Brought to you by Met-Scan
Customizing sustainable security solutions

From government entities to commercial facilities or retailers, security is a crucial responsibility and each organization requires a solution that fits their current needs, requirements and budget.

Met-Scan, a security integrator and engineering firm, would be the first to tell you there’s no silver bullet to security integration. Entering 20 years of providing tailored solutions for their clients, Met-Scan’s long-term focus has been providing services to all levels of government – municipal, provincial and federal. More recently, they’ve brought their expertise to the private sector.

As a family-owned, female-led, Canadian security company, Met-Scan provides solutions that fit each client’s needs, from cameras to access control to fibre infrastructure projects. “It’s a fully turnkey solution provider,” says Azin Tabrizi, Chief Executive Officer of Met-Scan, “from engineering, design to procurement, implementation, commissioning, service contracts, the full gamut.”

Founded in 2004, Met-Scan began as a consulting business with a focus on broadcasting. “Met-Scan did start, let’s say at the higher end of technology, which was called broadcasting back in the day,” says Antoinette Modica, Chief Operating Officer at Met-Scan. This evolved into their legacy work with government entities and installations of command and control centres. “That’s why they were under the radar, but now branching out a little bit further into the private sector with their resources and engineers,” Modica says.

Founded in 2004, Met-Scan is a security integrator and engineering firm with a focus on customized solutions. Photo courtesy of Stocksy.

Led by engineers
A key factor that differentiates Met-Scan from other security integrators is the fact they’re engineering-driven. “A camera is a camera,” Modica says. “How does the client want to use the technology of the camera?” That’s what engineers try to determine by inspecting the site before they recommend a solution.

“Clients don’t know what they need until you are physically at their facility or their site,” says Modica. Once engineers can evaluate the facility’s needs and the client’s goals, they can optimize technology that’s already there or advise what to add.

With rapidly advancing technology, Met-Scan is continuously investing in training their staff to be able to make informed recommendations – and that training extends to everyone who goes on site. “We specialize in different technology platforms and we’re continuously investing in our engineers to get them up to speed on the current relevant technologies,” Tabrizi says.

A full-scale service
Continuously advancing technology also means that some facilities won’t have the IT infrastructure necessary to set up complex security systems. “In our world, IT and security are intertwined,” Tabrizi says. “They used to be standalone entities, but not anymore with the way the technology is evolving.” Met-Scan has engineers that are experts for these types of standalone systems, along with experience in large fibre infrastructure. Whether a client needs fibre or a Cat6 cable, Met-Scan has the resources to ensure the security system becomes a reality.

“Security integrators always introduce themselves simply as security integrators,” says Tabrizi. “We’re a security partner to our clients with engineering qualifications; we provide professional services.” With boots-on-the-ground support from engineers, Met-Scan guides clients through the process of looking at their entire business from a security risk perspective and not just their video surveillance.

“Security is an infrastructure; it’s an investment on their part,” Tabrizi says. The goal is to help clients leverage that infrastructure for a strong return on investment. One example would be ensuring customers understand the full benefits they can gain from data analytics. Any security integrator can install a camera, but Met-Scan’s goal is to help clients use security devices to solve some of their major challenges, whether that’s having better crowd control or improved health and safety or more efficient processes. “Information is power if you can analyze it at the end of the day,” says Tabrizi.

Integrity first
As an agnostic firm, Met-Scan supports their engineers in providing holistic solutions without pushing a product. “We’re not a box sales company; we are about relationships and long-term partnerships,” says Tabrizi.

In a competitive landscape, it’s a continuous challenge working with both the manufacturer and the customer to deliver a quality solution that fits the client’s budget. “We’re not just putting in a camera and walking away; that’s not what our specialty is,” says Tabrizi. While there are other companies who are willing to do that at a reduced cost, Met-Scan is committed to communicating with the client on the benefits of the end-to-end solutions they provide.

This partnership thinking goes hand in hand with their core value: integrity first. “That kind of transparency and integrity is very important, whether it’s our salespeople or engineers, really looking at exactly the capability of our clients, financially, and keeping that in mind when giving them the best solution possible,” Tabrizi says.

Ensuring a solution is a sustainable option starts with the decision-making process, but it extends to the various service agreement options Met-Scan provides. “We do provide that extended service through service level agreements or maintenance agreements,” Modica says. Rather than providing a standard service template, Met-Scan helps clients determine the best option for them. Whether a client needs a device to be maintained for longevity of life or replaced at a certain time, it’s not a one-size-fits-all agreement.

Moving forward
Being a family-owned company allows Met-Scan to focus on the specific needs of their clients – and to provide solutions quickly, without going through layers of approvals. “We are very quick to turn around,” says Tabrizi. “We are very nimble as far as meeting our customer’s needs, but also really taking the time to understand their points of pain.”

That focus on customization informs Met-Scan’s research and development team as they look to the future, especially as they explore the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in their business. “The way we’re looking at it, as far as AI is concerned, is going back again to that operation component of the everyday for our clients,” says Tabrizi.

Even as the technological landscape evolves, meeting each client’s unique security needs with sustainable, innovative solutions is the continued priority for Met-Scan. Guiding their services is the company’s four core values of reliability, integrity, sustainable innovation, and empowering stakeholders.

“It goes back to that integrity and transparency,” Tabrizi says. “We really do spend the time to make sure that [each client is] making the right decisions for themselves.”

For more information, visit Met-Scan.com.