Core Guard Management System
At Guard Management Systems, we understand the operational detail required to run a static guarding business smoothly. GMS Cloud is built around the most important part of any manpower-led operation: your staff.
Staff Data Management
From the day they're recruited to the day they move on, GMS Cloud manages all aspects of your team's journey through the business. Our workforce management system is accessible through an easy to use cloud interface which is designed to work on most devices. Once staff are employed and added to the GMS, the system features several staff-focused functions that support the day-to-day running of a security business:
- Tracking staff onboarding through the integrated onboarding checklist.
- Manage vetting records to BS7858:2019 including sending email templates, tracking progress & printing screening certificates.
- Generate company ID cards to either print locally or print via our remote print service.
- Assign staff to shifts & monitor attendance; quickly copy shift patterns for easy rota building.
- Monitor DBS update service, training compliance & SIA licence statuses
- Monitor staff contract details
- Aid in asset tracking by assigning assets to staff, sites or client
- Track staff leave and accrued holiday against shifts.
Lone Worker Safety
Lone working is an unavoidable part of many security operations, but it should never mean staff are working unseen or unsupported. GMS Cloud, together with the Guard Companion app, provides a managed lone worker safety process with scheduled welfare checks, missed-check alerts, panic/alarm functions, escalation records and GPS-supported activity logging. This helps organisations show that lone worker risks are actively monitored, incidents are escalated promptly, and a clear audit trail exists for the actions taken.
For compliance purposes, GMS supports the principles of BS 8484 and general employer duties around lone worker safety by replacing informal check calls and paper records with a consistent, auditable system. Control rooms can see when staff have checked in, when they have missed a welfare contact, when an alert has been raised, and how that alert was handled, helping both operational response and post-incident review.
Shift Coverage Monitoring
Shift coverage monitoring is another key area where GMS helps organisations maintain operational control and evidence active supervision. Each time a team member signs on, their line manager can receive confirmation that the shift has started, including whether the staff member has signed on to an authorised rostered shift or whether an ad-hoc shift has been created. If a staff member fails to book on as expected, GMS can automatically escalate this to the relevant line manager, with a further alert triggered if the staff member has still not signed on after a defined period, such as 30 minutes.
This helps reduce the risk of missed shifts going unnoticed and provides an auditable record of how non-attendance or late attendance was managed. For new staff, staff working in higher-risk roles, or those requiring closer supervision, GMS can also send supervisor alerts when a patrol starts and finishes. This allows supervisors or control room staff to log in and virtually monitor the patrol in real time, giving additional assurance that duties are being carried out safely, correctly and in line with assignment instructions.
Tag Based Patrol Tour System
Once a staff member has booked on to a shift, their patrol activity can be recorded using strategically placed patrol tags and the Patrol Logger companion app. Because GMS is a fully integrated platform, the guard tour system works alongside the lone worker safety process rather than sitting as a separate task. This helps reduce duplication for frontline staff, as patrol confirmations, welfare monitoring and operational activity records can all form part of the same workflow.
Tags can also be used to pass site-specific information to guards at the point they need it. Short memos can be attached to individual tags, allowing additional instructions, reminders or warnings to appear when the tag is scanned. These messages can either be shown every time the tag is scanned, or issued as a one-off note, helping supervisors communicate important local information without relying on separate briefings, paperwork or memory.
Payroll Reporting
Payroll reporting within GMS is designed to reduce errors by using the same fully integrated workflow that records shifts, attendance, patrol activity and exceptions. Accurate timesheet information can be exported in a format suitable for import into many of the most widely used payroll systems, reducing the need for manual re-keying and the mistakes that often come with it.
Staff can also view their own shift history before payroll is processed, giving them the opportunity to spot and query any missing shifts, incorrect times or other discrepancies in good time. This creates a cleaner payroll process for managers, gives staff better visibility of their hours, and helps ensure that pay is based on accurate operational records rather than retrospective corrections.
Setup time depends on the size and complexity of your operation, but most core implementations can be configured within a few hours to a couple of days. The process typically involves setting up your company profile, users, sites, staff records, assignment instructions, patrol requirements and any relevant reporting or notification rules.
Where required, we can also provide optional data import and data shaping support. This can include helping prepare existing spreadsheets or database exports so they can be imported cleanly into GMS, reducing manual entry and helping you start with structured, usable data from day one.