VSS Secure Major Residential Security Estates..

Wednesday 20th July 2011

VSS is delighted to announce that it has won two three year contracts worth GBP500,000 per annum. The projects are to secure two residential communities in Central London and Surrey.

VSS is delighted to announce that it has won two three year contracts worth GBP500,000 per annum. The projects are to secure two residential communities in Central London and Surrey.

This success will act as the propelling force behind our drive into the high grade Residential Estate’s in the UK.

It is clear that high end gated communities require a security service that fits with the clientelle on that Estate and VSS is ideally placed to provide such a dedicated service.

Croma Group announces Joint Venture with CSS Group

Wednesday 6th April 2011

Croma Group has agreed a joint venture with CSS Total Security. The deal will give us a wider range of services to offer customers.

Croma believes the move is another step towards its focus on the facilities services sector.

Sebastian Morley, chief executive of Croma, said: “The joint venture with CSS will greatly enhance our security offering to our respective clients.

“We have been looking for an integrated systems partner for some time and CSS is the only business we have found which has a similar ethos and can provide client synergies.

“We are delighted with the venture which will see Photobase, Croma’s biometric identity business, continue under the management of CSS.”

CEO Sebastian Morley backs new ID systems

Monday 14th February 2011

Finger vein technology is set to revolutionise security in UK.

Finger vein authentication is set to take over from finger prints as the identification process of choice in the UK

More accurate than finger prints and easier and cheaper to install than iris scanning, biometric finger vein technology has already proven to be a huge success in the country’s prison service and other Government establishments.

Japan is leading the world with the introduction of biometric technology for the authentication of banking transactions. In France, Hitachi, one of the market leaders in finger vein technology has secured accreditation from the French Data Protection Authority.

This revolutionary process, built on Hitachi technology, is now being marketed under the ‘FastVein’ brand for the first time to the private sector in the UK by CSS Group. This follows the formation of a strategic alliance with Photobase Ltd., which is part of the Croma Group run by Sebastian Morley, a former SAS officer.

Morley said: “The Croma Group is the only high-end boutique total security provider in the UK and it is vital that we lead the market with finger vein technology. Quite simply, it is the most robust, sophisticated and reliable biometric technology around. So far our success has been primarily in the public sector and our agreement with CSS Group means that we can now develop the huge commercial appeal of this technology.”

Testimonials from HM Prisons where the technology, embedded in Photobase’s ID-Pro for HMPS (Prisoner Identity Management System), is already being used are proving to be very impressive.

Southampton based CSS Group, which has just celebrated its 40th anniversary in the sector, has developed an infrastructure to both market and install finger vein technology. Morley said: “CSS has the perfect credentials to partner with us – as a leader in its field, the company’s experience is unrivalled and its levels of service will ensure total customer satisfaction.”

Managing Director Roberto Fiorentino said: “We are ready to deliver to the commercial world and business leaders will be staggered by the speed and accuracy of the FastVein system, together with its ease of integration into existing access control or HR systems – not to mention value for money. Right now we’re getting real interest from blue chip organisations where security is essential – airports and ports being favourites to be early adopters.

“For local and central governments; financial institutions; and industry and commerce the applications are huge. For instance, any business where workers clock on and off using the traditional card system, finger vein technology could improve absenteeism and efficiency at a stroke. It can also be used to manage contractors’ identities, access to large construction sites and monitor workers’ access to restricted areas. Internet authentication is another obvious application.”

Ravi Ahluwalia from Hitachi Europe commented: “We are delighted to be working with such an experienced company within the security industry. We believe our highly secure biometric authentication will enable businesses to embrace the registration and access process with confidence.”

The Hitachi scanner, which requires no physical contact, captures what is described as a biometric template. The system works by transmission of near infra-red light into the finger from LED’s inside the scanner. Light penetrates the finger and is absorbed by the haemoglobin creating an image for capture. The image is processed to create a finger vein pattern that is digitised, compressed, encrypted and stored as template data.

