Ricarda Schmidt

Ricarda Schmidt has been writing about digital workforce scheduling, guard tour systems, and mobile workforce management solutions since 2017. As part of the COREDINATE® team, she covers the security industry, facility management, and hospitality — from lone worker protection and compliance documentation to maintenance planning and building management. Her articles are based on industry research, customer insights, and close collaboration with service providers across Germany.

Security officer takes a rugged work handset from a four-bay charging rack in a gatehouse at shift change

Reading time: 11 minutes

Guard tour system cost: how to compare vendor quotes

Ricarda Schmidt: Sep 16, 2026

UK vendors price guard tour systems per device, per handset, per user tier, per guard or as a one-off reader purchase. This article converts those...

Functions Security Service Business Management Guard Tour System

Lone security officer walking a wet service road between warehouse units on a British industrial estate before dawn

Reading time: 9 minutes

Lone Working Risk Assessment for Security Officers

Ricarda Schmidt: Sep 10, 2026

The Health and Safety Executive names security staff twice in its own lone working guidance: once as an example of people who work outside normal...

Security Guard Security Service Lone worker protection

Security company director reviewing operative licences and deployment records before a contract starts

Reading time: 5 minutes

SIA offences: the real cost of supplying unlicensed staff

Ricarda Schmidt: Sep 01, 2026

The Approved Contractor Scheme is voluntary. The licensing regime underneath it is not, and it carries a maximum sentence of five years. The gap...

Functions Security Service

Operations manager of a security company reviews a site map and duty roster at night while choosing security guard management software

Reading time: 5 minutes

Security guard management software: what to look for before you choose

Ricarda Schmidt: Aug 25, 2026

Five criteria decide whether security guard management software survives a client audit: audit-proof records, clear data hosting, offline capability,...

Functions Security Service Guard Tour System

Security officer documenting a forced entrance at night on a rugged smartphone as an example of incident documentation for the Daily Occurrence Book

Reading time: 3 minutes

Incident documentation: beyond the Daily Occurrence Book

Ricarda Schmidt: Aug 11, 2026

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Security Service Guard Tour System Daily Occurrence Book

Security officer scanning an NFC checkpoint outside a server room in a data centre at night

Reading time: 5 minutes

Cyber Security and Resilience Bill: what it changes for guarding

Ricarda Schmidt: Aug 04, 2026

If you guard a data centre in the UK, your client is probably not regulated for cyber security today. When the Cyber Security and Resilience Bill...

Functions Security Service

Security officers patrolling an outdoor seasonal market in the evening

Reading time: 5 minutes

What Martyn's Law will actually cost event operators

Ricarda Schmidt: Jul 29, 2026

The 2026 outdoor season falls in an awkward gap. Martyn's Law is on the statute book, enforcement is not expected until spring 2027, and budgets for...

Functions Security Service