the typical incident management application, Incident Desk has grown beyond the security market and customers can customise it to include a full range of building management, maintenance and OHS modules, as well as additional components that integrate and turn IoT data into useable knowledge. In Janse van Rensburg’s words, Incident Desk is a ‘converged service and incident management solution’.

The system is cloud-based and offers a range of services, designed for multi-tenant environments. Customers can access their system via a computer or a mobile device from anywhere with an Internet connection. The mobile app includes a full team tracking and dispatch module to make managing remote teams more efficient. For example, guards can be automatically monitored and dispatched from the same system that manages the whole security operation as well as other operational functions.

Users can also log incidents via mobile. The Incident Desk interface uses a mapping overlay of the area the service provider covers, allowing operators to identify relevant personnel closest to the event and dispatch them with the click of a mouse. Remote staff can accept the assignment in real-time and will be routed to the location by the app.

The company also has a European office, Solution House UK, which was established in 2015 to market and support Incident Desk in the UK and Europe.

Create your own service

Customisation is a key element of service provision in the security industry and beyond as many customers want an extra function or feature that may not be available as standard in their management system. To cater for specific customer needs, Solution House Software has created a ‘no-code’ environment where customers are able to develop their own services to run on the platform without the need for programmers or any coding – although customers can choose from over 2000 existing services.

The rapid application builder is based on the Incident Desk framework, which means that any new services clients design will automatically be integrated into the overall system, ensuring all data and services are managed centrally and any new data collected can be integrated and analysed to deliver effective intelligence, again without the need for programming. This service includes smartphones, where customers can design, configure and brand their own apps, again without coding.

The no-code framework includes many components customers can make use of, including the latest developments such as PoPIA-compliant facial recognition, document management, people and file management, QR code scanning and fixed asset management, mobile user tracking and dispatch management, as well as an integrated panic button.

Urban management and smart cities

While Incident Desk is used in numerous scenarios, such as residential estates, malls and schools, Janse van Rensburg says the scope of the application is far beyond a single application. Having identified smart cities and urban development as growth areas that were ideally suited to the system due to the broad range of services and data sources that ideally need to feed into one integrated management system.

Incident Desk currently offers over 2000 service ‘types’ managed in one solution, which includes crime, municipal services, by-laws, facility management, social services, estate management, security and more. The company has also integrated facial recognition into its services, as well as PoPIA compliance. Janse van Rensburg says the company went to great lengths to ensure that its facial recognition services are 100% PoPIA compliant – which is important in a world where privacy concerns are growing by the day.

Incident Desk already manages one of the largest public safety and urban management networks in South Africa with over 30 central improvement districts in one solution, including schools, shopping malls, security estates, smart precincts and more. Despite the scope of the project, the system still provides real-time intelligence to enhance the efficiency of the various services provided.

More services to add

Despite the number of services available, Solution House Software is still broadening the scope of Incident Desk in the security market and beyond. It will soon be launching a national, standardised platform (and smartphone apps) specifically focused on the security and guarding industry that will enable easy on-boarding of people.

Despite having the largest urban management footprint in the country, Janse van Rensburg says the company is looking to grow its share of this market based on the success it has already achieved. Over time he also wants to see the no-code incident management framework made available for the mass service management markets as well as small and medium enterprises to provide these potential clients with a single platform to manage their operations and turn the data their various devices generate into useful knowledge.

For more information, go to www.shholdings.co.za.

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