Security teams
Digital occurrence log
The handover between two shifts, kept in an app instead of a logbook left at the security desk.
Every entry carries the time and the name of whoever wrote it, with nothing to type by hand. The guard starting a shift sees what's still unread, ongoing incidents are tracked through to close-out, and a search brings back a fact from six months ago.
Worth knowing before you go further. Front Desk was built for hotel teams and is used by hotels. A security post's needs are close to it, and the tool applies as-is to everything that gets written, passed on and tracked. It does not, however, replace a patrol check-in system or guard scheduling software. The full list is further down this page.
Launch offer for this sector: 6-month free trial on every tool, no card required. After that, a free plan with no time limit on the occurrence log, with one account per guard.
What teams write in it
From the security post as much as during a patrol, on computer or on phone.
Write throughout the shift
Every entry carries the time and the name of whoever wrote it, with nothing to type by hand. Events during a shift follow in order, and a photo or document can be attached.
Know who's read a note
The handover starts with what's still unread. Every note shows by name who has read it and who hasn't yet.
Tick off a patrol on the spot
A patrol is set up as a checklist of points to verify. The guard ticks them off from their phone as they pass each one, and every ticked box keeps their name and the time.
Report what's broken
A door that won't close, a light that's out, a camera that's been moved: the report goes out with a photo, is assigned to someone, and tracked through to close-out.
Keep standing instructions within reach
Site instructions, floor plans and on-call numbers are organised into folders and open from a phone, including for a guard covering a site for the first time.
Find an old entry again
A search on a word, a location or a date range brings back what was written months earlier, even if the guard who wrote it no longer covers the site.
What Front Desk doesn't do
Four points where dedicated software will do better. Better to know them before trying it than to discover them afterwards.
Patrol point check-in
There's no badge, beacon, or chip to tap against a wall. A patrol is ticked off by hand in the app, which keeps the name and time but doesn't prove physical presence at the checkpoint.
Guard scheduling
Front Desk doesn't handle schedules, hours, or payroll. The shared calendar is for site events, not for assigning guards to shifts.
Remote monitoring and alarm verification
No connection to cameras, alarms, or monitoring centres. Front Desk collects what teams write, it receives no technical signal.
Regulatory value
We make no promise of compliance with any particular private security regulation. Entries are timestamped, attributed by name, and retained, but it's up to you to check that this meets what your client or your regulator expects.
What changes for a security post
- An entry no longer gets lost when the register is full or a binder goes missing.
- The guard coming on knows what to read, and the one leaving knows it's been read.
- The site manager checks the post from home, without calling to ask.
- A named occurrence log: every line carries the name of whoever wrote it, not a shared post's.
Questions about the digital occurrence log
Is Front Desk software built for private security?
No, and we'd rather say so upfront. Front Desk was built for hotel teams, where the same need exists: passing on to the next shift what happened during the shift. Security companies who look into it find the writing, the handover and incident tracking, but not patrol hardware or shift scheduling. If your need is mainly around those two points, dedicated software will serve you better.
How is a patrol tracked?
Through a checklist. The points to check are set up once, the guard ticks them off from their phone as they pass each one, and every box keeps the person's name and the exact time. There's no badge or beacon check-in: nothing automatically proves the guard was physically at the checkpoint.
How long is the occurrence log kept?
With no time limit on a subscription, and export stays possible at any time. The free plan gives access to the shift log and its last 7 days: older entries aren't deleted, but they're out of reach until the property subscribes. For a security post that needs to look back a long way, a subscription is the only sensible choice.
Can several guards write from the same post?
Each has their own account, including temporary and backup staff: the number of accounts has no effect on the price. That's what lets you know who wrote what, something a shared register under one login never allows. Unlimited accounts, on every plan.
Try it on one site, before telling the whole company
Create your site, invite the guards who work there, and tonight's handover can already be written in it. 6-month free trial, no card required.