The Belfry Brief: The Top 10 Innovations That Modernized Guard Operations in 2025 (Plus What’s Coming in 2026)

Security guard companies don’t run like most businesses, and the software running them shouldn’t either.

Schedules shift daily. Call-offs happen constantly. Margins are tight. Compliance varies by state. And the workforce is distributed, mobile, and often high-turnover.

At Belfry, we spent 2025 building features that reduce manual work, improve operational visibility, protect profitability, and make it easier to scale without burning out your team.

This post is a recap of our top 10 product releases from 2025, along with a sneak peek at what’s coming in 2026 and a practical checklist you can use to make sure your team is getting value from every release.

Click here to request a copy of the recording.

Why these updates matter

2025 wasn’t just about adding “more features.”

It was about building a more comprehensive operating system for security companies; from scheduling and supervision to payroll, onboarding, compliance, insurance, communications, and performance visibility.

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The Top 10 Belfry Releases of 2025 (Countdown Style)

10) Service Rates + Advanced Pay Breakdown: Multiple rates per shift

If you’ve ever had to manage different pay rates based on role, site, client, or tenure, you know how quickly complexity turns into payroll errors.

In 2025, Belfry expanded rate management so teams can:

• define roles like “Armed,” “Unarmed,” “Supervisor” once
• apply custom rates by officer or site
• support flexible configurations like floating officers or overrides
• handle shifts where pay rates change mid-shift without the back-office headache

“This is one of the most complicated aspects of security businesses; and something Belfry is very proud of being able to support.” - Alex Tulenko, Co-Founder & CTO at Belfry

Why it matters: Less manual setup, fewer mistakes, cleaner payroll.

9) Live Dashboard Improvements: Shift drilldowns + richer visibility

The Live Dashboard is one of the biggest “wow” moments for Belfry users. Many teams literally keep it up on a TV in their office for real-time visibility.

In 2025, it got a major upgrade:

• Shift drilldowns that summarize tours, reports, breaks, and historical locations
• more questions answered in one place
• faster visibility for dispatch and back-office teams handling client escalations

“One of the things I rely on most is how easily I can review the activity reports and incident reports at a glance… so then if the client reaches out, I know exactly what happened.” - Jeff Hamilton, Vice President at Centurion Security Services

Why it matters: Your dispatch and ops teams can respond faster, and with better information.

8) Billed vs. Unbilled Overtime Forecasting

Overtime is one of the biggest drivers of margin loss in guard services. But not all overtime is equal… some is billable, some is not.

In 2025, Belfry improved forecasting so you can:

• separate billable vs. non-billable overtime
• forecast profitability more accurately
• spot “problem sites” earlier
• reduce unbilled OT and protect margins

Why it matters: You can make smarter scheduling decisions before the shifts happen.

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7) Shift Attestation: Compliance support for California and beyond

Some states have stricter break and meal requirements than others; and California is a big one.

Shift Attestation helps firms:

• capture officer verification at clock-out (timecard + breaks)
• flag irregularities
• trigger actions like meal premium workflows
• export attestation records for compliance documentation

Why it matters: Helps maintain compliance without adding more back-office tasks.

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6) Shift Marketplace Improvements: Fill shifts faster, with less chaos

The Shift Marketplace already helped teams fill open shifts quickly; but in 2025 it got significantly more powerful.

Teams can now:

• offer open shifts to a qualified pool in seconds
• filter eligibility based on availability, certs, distance, overtime status, and site experience
• avoid margin leaks with dynamic eligibility updates
• allow officers to decline shifts for cleaner visibility
• use “queue mode” where officers request interest and schedulers choose the best fit
• auto-post unfilled shifts within a set time window

“Literally this morning somebody called out, instantly put it out there in the market… Had six people request it. Just like that.” - Leroy Henry, Operations Manager at Scout Security Group

Why it matters: Faster coverage, fewer manual calls/texts, better staffing decisions.

5) Hiring + Onboarding Acceleration: E-sign, doc management, tasks

Turnover in guard services can be extremely high, meaning teams must hire and onboard consistently… and fast.

In 2025, Belfry expanded onboarding workflows:

• E-signatures for policies, handbooks, agreements
• improved document privacy controls
• customizable onboarding tasks by officer
• better tracking of compliance and onboarding completion

Why it matters: Less back-and-forth, fewer drop-offs, faster onboarding to active shifts.

4) Embedded Insurance Portal: Workers’ Comp modernization

Traditional workers’ comp insurance wasn’t built for fast-changing schedules and headcount.