The benefits of the system include: the finger vein pattern inside the finger cannot be acquired easily without consent; processing time is very fast, around 0.5 seconds to acquire, process and validate and there is no link to criminality as in the case of finger-print systems.

Vigilant wins Investors in People Bronze Award

Thursday 4th November 2010

Vigilant Security Services is delighted to announce that it has secured the prestigious Investors in People Bronze award.

Vigilant Security Services is delighted to announce that it has secured the prestigious Investors in People (IiP) Bronze award. The Bronze award places us within the top twelve percent of companies to achieve this sought-after recognition, over and above the IiP Standard.
IiP is a globally recognised framework which sets out how good people management practices can help achieve business goals. To attain the Bronze award, Vigilant had to fulfil over 50 additional evidence requirements, in addition the 37 core indicators required to achieve the IiP Standard.
Sebastian Morley, CEO of Vigilant was delighted by the award, “This recognition from Investors in People is testament to the investment we have made in our administration department. We are now at the cutting edge of not only industry regulation but more importantly, outstanding administration of our most valuable commodity: our staff”
Vigilant were told that not only had we achieved a Bronze award but we were close to being certified with a Silver award. This would put us in the top three percent of companies and will become our target to achieve when we are next assessed.

Full report to follow…

Safe hands

Monday 11th October 2010

Sebastian Morley talks through the challenges of, and key to, providing effective security in the 21st century to the events industry.

Once reserved for state and government meetings, effective security is now a vital part of any event. But what do we mean by ‘security’, how is it evolving and what challenges does it raise? Sebastian Morley is co-founder and Managing Director of Vigilant, a company specialising in high-end, boutique security services, training and consultancy – and provides the security at the EICC. According to Sebastian, the definition and remit of security have both become much broader.

“The security market has changed significantly – it’s not a question of an old man sitting in a night watchman’s hut any more,” he says. “Now it’s very much integrated into the fabric and personnel of a building, into its facilities, and its systems. The security badge now involves everyone from the receptionists at the front of house to the workers in the loading bay at the back.”

Among the different factors exerting an influence on the direction of security, Sebastian highlights ever-evolving advances in technology. When CCTV was first introduced in 1968, he says, it was hailed as a revolution in crime fighting. Yet the introduction of wireless CCTV decades later has made a degree of surveillance possible that was previously unimaginable. “I can monitor security cameras across the world on the smartphone I keep in my pocket,” he says. “That’s very useful technology.”

However, technology alone is not enough. “It can have a very important role in enhancing security, but only if it is monitored and verified by people trained to use and interpret it,” says Sebastian. “If it’s not closely monitored by the human eye it will let you down. The greatest challenge over the coming years will be to balance the ever-changing integrated systems we can provide with complementary personnel.”

The right people

The ‘human element’ is integral to Vigilant. It employs a very stringent selection process, recruiting the vast majority of its staff from the Commonwealth armed forces.

Sebastian – who, along with the rest of Vigilant’s directors, served in the historic Black Watch regiment – says this is because ex-military personnel have very specific skills that are ideally suited to effective security provision.

“The first important thing is presentation,” he says. “It’s second nature for soldiers to look as smart as possible and take pride in their appearance and uniform and, straight away, that makes a statement that’s both professional and reassuring. And ‘front of house’ is very important because, in many cases, a security officer is the first ambassador for the venue that a visitor will see. “In addition, ex-military personnel tend to have excellent timekeeping, and a very strong sense of discipline – bothin terms of self-discipline and in terms of working within a disciplined environment, with sound management and direction.

“Finally, the basic principles of security are something that one learns as a soldier, and that actually becomes ingrained. Alertness, observation, the ability to identify risk and react quickly, all the while interacting with members of the public – these are all skills that are essential to military personnel and transfer very well to the security profession in a civilian context.”

Adaptability without compromise

Another challenge in providing security specifically for events that Sebastian identifies, is the need to adapt to individual requirements.

