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Spotlight: Guardian Alliance Technologies’ cloud-based software connects police agencies with applicants seeking employment

Guardian’s mission is to protect the integrity of the law enforcement profession by streamlining the vetting and hiring of peace officers.

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Company Name: Guardian Alliance Technologies
Headquarters: Stockton, California
Signature Product: Guardian Background Management
Website: https://guardianalliancetechnologies.com/

Guardian’s vision is to create an alliance of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies of all types working together using the latest technologies and techniques, to ensure we have the best officers and agents serving to protect us.

Q&A

1. Where did your company name originate from?

My co-founding partner, Steve Airola, and I took some time selecting a name for the company. We knew the purpose of our software platform was to protect, or guard, the integrity of the law enforcement agency by helping filter out who was let in through the door – thus the word “Guardian” was selected. The mission of the company is to go beyond guarding the front gates. Our vision includes unifying background units and investigators nationwide to form a collaborative alliance to execute a shared vision of enhancing the hiring process in the public sector.

2. What was the inspiration behind starting your company?

I worked in my department’s background unit for almost three years and was able to see all the bottlenecks and issues with the entire process from start to finish. Like most background investigators, I felt there had to be a more efficient way to perform these necessary investigations. After learning no realistic solution existed in the market, I took to identifying several problems in the current methods and joined forces with others who shared my vision for an improved investigation process.

3. What is your signature product and how does it work?

Guardian Background Management is a cloud-based software that connects law enforcement agencies with applicants seeking employment during the background investigation process. The Guardian platform provides a unified portal used by supervisors and investigators to gather, compile and store all the information required during the course of a background investigation. In addition to organizing all the data that goes into a background investigation, Guardian assists supervisors and investigators by automating several processes throughout the investigation which not only saves countless hours, but helps the investigators spend more time on vetting the candidate and less time with administrative tasks.

4. Why do you believe your products are essential to the police community?

Populations are constantly increasing in cities and towns across the nation. The need for qualified individuals to serve the community continues to grow every day. However, due to the complexities of the investigation process, many cities are experiencing shortages and backlogs as they attempt to fill those positions with potential candidates. Guardian provides a much-needed solution to shorten the investigation process while simultaneously increasing its quality for all positions within the public sector – all while saving the department valuable dollars that can be spent elsewhere in crime prevention, fire-fighting, saving lives, etc.

5. What has been the biggest challenge your company has faced?

Without a standardized process or solution previously available, a lot of agencies have adapted their own methods and practices in how they conduct their background investigation. We are constantly challenged with helping unify agencies everywhere through a single platform that can be used by every agency, large or small - yet affording each agency the ability to participate without a huge disruption of the way they have been conducting investigations for decades.

6. What makes your company unique?

Guardian was built for law enforcement, by law enforcement. Unlike many traditional software companies who develop software for industries in which they are not active participants, Guardian Alliance Technologies is 100 percent focused on developing solutions specifically for the hiring process within the public sector. We have a team of highly skilled and creative individuals, several highly-decorated law enforcement officials who serve on our advisory board, strategic partnerships with organizations like NEOGOV and the FBI National Academy Associates (FBINAA), to provide the best solution possible to agencies nationwide.

7. What do your customers like best about your products?

Aside from the appreciation that we receive due to the fact the software was actually built from the input and guidance of actual law enforcement background investigators, our customers delight in the easy-to-use interfaces of the platform and its accessibility from anywhere via any device. Not to mention their increased availability of desk space due to the digitalization of all their investigation binders.

8. What is the most rewarding part of serving the first responder/local government community?

I grew up wanting to be a police officer and my dream came true. After retiring due to an injury in the line of duty, I got to continue my service by providing background investigations for the department in which I worked. When the opportunity arose to develop a platform that could serve our communities at a national level, myself, my founding partners, and our team here at Guardian became excited at the prospect of orchestrating a collective of these highly-respected men and women who have a passion to place the best personnel on the streets of America.

9. Do you support any charitable organizations within public safety/community?

Guardian is an official member of the FBINAA Alliance and a proud supporter of the FBI National Academy Associates. The partnership is dedicated to strategically aligning itself with a select group of well-respected and like-minded organizations committed to making our local and global communities better. The financial and organizational support of our sponsorship help us enhance the knowledge and professionalism of law enforcement throughout the world. This relationship is a joint commitment with a goal to improve safety, security, education and communications on a local, national and international level. Our alliance is aimed at mutual benefits in the achievement of respective goals.

10. Is there any fun fact or trivia that you’d like to share with our users about you or your company?

Our very first logo depicted a three-headed dog – a nod to the Greek mythological character “Cerberus”, whose job it was to guard the gates of the underworld. This later morphed into an image of a German Shepherd, flanked by two shadowed dogs facing left and right – representing a K-9 protecting from all directions. As the company grew, we elected to further evolve our logo and brand by introducing a shield and seal to represent the protection of the department.

11. What’s next for your company? Any upcoming new projects or initiatives?

At this point in time, we are laser-focused in helping law enforcement and related public service agencies through the Guardian platform and Alliance initiative. However, we have teams constantly working on enhancements to the platform, and other areas of the recruiting process where our software solutions may help play a role in increasing efficiency. We are constantly amazed and grateful for the continued support of so many law enforcement officials who help guide us and participate in the solutions we are developing for future releases.

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