Company name: Vector Solutions
Headquarters: Tampa, Fla.
Signature product: Vector LMS Training Management System
Website: https://www.vectorsolutions.com/industries/public-safety/law-enforcement/
1. Where did your company name originate from?
Vector Solutions was started by a professional engineer who used the term “Vector” due to its meaning in mathematics as “a quantity having direction and magnitude.” We believe online training acts as a vector by providing a focused direction, continuous improvement, scalability, adaptability and synergy - ultimately leading to a more skilled and prepared workforce.
2. What was the inspiration behind starting your company?
Vector Solutions’ mission is to deliver software solutions that empower our customers to make safer, smarter, better decisions. Our aim is to offer a unique solution set that helps customers manage their risk and safeguard lives from multiple angles including training and development, workforce management and operational readiness.
3. What is your signature product and how does it work?
Vector Solutions provides law enforcement with software that helps train, prepare and retain officers. One of our primary products is Vector LMS Training Management System. It simplifies a department’s training with integrated applications to deliver and track all critical online and in-person training, DORs, annual training requirements, policies and professional development – all in one place.
4. Why do you believe your products are essential to the police community?
Vector Solutions was built out of the critical need for public safety to achieve measurable readiness. Our solutions track public safety’s most important asset: your people. From the state regulatory bodies to the academies to the local agencies, our technology manages every aspect of personnel and operational readiness to ensure that our first responders are optimally trained, equipped and mission-ready when the call comes.
5. What has been the biggest challenge your company has faced?
The COVID-19 pandemic swiftly transitioned Vector to remote work, challenging our strong company culture centered on our mission to serve everyday heroes. With in-person interactions and shared experiences integral to our culture, we had to proactively shift our focus to foster connections among employees and customers. Our mission remained the cornerstone, uniting us in striving to make our communities safer during these unprecedented times – despite the physical distance.
6. What makes your company unique?
Vector has a long history of being dedicated to our clients, many of whom rush toward danger when others are going the other way, so our solutions reflect the high-stakes, ever-changing nature of the environments our everyday heroes work in. Our commitment to industry specificity has allowed us to build software and training that really meets the unique needs of first responders, helping them achieve better outcomes and safeguard lives. Vector has been doing this for over two decades, bringing a deep understanding of our markets, our customers and how to use technology to help make our communities safer.
7. What do your customers like best about you and your products?
Our customers appreciate that we understand their core mission isn’t paperwork — it’s about protecting and saving lives. By focusing on removing administrative burdens and ensuring compliance with mandates, we free up valuable time for first responders to do what they do best: protecting and serving their communities. Our solutions empower them to spend less time behind desks and more time in the field, where their passion truly lies.
8. What is the most rewarding part of serving the first responder community?
The most rewarding part of serving the public safety community is knowing that our solutions directly contribute to their ability to save lives and keep communities safe. Every day, we see the impact of our efforts in the field, where first responders are equipped with the knowledge, training and resources they need to handle emergencies effectively.
Seeing our technology streamline processes, remove administrative burdens and ensure compliance allows us to witness firsthand how we’re making a difference in the lives of those who serve on the frontlines. Knowing that we play a role in supporting their critical mission is incredibly fulfilling and drives us to continue innovating and providing the best possible solutions for our customers.
9. Do you support any charitable organizations within public safety/community? Tell us more.
Vector and our team members support several charities and philanthropic endeavors related to public safety through various programs:
- We hold an annual corn hole competition to raise money for Project K-9 Hero, which supports retired police K-9s and military working dogs
- Our annual Vector Volunteer Week promotes giving and volunteering across the company, including fundraising for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation and the Never Forget Fund.
- Our Vector Cares program serves our communities with complimentary online courses on critical topics including courses for law enforcement including use of excessive force, Critical Incident Stress Management and mental health for first responders.
10. Is there any fun fact or trivia that you’d like to share with our users about you or your company?
Vector launched its first two online courses in the summer of 2000 and we will be coming up on our 25th anniversary next year.
11. What’s next for your company? Any upcoming new projects or initiatives?
Vector Solutions recently launched AgencyConnect, the only data-sharing solution connecting local departments’ training management systems to those used by state certifying authorities and training academies. This revolutionary approach to solving the problem of fragmentation will fundamentally change how we manage public safety training and certification information.
It provides a real-time, single repository across state agencies, academies and local departments, enabling training authorities to automatically collect and verify hundreds of thousands of records submitted annually from agencies across the state.
Some of the benefits departments will see using AgencyConnect include:
- Reduced time-intensive, manual processes that inhibit training reviews
- Simplified training reporting to reduce the risk of out-of-compliance first responders
- Better preparedness insight from comprehensive certification, renewal and training information