When it comes to comprehensive security for your facility, incident management needs to be included. You need some way of alerting, responding, and tracking incidents, resolutions, and more. Not only does incident management help you respond to situations more efficiently, but it also helps you identify security gaps and areas for improvement in your processes and systems. Here’s what to look for in incident management software:

1. Easily Accessible and Easy to Use

Some of the biggest things to look for in incident management software are accessibility and ease of use. These are also qualities of good security systems. There should be a centralized location or dashboard that can be easily accessed by whoever needs it on whatever device they need to use.

It should also be easy to use. The software should collect and store incidents, responses, and all pertinent information. It should also make it easy for users to view, find things, generate reports, and analyze the data to find the insights they need. If the software is clunky, outdated, or difficult to use, those are some common signs your security technology needs an upgrade.

2. Secure Access Control

Access control isn’t just for the physical entries and exits of your facility, it’s also for your software. Not everyone who has access to your incident management software will need to see everything, so it’s important to look for software that allows for assigning varying levels of access. You want to make sure that you can restrict, secure, and protect critical, sensitive information and that only authorized personnel are able to access it.

3. Integration With Other Systems

For truly comprehensive and effective security, your systems need to integrate and communicate with each other seamlessly. There are many benefits of integrated security systems and they need to work across the organization and with all teams instead of one department or silo.

Alert and call systems often need to communicate with wander management, access control, video surveillance, and more. This type of integration and seamless communication between systems is one of the best ways to improve building security, so it’s a feature your incident management software needs to have.

If security systems are not integrated and working together, that can create some serious gaps in your building security. Lack of integration is one of the security mistakes businesses make and it does leave parts of your facility vulnerable. Even if you do have incident management software in this case, you will be missing out on critical situations and data if it doesn’t integrate with your other systems.

4. End-to-End Automation

Automation can cause issues if it’s implemented or managed incorrectly. However, when implemented well, it provides a ton of benefits including improving efficiencies, faster response times, removing redundancies, and more. These are automation ideas for hospitals and other facilities.

Some incident management software included limited automation for a couple of specific use cases. If those are all you need, then that could be enough automation for your incident management needs. Because every facility is different and their needs vary, end-to-end automation is a better solution in most cases.

If incident management software features end-to-end automation, you have the opportunity to create and customize automation for tasks and subtasks that are specific to your facility and operations. Not only does this allow you to address incidents more efficiently, but it also is an essential asset that can help you address incidents at scale, use resources more effectively, and scale up with your security as needed.

5. Robust Reporting Capabilities

One of the most important things to look for in incident management software is the ability to generate reports. Your software should be helping you track incidents and all of the information related to each one. Whether your facility is a secure hospital, warehouse, assisted living facility, commercial office building, etc., you should also be able to generate and customize reports so that you can get a better idea of what is happening in your facility and how your people and processes respond.

Making sure that your software can provide these reports, and reviewing them, is part of assessing building vulnerability and improving security in meaningful ways. In addition to identifying gaps in your security, these reports can also help you improve internal processes, figure out where to allocate people and resources, and more.

Detecting and responding to issues quickly and improving security are just a few reasons why you need incident management software. Knowing the important things to look for in incident management software can help you find the right fit for you with the features you need.

Incident management alone won’t solve all of your problems or secure your facility completely, but it is an essential part of a comprehensive security plan. Choosing the right security systems integrator can help you determine the right mix of security products and systems for your facility and specific needs.

Contact NEPPS at 800-736-1456 for your healthcare, senior living, or commercial security needs!