Most security & FM operations are stitched together from spreadsheets, a messaging group, a box of guard-tour tags and a couple of separate systems. Here's an honest look at what that leaves on the table — and a neutral checklist to judge any platform you're weighing up, ours included.
We're not naming rival products — features change and we won't make claims about tools we can't verify. Instead, here's an honest comparison against the categories of tool operations use today.
| PulseOne platform | Spreadsheets & messaging appsThe DIY stack | Guard-tour / NFC-tag systemsScan-a-point tools | Separate security + FM toolsTwo or more systems | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Proof & the field | ||||
| Photo-verified checkpointsEvidence of what was seen, not just a tag scan | Photo required at each checkpoint | PartialConfirms a scan, not what happened | VariesDepends on the tool | |
| Works offline & syncsNo lost patrols where there's no signal | Offline-first, syncs on reconnect | PartialMessages queue, records don't | Device-dependent | Varies |
| Incidents & occurrence bookStructured, timestamped, with evidence | PartialFree text, not structured | PartialIn the security tool only | ||
| Live map, welfare checks & dispatchSee the operation as it happens | PartialAfter the round, not live | Varies | ||
| Facilities & workforce | ||||
| Statutory compliance & PPMPlanned maintenance and audit trails for FM | PartialManual spreadsheets | PartialIn the FM tool only | ||
| Work orders & helpdesk with SLAsRaise, assign and track jobs to completion | PartialIn the FM tool only | |||
| Rostering & payrollSchedule cover and export hours | PartialManual, error-prone | PartialAnother separate system | ||
| Clients & proof | ||||
| White-label client portalClients see delivery under your brand | PartialBasic client report at best | |||
| One system for security AND FMPatrols and facilities in the same place | Separate by design | |||
| Auditable proof you can hand a clientEvidence a client can trust, not just numbers | Editable after the fact | PartialScan logs only | Varies | |
| UK-hosted, multi-tenant SaaSIsolated data, kept in the UK | Wherever the file lives | Varies | VariesMultiple vendors, multiple places | |
This compares general categories of tooling, not any specific product. Capabilities of individual tools vary and change over time — always evaluate a tool against your own requirements. The checklist below is a fair way to do exactly that.
Weighing up options? Ask every vendor the same questions — including us. If a platform answers these well, it will serve your operation whatever the logo on it.
A tag scan says someone was near a point. A dated photo shows what they actually saw. Ask what proof you can put in front of a client if it's ever disputed.
Basements, plant rooms and rural sites lose connectivity. Ask what happens to a patrol or report when the phone is offline — does it queue and sync, or is it simply lost?
Transparency wins renewals. Ask whether clients get a live portal in your colours and domain, or whether you're still assembling PDFs by hand every month.
If you do — or want to do — work orders, PPM and compliance alongside guarding, ask whether it's one system or another subscription bolted on beside it.
For public-sector and enterprise tenders this is non-negotiable. Ask where data lives, whether each client is isolated, and if there's a data-processing agreement.
Add up licences, add-ons, setup and the tools it replaces. Ask for the all-in monthly figure per active operative — not a headline price that grows with every module.
Migration is where platforms stall. Ask who configures your sites, checkpoints and users, migrates existing data, and trains your team — and how many weeks it takes.
We replaced a spreadsheet, a WhatsApp group and two systems with one. The proof is finally something a client believes.
Review-sourced, quoted and linked — both sides shown.
The real cost of a platform isn't the subscription — it's the fear of the switch: lost history, retraining, a fortnight of chaos. So here is exactly what moving to Pulse involves:
Bring the questions above. We'll load Pulse with one of your sites and show you, honestly, where one platform helps and where it doesn't. No deck, no sales pitch.