In 2025, Belfry launched an embedded insurance workflow with Willis Towers Watson, enabling:

• pre-filled applications using existing payroll/schedule data
• pay-as-you-go style data feeds to reduce year-end audit shock
• better identification of coverage gaps and exclusions
• streamlined quote process directly in-platform

Why it matters: More convenience, less audit risk, and smarter insurance decisions.

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3) Officer Performance Analytics: Recognition + coaching tools

Most guard operators struggle with visibility into day-to-day officer performance, especially across distributed sites.

Performance Analytics provides dashboards for metrics like:

• on-time attendance
• missed clock-ins
• call-offs and reliability patterns
• tour completion
• report timeliness and activity levels

These analytics help teams:

• coach performance early
• reward top performers with data-backed recognition
• improve retention by clarifying “what winning looks like”

Why it matters: Retention and service quality improve when performance is visible and rewarded.

2) Supervisor Mode in Mobile: Field leadership without a laptop

Supervisors shouldn’t have to pull out a laptop to make critical changes.

In 2025, Belfry expanded mobile supervisor functionality so supervisors can:

• see attendance, late punches, and open shifts on mobile
• clock officers in/out as needed
• reassign shifts, mark call-offs, and post offers
• make real-time corrections that sync instantly to the back office

Why it matters: Faster response times, better field leadership, fewer payroll surprises.

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1) In-App Chat + Smart Groups: Communication threads that update autonomously

Communication is one of the biggest pain points in guard operations, especially with high turnover and shifting schedules.

In 2025, Belfry launched chat + group messaging inside the platform:

• secure messaging between back office, supervisors, and officers
• smart groups that automatically update based on schedule/site membership
• full audit trail and timestamping for accountability
• eliminates the chaos of unmanaged text threads and third-party apps

Why it matters: Better coordination, fewer missed messages, improved incident response.

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What’s Coming in 2026: The Next Wave of Guard Operations Innovation

2026 is focused on pushing the industry forward with deeper automation, AI-assisted workflows, and expansion into end-to-end business operations.

Here are the highlights:

1) Earned Wage Access (EWA)

Many officers are cash-flow sensitive and want access to earnings sooner. Earned Wage Access will allow guards to access wages earlier, helping firms:

• improve recruiting competitiveness
• support retention and morale
• add a meaningful employee benefit without extra admin burden

2) Applicant Tracking System (ATS) inside Belfry

Belfry will bring recruiting into the same platform where firms already onboard, schedule, and manage teams.

Planned capabilities include:

• job board posting automation (Indeed, ZipRecruiter, etc.)
• candidate communication and scheduling
• surveys / screening questions to reduce drop-offs
• seamless transition from candidate to hired officer (no duplicate entry)

3) Belle AI: Shift Autopilot

Belle is Belfry’s AI assistant; and in 2026, she’ll take on a new job: helping manage schedule anomalies in real time.

Shift Autopilot will:

• detect call-offs and coverage risks
• identify the best available officers
• send offers and manage follow-ups automatically
• keep admins in the loop based on configurable business rules

“Belle watches your schedule in real time, notices call-offs or coverage risks the moment they happen, and helps find the best available officers - reaching out to them on your behalf.” - Jordan Wallach, Co-Founder & CEO at Belfry

Why it matters: Less scrambling, faster coverage, fewer disruptions.

4) Belle AI: Report Summaries + Professionalization Tools

In 2026, Belle will also help streamline client-facing communications:

• summarize report insights so clients don’t have to read long PDFs
• improve grammar/spelling so reports maintain brand integrity
• reduce manual review time for back-office teams

5) Powerful Financial Reporting inside Belfry

Guard firms often juggle multiple disconnected systems:

• scheduling/timekeeping
• operations reporting
• payroll
• billing
• accounting

In 2026, Belfry is enabling:

• real-time financial reporting
• stronger connection between operational decisions (OT, training hours, coverage) and profit/loss
• fewer gaps from integrations that lose nuance

Why it matters: Smarter business decisions, less system-hopping, better profitability insight.

Next Step: Get the Checklist + Watch the Full Brief

Want to put these releases to work immediately?

Download the PDF version of the Belfry Brief Checklist so you can share it with your ops leaders, schedulers, supervisors, and admin team; and use it to confirm you’re taking advantage of every major 2025 upgrade while preparing for the biggest 2026 launches. Then, watch the full Belfry Brief video for a deeper walkthrough of each innovation (including what’s coming next with AI Shift Autopilot, recruiting workflows, earned wage access, and accounting) and hear the real operational “why it matters” behind each release. 

If you’re not using Belfry yet, this is the perfect moment to schedule a demo and see how modern security operators are eliminating manual work, improving retention and service quality, and staying ahead of the competition with an all-in-one operating system built specifically for guard services. 

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Click here to request a copy of the recording.

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