Functionality (core)
QR, NFC, GPS, Bluetooth support; offline mode (full / partial / none); anti-fraud (geofencing, server-signed timestamps); incident workflows; reports.
Methodology
How we score guard tour vendors.
Reviews on this site follow a public rubric. Scoring is not negotiable; vendors can submit corrections about facts (features, pricing, certifications) but not about scores. The rubric is reviewed annually.
The 6 scoring categories
Each vendor receives 0-10 in six categories. The final score is a weighted average. The weights below are the 2026 set; weight changes are versioned and announced.
25%
Compliance & security
GDPR, HIPAA, NERC CIP, SOC 2, ISO 27001 — active certifications, BAA availability, data residency options, encryption practices.
UX & accessibility
Mobile app responsiveness, dashboard usability, setup time, training time, accessibility (WCAG AA at minimum).
Price & transparency
Public pricing, free tier, no per-feature surcharges, no minimum contract length, transparent currency conversion.
Support & localization
Languages supported, time zones covered, response time tiers, BAA / DPA signing, on-site support availability.
Integrations & extensibility
Public API documentation, webhooks, SIEM connectors (Splunk, Sentinel, QRadar), SSO support, MDM compatibility.
Corrections process
Anyone — vendor, customer, or reader — can submit a correction. We triage within 5 business days. Material corrections are versioned in the article header with date and edit summary.
Factual corrections
Wrong feature claim, outdated price, expired certification — fixed within 5 business days. Article header logs the edit.
Vendor self-update requests
When a vendor ships a feature, we re-verify against public docs and customer reports before updating. Self-attestation alone doesn't change a score.
Score disputes
Vendors can dispute scores; we re-evaluate against the rubric criteria. If the score stands, the dispute is logged in the article footer for transparency.
Legal disputes
We retain the right to publish facts substantiated by public sources. If a vendor pursues legal action, we update with the dispute on record and continue to publish.
Update cadence
Quarterly re-verification
Every vendor review is re-verified every 90 days against public sources. Pricing, certifications, and major feature claims are checked first.
Triggered re-verification
Customer report, public news, or vendor announcement can trigger an immediate review outside the quarterly cycle.
Annual rubric review
The scoring rubric (categories, weights, criteria) is reviewed annually with input from editorial advisors. Material changes are versioned and announced.