Security companies

Guard phones that protect the client's site, and the client's privacy.

Security companies use NounDesk to issue guards company Android phones with camera and screenshot controls set per policy, a strong screen-lock rule, lost mode that shows the dispatch number, and a complete audit log. The Maximum Security template is the recommended starting point, relaxed where a post needs the camera for incident photos.

Recommended policy: Maximum SecurityDevices: Guard phones

A security policy with plain-English settingsapp.noundesk.comSecurity policy: Standard BusinessDraftRequire a 6-digit PINAll Android versionsBlock apps from outside Google PlayAll Android versionsBlock USB data transferNeeds Android 12 or newerInstall updates overnight (1–5 am)Security patches are never delayedPublishing changes 2 settings on 7 devices.Employees will be asked to set a new PIN.

The situation

Your guards carry phones onto clients' premises: data centers, hospitals, offices. Clients ask what the phones can do, who controls them, and what happens to the photos. You need an answer that holds up in a contract review.

What NounDesk does for a security company

Camera and screenshots, by policy

Turn them off for sensitive posts and on for patrols that need incident photos, using separate security policies per group. Every setting states which Android versions support it.

A lock that means something

Maximum Security requires a strong password, a short auto-lock, blocks USB data transfer and apps from outside Google Play, and erases the phone after repeated failed unlocks.

Dispatch's number on a lost phone

Lost mode shows "This phone belongs to Sentinel Security. Call dispatch at (555) 010-0100", locks the screen and reports location until it is recovered or erased.

An audit log clients can rely on

Every lock, erase and policy change is recorded with the person who did it. Export the audit log for the client's compliance file.

Setting Choice
Policy template Maximum Security (one variant with camera on for patrol posts)
Groups One per client site or post type
Required apps Guard tour/reporting app, messaging, authenticator
Blocked Screenshots and USB data transfer at sensitive posts
Alerts Security risk, blocked app installed, lost mode, non-compliant

Why security companies pick NounDesk

Plain-English policies that a client’s procurement team can read, honest command status, and an audit trail that shows exactly who did what. Priced per phone with no annual contract, so a lost bid does not leave you paying for empty seats.

A guard phone goes onto a client's premises, so its rules are partly the client's rules. Some sites ban cameras, some want an audit trail, and all of them want to know what happens if a phone goes missing. NounDesk lets you set those rules per post and show they were in force.

How a rollout works for 30 phones across 8 sites

Many small security companies run one phone per post that stays on site and passes between guards at shift change, plus phones for patrol supervisors.

  • 1. Two policies to start

    Maximum Security for camera-free posts and a copy with the camera on for patrol posts. Name them after the post types.

  • 2. A group per client site

    Each site's group carries its policy and Wi-Fi. Post phones stay in the site group, unassigned, so they belong to the post.

  • 3. Guard tour app, Required

    Add your guard tour or incident reporting app by name from managed Google Play and mark it Required, with messaging and an authenticator.

  • 4. Post phones as dedicated devices

    If a post phone only needs the guard tour app and the phone dialer, a multi-app kiosk keeps it to exactly those apps for every shift.

What 30 phones cost

A security company with 30 guard phones: 30 devices × $1.50 = $45 a month.

  • The same price for every post

    A data-center post phone and a patrol phone cost the same, with every feature included, the audit log and reports among them.

  • Win a site, add its phones

    There is no tier to move up to and no minimum. Five phones for a new site add $7.50 a month.

  • Try it on every device first

    The 14-day free trial covers up to 50 devices and needs no card.

Common situations

What happens when…

The situations that actually come up, and what you do about each one.

A client asks what your guards' phones can do

Send them the policy summary: camera and screenshots blocked at their post, strong password, encryption on, apps from Google Play only, no personal accounts. Export the audit log for the period they ask about. Everything is written in plain English, so procurement can read it without a translator.

A guard phone goes missing at the end of a shift

Lost mode locks it with dispatch's number on the screen and reports location. Erase it if it does not turn up. The audit log records who turned lost mode on, when, and what happened next.

You win a contract at a site that bans cameras

Create a policy with camera and screenshots blocked, make a group for that site, and move the phones assigned there into it. Guards at other posts keep the camera for incident photos. The phone enforces the rule so nobody has to remember it.

A shift lead needs to lock a phone but nothing else

Give them the Operator role. They can enroll devices, assign employees, lock and reboot, and acknowledge alerts. They cannot erase a device or change a policy, and every action they take is in the audit log with their name on it.

Security companies: questions answered

Can I turn the camera off for some posts and on for others?

Yes. Make a policy per post type. A data-center post gets camera and screenshots off; a patrol post keeps the camera for incident photos. Put phones in the matching group.

Can I prove what was done on a phone and when?

The audit log records every administrator action with who, what, result and time, and it cannot be edited. Reports export as CSV for a client's compliance request.

What happens to a guard's phone at the end of a contract?

Move it to another group and it picks up that site's policy. Or retire it and the record stays in the log.

Can guards on different shifts share one post phone?

Yes. Keep the post phone in the site's group without assigning it to one guard, so it stays with the post rather than the person. Every administrator action on it is still recorded in the audit log.

Can a visitor sign-in tablet at a client site be managed too?

Yes, if it is an Android tablet your company owns. Lock it to the sign-in app or web page with kiosk mode, put it in the site's group, and its kiosk health shows on your dashboard.

Ten phones. Ten minutes. Protected.

Start a 14-day free trial, no card required. Or load a sample fleet in demo mode first.