BOOK ON is a single system for SIA-licensed security companies in the UK. The control room plans rotas and watches shifts live, officers book on and report from the app, compliance keeps every licence, vetting record and training certificate in one personnel file, and accounts turn approved shifts into invoices and payroll. One record of each shift feeds all four.
It is built for manned guarding, door supervision, event security, keyholding and mobile patrol contractors, from a 20-officer firm to a multi-site operation with subcontractors. BOOK ON Solutions is based in Basildon, Essex, with UK support.
Three modules, one shift record
Most security companies run operations in a spreadsheet, compliance in a filing cabinet and invoicing in an accounts package, then retype the same shift three times. BOOK ON keeps one record of each shift and lets each team work from it.
BOOK ON Operate
Rotas by client and site, book on and book off, a live monitor for check calls, patrols and daily occurrences, GPS location, incident and event reports, handover tasks and tickets.
BOOK ON Compliance
SIA licence checks and expiry lists, BS 7858 screening progress, right-to-work records, visa and passport expiry, certificates, training records and the P-Files that an ACS assessor asks to see.
BOOK ON Accounts
Sales invoices built from approved shifts by client, site and date range, payroll generation, purchase invoices and vouchers, and finance reports for invoices, payments and receivables.
How a shift moves through BOOK ON
Plan
Operations adds shifts to the client roster by site, assigns officers, confirms them and copies the roster forward. Officers who are not licensed or not vetted show up before the week starts.
Deliver
The officer books on from the app. The live monitor shows book-ons, book-offs, check calls, patrols and daily occurrence entries for every site; the location map shows where officers are.
Record
Incidents, fire alarms, lateness, complaints and lock and unlock reports are logged against the site and officer, with PDF and email actions for the client.
Comply
The HR dashboard lists expiring SIA licences, visas and passports, pending BS 7858 screening and telephone screening, and the officer’s P-File holds every form with a completion percentage.
Bill and pay
Accounts fetches approved shifts for a client and site, adds VAT and saves the sales invoice; payroll is generated from the same shifts.
Report
Thirteen report families cover workforce, clients and sites, roster, calls, invoices, payroll, HR, events, operations, and Compliance and ACS Evidence.
Built around UK security compliance
- SIA licence checks against the licence number, with licence type, expiry date, card name and role held on the officer record and an SIA check action on the employee list.
- BS 7858:2019 screening tracked as a form with its own status, plus the five-year employment history, references and right-to-work share code held in the officer’s documentation checklist.
- Approved Contractor Scheme evidence through the Compliance and ACS Evidence reports and the complaints register, the service reviews and CAPA register, and the equipment register.
- Working Time Regulations support through shift lengths, rest between shifts and consecutive-day alerts on the manager dashboard.
- UK GDPR with role-based access, mobile access management per officer and an activity log.
How BOOK ON compares with the usual options
| Need | Spreadsheets and WhatsApp | Generic rota app | BOOK ON |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rota by client and site with confirmation | Manual, one file per week | Yes, but no client or site model | Yes, with confirmed, unconfirmed and unassigned counters |
| Book on and book off with time and location | Phone calls to the control room | Clock in only | Book on, book off, check in and check out on the live monitor |
| Check calls, patrols and daily occurrence book | Paper DOB on site | Not usually | Filters on the live monitor and call reports |
| SIA licence expiry and vetting status | A separate spreadsheet | Not usually | HR dashboard lists, SIA check per officer, BS 7858 status |
| Invoice from approved shifts | Retyped into accounts software | Export only | Sales invoice fetched by client, site and date range |
| Subcontractor officers | Separate messages | Not usually | Sub officers, subcontractor filter on the roster, sub-employee expiry lists |
| Alarm response and keyholding | Phone and notebook | No | Alarm control centre with priorities, SLA clocks and responders |
Comparison written from the BOOK ON demo system on 29 October 2026 and the typical capabilities of general-purpose rota tools. Every product changes; check current features before buying.
What it costs
BOOK ON is priced per officer per month, so a 25-officer firm and a 250-officer firm pay in proportion to the workforce they manage. Three plans cover small teams, established contractors and enterprise operations, with UK support on every plan.
Questions security company owners ask
What software do UK security companies use to run guarding contracts?
Most small firms start with spreadsheets and group chats, then move to a guard management platform when licence expiries, missed check calls or unbilled hours start costing money. BOOK ON covers rota, live monitoring, compliance records and invoicing in one system, so the shift is entered once.
What should security company software include?
At minimum: a client and site roster, book on and book off with time and location, check calls and patrol records, incident reporting, SIA licence and vetting tracking, timesheets that feed invoices and payroll, and reports a client or ACS assessor can read.
Does BOOK ON replace my current security software?
It covers the same core jobs: rostering, time and attendance, check calls, incidents, compliance records and billing. Firms moving from an older system import their sites and officers, run a parallel week and switch. See the comparison pages for a feature-by-feature view.
Can subcontracted officers use it?
Yes. Subcontractor officers are held separately from employees, can be assigned on the roster with a subcontractor filter, and appear in their own SIA, visa and passport expiry lists so the supply chain is checked the same way as direct staff.
Is it suitable for a new security company?
Yes. The Basic plan covers company set-up, officer registration, shifts, live monitoring and attendance, and the compliance and accounts modules are added as the business grows.
Where is the data hosted and who supports it?
BOOK ON Solutions is a UK company based in Basildon, Essex, and support is UK based. Hosting and data-protection details are set out on the trust page.
Explore the platform
See BOOK ON running a live security operation
A 20-minute demo on your own scenarios: your sites, your shift patterns, your compliance questions.