“Identifying which events require the strictest security and pose the greatest challenges is important, because it’s something that can vary widely. It depends on a number of factors, including what’s out of fashion and in the news at the time. So being aware of and sensitive to that is also very important.”

And at the EICC, catering as it does for a broad range of national and international events across many sectors, stringent security of the highest quality also needs to be modelled around the needs of the client.

“The EICC offers a very wide range of events, and we provide the security for all of these, right the way through the building,” Sebastian explains. “A permanent staff is based at the Centre, and they are joined by further personnel – according to the needs of each individual event. We ascertain these requirements by liaising with both the EICC event management team and their clients. So we provide a bespoke service.”

Whilst providing assurance that the highest level of security is paramount, it is also important to ensure that visitors feel at ease and are able to move freely throughout the building. And the EICC is particularly well designed to facilitate this, as Sebastian explains.

He adds: “Access to the EICC has been very well thought out. That means there is both an easy flow for delegates to go into the conference centre and a very effective buffer zone between the access control and the buffer areas. This makes it easier for us to monitor that access control without being obtrusive.”

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Vigilant Security wins central London property contract

Friday 21st May 2010

Vigilant Security Services has been awarded one of the most prestigious security contracts in the United Kingdom for a leading global property company….

Vigilant Security Services is delighted to announce its success of being awarded one of the most prestigious security contracts in the United Kingdom for a leading global property company in central London. The contract runs for three years and is valued at 3.4 million per annum.

Having gone through a rigorous tender and presentation process, Vigilants ethos of a personable approach to security, meticulous innovative aspirations for the client and unrelenting can-do attitude appealed greatly to the selection panel.

Vigilant is tremendously excited, not only at the prospect of taking on its most prolific contract to date, but also at the prospect of building and developing a fruitful working business relationship with the client.

Both companies hold very similar priorities at heart, such as impeccable first impressions, close knit communications between staff and management teams, as well as guaranteeing that we exceed all expectations with regard to security service throughout their portfolio at all times.

We feel that the success of this contract will in turn provide us with a magnificent platform to exhibit our bespoke service and expand our portfolio further throughout the city of London.

Vigilant Security Services wins guarding contract with iconic Edinburgh Venue

Friday 21st May 2010

Vigilant Security Services is delighted to announce the contract award of the Edinburgh International Conference Centre in the heart of the city…..

Vigilant Security Services has been awarded the guarding contract for the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) in the heart of Edinburgh.
We are extremely excited about entering into a close business working relationship with such an esteemed client and feel that this provides us with a magnificent platform to expand our guarding services throughout the city of Edinburgh.
We are very proud to report that amongst other factors, the EICC was impressed with our willingness and desire to provide the best possible guarding service achievable.
We very much look forward to commencing this new project and continuing to build a tight knit relationship into the future.

Vigilant Security begins another expanding security contract...

Wednesday 17th March 2010

Vigilant Security is delighted to announce the commencement of another fruitful business partnership with a leading vacant property expert….

This contract involves alarm response, key holding, multiple site inspections as well as manned guarding.

As our clients scope of work grows across the United Kingdom, so too do we hope to expand our working relationship with our client’s portfolio.

The client was enthused by Vigilant’s can do attitude and ability to react rapidly to any situation in order to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Vigilant Security begins expansive London guarding

Wednesday 24th February 2010

Vigilant Security Services begins expansive guarding service in Central London…..

Vigilant Security have expanded their close working relationship with a leading repossessions auditor by providing 24hr guarding services at various prestigious sites in Central London

We are delighted to have taken on this work becuause it extends our rapid coverage of the London area which we are keen to develop further in the near future.

To date, we have provided guarding support to this repossessions company across the United Kindgom and they feel that we have excelled in every aspect of our service – which we are delighted about.

We are constantly trying to provide the best possible security service achievable in order grow our business working relationships with clients to the peak of their potential.

Vigilant wins Global Energy Company Security Contract

Tuesday 17th November 2009

Vigilant is delighted to announce the success in tendering for a Global Energy Company …….

