Fulton Bank, a part of Fulton Financial Corporation, an over $30 billion financial services holding company, with over 200 financial centers across five U.S. states, has partnered with Securitas USA and predecessor companies for over 50 years to help protect its people and assets. In the past, Fulton Bank has included traditional guarding in its security profile, with on-site human guards helping secure its corporate buildings, patrolling bank premises, and handling visitor management. However, hybrid work becoming more commonplace has created the need for new guarding approaches to securing the workplace.
Working alongside Securitas USA as its security integration partner, Fulton Bank expanded its guarding capabilities to meet this evolving security landscape. The addition of remote and mobile guarding, integrated into their existing security infrastructure with advanced technologies and analytics, helped the bank better protect people and assets amid significant landscape shifts.
Handling the Changing Security Landscape
Like most companies, Fulton Bank has operated with employees fully on site. Traditional guarding programs have protected these on-site employees and the customers they serve. Fulton Bank has relied on human on-site guards to monitor each location’s premises and help ensure a secure environment.
“We do everything we can to provide not only our employees but also our customers the safest place to bank,” said John Illes, Vice President, Director of Physical Security at Fulton Bank. “My number one mission as protection services is to provide a safe and secure workplace for my employees and a safe place for my customers to do their business.”
Events over the past several years have changed the landscape of work, with many companies exploring and adopting new ways to engage their employees. Fulton Bank, like other companies, deployed newly crafted hybrid work strategies to meet this changing environment. A hybrid work model allowed bank employees to better facilitate their roles and help customers. However, this work style complicated the traditional guarding on which Fulton Bank had relied.
Safeguarding customers and employees have always been a top priority for Fulton Bank but guarding a more distributed workforce and customer base meant the bank needed to adapt its security program.
Fulton Bank Expands Profile with Remote Guarding and Advanced Technology
Recognizing the need to anticipate new challenges, Fulton Bank proactively integrated advanced solutions into its security program. For guarding services, the response included incorporating more services beyond traditional on-site guards, deploying advanced technology and novel processes to expand its security presence.
“We looked to leverage our existing security infrastructure and use remote guarding to provide a similar type of service as traditional guarding. It was a key piece in our expansion of services,” said John. “We decided to expand beyond traditional security officers. Expanding our protective services by utilizing remote and mobile guarding to increase protection for our facilities.
The long-standing partnership between Securitas USA and Fulton Bank served both organizations as they integrated new or modified guarding services into their security program. Traditional on-site guarding services still played key roles in helping protect financial centers and the workforces moving between them. The bank had already invested in infrastructure upgrades like advanced technology and video analytics in its surveillance system. This allowed Securitas USA to rapidly spin up remote guarding capabilities for monitoring. Mobile guarding services operated in tandem, with remote Securitas USA security officers able to deploy mobile guards for rapid incident response and mitigation.
While traditional guards continue to help provide safe places, other guarding is needed to help protect bank locations and ATMs around-the-clock. Fulton Bank’s comprehensive guarding services take full advantage of advanced capabilities to help improve incident response and overall security.
For instance, the bank leverages video analytics to support monitoring locations outside of regular business hours to mitigate threats to employees’ and customers’ safety. Should incidents arise, Securitas USA officers can deploy mobile guards to respond and resolve the situation with or without law enforcement as needed. Incident reports are generated, cataloged, and available for the bank’s leadership to use in adjusting service provision.
In this way, remote guarding and mobile guarding services help Fulton Bank maintain top-tier security coverage while also better managing operational costs and staffing needs.
Securitas USA Serves as Trusted Partner in Fulton Bank’s Guarding Journey
By expanding guarding services and incorporating new features, Fulton Bank has improved operational efficiency and strengthened its security posture to protect its people. In particular, remote and mobile guarding helps the bank maintain a consistent, always-on security presence across their service area at an optimized cost.
“Having this process in place where remote guarding allows a human to view what’s actually occurring, decipher it, make an informed decision, follow procedure, and either interact with an occupant or dispatch law enforcement or emergency medical services as needed has been instrumental in providing coverage for all hours of the day., said John.
The evolving banking security landscape necessitates a flexible, technology-driven approach to functions like guarding. A security integration partner like Securitas USA can help banks navigate these shifts by supporting cutting-edge technological solutions paired with deep industry knowledge and experience. Together, this partnership can improve security postures and maintain safe, welcoming physical spaces for employees and customers alike.
For leaders considering the next step, it’s important to remember that close, communicative partnerships are vital to success. “We're talking about a two-way partnership where both sides need to provide and share information and provide assistance to each other,” said John. “Securitas USA has been a good partner over the years with us, providing not only guidance and support, but at times, taking our feedback and saying, ‘This process could work better if you did x, y, and z.’ It’s a two-way street.”
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