Hiring security guards is essential to just about any business, building, and housing colonies. While most residential buildings can only rely on managed security guard services, businesses can choose to have an in-house team. So why should they outsource their building security to an agency? And what are the latent risks of doing it? Here we will examine the pros and cons of relying on a security agency.

Pros of Hiring Managed Security Guard Services

1. You get well-trained guards

When it comes to the security of commercial premises, the presence of trained security guards is invaluable. They need to know how to handle any problem that may crop up in the future and prevent unauthorized entry into the building. Guards with adequate training can help curb or eliminate any property loss, safety risk, and security letdown. When businesses hire managed security guards, they are assured of having only the well-trained personnel protecting their premises.

2. Save time on training

A lot of time and work is needed to train a novice or even an experienced security guard to do his job. They will need to know how to do their work and where. The hassle of having an in-house security team starts from the hiring time, as you will need to do background checks and take an interview. This is the time and resources that most businesses may not have and save when they outsource their building security.

3. No hassle of hiring and management

If you run a business, one of the biggest headaches is when an employee leaves, his/her workload is to be managed, and salary needs to be cleared. When an employee quits, businesses now have the headache of finding a suitable replacement as soon as possible. This is an inconvenience, one that a company cannot afford with its building security. Moreover, coordinating all the different security staff is yet another trouble that an in-house team brings. By hiring a contract security guard service, you are saving your HR from all these hassles and instead focusing on core responsibilities.

4. They have more experience

Your business may be in the cybersecurity industry, but that does not mean you know how building security works. As such, you need security staff that have the experience and can handle the job efficiently. An in-house team may not always be able to manage security matters all that well. When you hire a security agency, however, you have security guards with more experience, and training, in the field.

5. A cost-effective option

When a business hires an in-house security team, it needs to cover several different expenses. Besides salary, you will need to take care of employee taxes, overtime, holiday pay, benefits, and annual raises. A security agency takes care of all these expenses for you. You will only be paying a pre-decided hourly (or monthly) rate as per the contract.

Cons Of Hiring Managed Security Guard Services

1. Loss of control

One of the most significant disadvantages of hiring managed security services is the loss of control. Since you are handing over your building security to another company, you are giving away your power. You will not be able to control your premises’ security management, and the agency you hired has the freedom to operate as they see fit. This is a crippling situation for many businesses. However, you can quickly resolve this issue with a sound contract and a beneficial clause in the agreement.

2. The risk factor still doesn’t go away

Continuing from the previous point, a lot of power is given to the security guard agency you hire. While an agreement is in place, you still cannot completely ensure there will be no discrepancies later. Moreover, since you are not involved in their hiring process, you don’t have a 100% guarantee that the person they hire is properly vetted and has the necessary skills and experiences. In short, you will be going in blind. However, this is a risk that you can mitigate by being more involved and informed about who has access to your premises. Assigning one of your employees to oversee the security services is all you need to do.

3. Communication issues

When it is not a team handled by you, your company has a tiny hold over the security staff. To them, their leader is the person working in the agency and not you. As such, you can expect communication issues with the managed security team. These issues can then result in potential lapses in security, which can endanger your premises and your business. As covered in the previous point, being involved with your outsourced security team can solve these issues with ease. The appointment manager from your company can oversee and communicate effectively with the external unit.

4. Hidden costs

More often than not, when you outsource a service, you are bombarded with a monthly invoice far beyond your calculations. This happens due to the hidden costs that the other company has added to the bill. On the other hand, some others refuse to be transparent about their charges and their sources. Such situations can harm your business’ finances over a period. You can curb this by finding a security services agency that is upfront about the amount you need to pay. Framing a sound contract is yet another way to tackle this situation.

5. Possible inexperience

If you are hiring a security agency for the first time, you may not know how to vet them and what to look for in their team. As such, you may hire an agency with little to no experience. The result will be unprofessionalism and security lapses. Avoid this mistake by doing the appropriate research and background check when hiring a service.

Conclusion

To conclude, a managed security guard service has both advantages and disadvantages, as discussed above. However, a business will face the bad only when they choose the wrong security agency. Therefore, it becomes pertinent to thoroughly vet and hire only the best and right managed security service company.