Vigilant Security is incredibly excited to embark on working with a leading global energy company (which for legal reasons must remain unnamed)in Aberdeen.

Vigilant is expanding rapidly all over the UK and we have a large amount of prestigious clients in Aberdeen already. However we delighted to be able to provide security for a company with holds such global significance.

In such difficult financial times, we have tightened our profit margins in order to show our present and future clients their importance and our desire to work through such times together.

However big or small a contract, Vigilant Security may cut profit but will never cut quality of service.

The Da Vinci Rapid Deployment Eye Wireless CCTV

Thursday 29th October 2009

Vigilant is proud to announce the arrival of the Da Vinci Rapid Deployment Eye.This is groundbreaking exclusive wireless CCTV……

The Da Vinci Rapid Deployment Eye consists of a single unit which is ready to install to any lighting column and requires only a connection for power.Once plugged in you are able, from any PC location around the World, to connect as long as you have our software and your password to access the system.

The images are delivered depending upon bandwidth to your desktop at up 25 images per second via our 3.5 G router and SIM card. This means that no fibre or cable is required to bring the video signal back to your computer. All recordings are stored in the unit and can be downloaded again via the SIM card to your PC. This saves the need to go to the camera or site to obtain evidence. The camera is also a full pan tilt and zoom unit with full use via your PC mouse and the head is equipped with long range infra red illuminators that follow the movement of the camera head.

Our discussions with Sussex Police confirm that this product offers a great deal of flexibility to many clients where surveillance is required without the need to install major infrastructure to relay the information back to a control room. With this new technology you can of course go to multiple control points since you only need an internet connection and a PC with the correct software.

Traditional Police and local authority installations have relied heavily upon fibre transmission, microwave, infrared, wireless technologies and BT lines to deliver the images from point to point. Once a control room is constructed to receive the images it is very costly to provide a secondary back up as it is difficult to move the infrastructure. This is also true of the camera units since once installed the cabling is expensive and the costs to move from site to site are significant.

The Da Vinci unit overcomes all of these issues and once installed, the camera can be moved very quickly to a new location with little cost. Further to this, the control station can remain in the same place or be moved as quickly and easily as the camera. Dial in can be achieved from multiple locations for CCTV operators that are authorised to do so and all with the ability to download data if necessary.

These are not the same as the standard 3G units and with our compression algorithms we are able to transmit high quality video images with very good remote movement control over the internet.

For any mnore information, availability and prices please do not hesitate to contact our Sales Manager, Mr Henry Morley on 01387 247 842.

Vigilant continues close working relationship with Ministry of Defence

Thursday 15th October 2009

Vigilant Security is proud to announce the on going success of its Skillzone preferred contractor status with the Ministry of Defence….

The Ministry of Defence secured Vigilant Security as one its preferred contractors late last year and after 6 months, the various guarding duties across the UK have received the very highest feedback possible in refence to our guarding attitude and application.

This contract has enabled Vigilant to show its meticulous military style provides a service far beyond the reaches of ordinary Security Services.

We are both proud and excited about the possibility of expanding this preferred contractor status and look forward to providing our guarding service to more barracks and units under the MOD’s control in the very near future.

Contract Award at University of Aberdeen

Wednesday 30th September 2009

Vigilant Security Services have secured a promising contract with the Rowett Institute at the University of Aberdeen….

We are working in close contact as ever, to produce a working relationship with personal man management which Vigilant Security have become famed for.

Vigilant Security hopes that this contract may well develop further as the organisation continues to expand.

Vigilant Security and CSS Group partnership grows stronger

Wednesday 30th September 2009

Vigilant Security are proud to be developing their strategic partnership with CSS Group…

CSS Group hold similar values to Vigilant.

They are discilpined, meticulous in their work and planning and becuase of this, they provide a very high standard of service.

This partnership has enabled Vigilant Security to broaden its range of services and we now proud to be able to offer our clients state of the art biometric access control, highly technical CCTV installation, security consultancy as well as many other products.

We very much hope to develop this partnership further in the near future.