Al-Bustan Village in Riyadh prides itself in providing the highest standards of residential comfort and care for around 3000 senior professionals, their partners and children. Comprehensive on-site facilities include an international school plus recreational and retail facilities. However, cultural differences, language barriers and growing political tensions posed a number of challenges that the Al-Bustan management team was keen to address.
Al-Bustan Village in Riyadh prides itself in providing the highest standards of residential comfort and care for around 3000 senior professionals, their partners and children. Comprehensive on-site facilities include an international school plus recreational and retail facilities. However, cultural differences, language barriers and growing political tensions posed a number of challenges that the Al-Bustan management team was keen to address.
Although the compound is well equipped with state-of-the-art physical protection, the management had additionalrequirements beyond the scope of conventional security. They wanted to optimize the efficiency of on-site safety and security support in line with best practice while guaranteeing a rapid response to every call for assistance ─ both on the compound and further afield. They also wanted a reliable capability for instant mass communication, for example, to broadcast location-specific alerts, weather warnings or travel updates.
In April 2015 Al-Bustan began to roll out SafeZone. Utilizing location intelligence, the innovative cloud-based SafeZone service combines a free smartphone app for Al-Bustan Village residents with full mobile command and control functionality for the security team. By enabling residents to request emergency help, medical assistance or report a security concern via a quick tap on their phone without the need to speak to a call handler, SafeZone overcomes all language differences and cultural barriers.
When someone activates an alert via the intuitive SafeZone app, their location and key details are automatically shared with the on-duty security personnel, first-aiders and first responders. The data is visually mapped to give the response team unprecedented live situation awareness of all security assets in the vicinity. This enables them to prioritize resources and coordinate a fast response, maximizing the chance of a successful outcome.
The SafeZone solution provides powerful features with the flexibility and scale to enhance response capabilities both in Al-Bustan Village and beyond. A check-in function, for example, offers residents additional personal monitoring and support while travelling alone or further afield. Multiply redundant communications via satellite, wi-fi and mobile networks ensure the highest degree of resilience, even in remote desert areas. And for large-scale threats or incidents, a mass-notification feature enables the security team to instantly broadcast security alerts, weather warnings or regional travel updates to keep expatriates informed.