Choosing a security integrator is a major decision. Companies often focus on objective things like price, speed and convenience to simplify that choice. However, in only looking at objective metrics, it’s easy to miss an essential one: company culture. While a security integrator’s company culture is often low on the list of concerns, it’s a critical factor in how well a system will perform.
Why Company Culture Matters
A weak company culture shows in a security integrator’s work. When a client partners with a security company with a poor culture, there will be problems later. Often, the client won’t know until it turns into an expensive repair or breach.
Reliable company culture is the only way to ensure quality execution. It acts as the foundation for any security infrastructure. A security integrator with an excellent culture is one that focuses on educating their clients and employees alike. Technicians take pride in their work. The firm encourages that pride by supporting their professional development, rather than concentrating on sales quotas.
Culture is about the quality of work a firm performs versus the quantity. Security integrators that take the “quantity approach” accept every job. They focus on the quote, the components they’re going to sell and the man-hours. They’re all about the bottom line, and never stop to ask “is this the right client for us?”
A good integrator looks for the client whose values align with their own. They’re familiar with the client’s industry. They understand existing designs and know how to improve upon them. They aren’t afraid to turn down a client who wouldn’t be the right fit—for either party.
Choosing a Security Integrator Who Is a Culture Fit
Company culture lies in the values a firm instills in its technicians. Good security integrators will take these values into account while focusing on three things:
Qualifications and certifications
When it comes to security, “knowing how” to do a job isn’t enough. Technicians need to be certified and qualified in the latest systems and processes. This ensures they are up-to-date with the newest knowledge and procedures and can design and install vital security systems correctly. Company culture should center on technicians gaining a variety of relevant certifications and constantly adding to their knowledge base.
Efficiency and effectiveness
Efficiency is about finishing a security design project in the fastest and best way. Effectiveness is about how well that design meets the needs of the client. This is where value alignment between the client and security integrator is imperative. Value engineering is a combination of both efficiency and effectiveness. A good company culture encourages employees to do both. They make systems both efficient and effective by balancing function with cost.
Professional reputation
Culture flows from the bottom up. Employees want to be known for quality work. Their good work improves their own reputation and that of their company. Quality employees only want to work at a quality company that maintains a solid reputation. These firms pay to train and certify technicians on a wide range of subjects. They send technicians to industry conferences, host guest speakers and keep technicians updated as technology changes. They are constantly seeking individual and company-wide improvement.
Culture should play a significant role in choosing a security integrator. By selecting a firm with a solid company culture, business owners receive the best long-term result. These integrators focus on finding solutions for clients, not selling products. For these integrators, company culture lays the foundation that firms build on when creating top-of-the-line security solutions for their clients.
At 3Sixty Integrated, we provide our clients in San Antonio better ways to manage their security. We’re able to offer this by supporting a culture of excellence company-wide. Our technicians take pride in their work. We encourage those efforts through continuous education and opportunities for development. For more information on working with one of our highly skilled technicians, call (210) 545-1770 or fill out our contact form.