Wake Up Corporate America! Get Smart About Security

The new reali ty and the ongoing war on terrorism often bring up the following questions:

1. Is the current securi ty situation threatening our economy as well as endangering our lives?
2. Is there something, at the corporate level, that can and should be done?
3. Can and should we get involved in our own securi ty?

If you have posed any of these questions, this article is written for you.

The first question is basically rhetorical, as in the wake of September 11, the effects of the attacks on our economy while not ruinous have been severe, and every day the threat of terror looms in our lives. "Yes" is the answer to the second question as well, although we should first analyze how we have dealt and continue to deal with securi ty in the private sector and only then discuss routes to significant improvement.

The answer to the third question is, or should be, "yes" once again. That is not necessarily to say that we should now take upon ourselves the job of personally defending our companies in addition to our other work-related tasks. On the other hand, we can no longer afford to remain ignorant in matters so critical to our physical as well as economical survival. Our securi ty is too important to be left solely in the hands of traditional securi ty experts.

In order to make better choices with regards to these elements of our securi ty framework:

• Budget
• Programs / Strategies
• Providers
• Management
• Personnel
• Equipment
• Procedures that tie them all together into a working system

We have to educate ourselves, at minimum, in the basic principles of successful and cost effective securi ty.

What have we been doing wrong? Why are many existing securi ty systems so ineffective?

1. In most cases, securi ty was and may still not be high on our priori ty list, since securi ty is not productive and does not contribute directly to the bottom line (with the exception of those entities where securi ty is a principal product, as is the case for certain governmental agencies).
2. We only realize its importance and become aware of securi ty after a loss or a breach in securi ty takes place.
3. Assuming the abili ty of securi ty firms and contractors are all equal, we almost always opt for the lowest bidder hence appointing a minimum wage work force to guard us and our assets.
4. Low quali ty securi ty personnel will have a hard time implementing securi ty procedures among a company's staff, let alone enforcing them in the event they encounter a criminal intruder.
5. All too often our securi ty planner is also the guard service provider and the installer of our technical systems (CCTV, monitoring center, access control, etc.), who has a natural interest in packing our system with guards and selling us costly equipment. But does this result in an enhanced securi ty system that correlates directly to our investment? Probably not.
6. In other cases, our securi ty equipment installer is an electrician (if we are lucky, he's a good one) who deals with certain brands of access control, CCTV systems, software, etc. but has very little knowledge of securi ty system planning and operations. His nature priori ty is to pack the place with costly equipment.
7. An over load of securi ty equipment and check points is not only a burden on the budget but creates unnecessary bottle necks that are more of a hassle than they are effective. This represents the current situation in most airports today.
8. Since too many securi ty systems are planned and put together by laymen (in securi ty terms) and are not based on a thorough threat analysis, they only work while dealing with law abiding ci tizens but fail at the first encounter with a criminal mind, not to mention a terrorist.
9. It is the unfortunate reali ty that only very few companies bother to train their employees (top to bottom) in securi ty awareness and how to contribute to the securi ty effort by becoming valid force multipliers to the company's securi ty outfit.
10. Multitude of systems (some times a mixture of old and modern) that don't interface well and or personnel that is not capable enough to handle state of the art systems.
11. And last but not least, there is the ever lacking and insufficient securi ty budget.

If some or all of the above sounds familiar, your company might need a "securi ty makeover". Here's how to go about it:

1. First you have to realize that your firm, its workers, clients, and its product itself all need securi ty. Try not to wait until something goes wrong before coming to that conclusion.
2. Order an expert's threat analysis that will enable you to be realistic about potential threats and losses.
3. Have an expert plan and construct your securi ty in direct relation to the established estimated threat level for efficiency and cost effectiveness.
4. Assign a capable director or head of securi ty (provided you do not already have one) working in accordance with clear securi ty-related criteria and guidelines provided to you by a securi ty expert. (Remember, this individual should have leadership skills as well as technical qualifications and a good understanding of the company's needs and policies just as well as its securi ty procedure).
5. Let an objective securi ty expert (one who doesn't profit from selling and installing equipment or providing securi ty personnel) choose your securi ty providers (guards as well as physical systems and their installers) or provide you with the criteria for making the correct choice.
6. The same expert can help you to lay the professional ground rules for employment of such providers.
7. Be just as selective with your securi ty personnel as you are with production or sales personnel (even if you're outsourcing securi ty). Most securi ty systems fail at the human level regardless of how much was invested in the technical elements.
8. Regard securi ty personnel as your own (even if outsourced) and create a bond between them and your company for better identification with the working place and higher motivation. Remember - we often expect securi ty personnel to put their own safe ty on the line for our company so motivation is a major factor.
9. Make sure that your expert advisor has the knowledge of the criminal's and terrorist's modes of operation and experience in their detection and prevention.
10. Remember there is no universal securi ty. Effective securi ty is tailor made and takes into consideration, at minimum, a company's nature, product and routines.
11. Even the best securi ty system is only half as strong as it could be without the cooperation of the non securi ty employees. Securi ty awareness programs for management as well as the rest of the employee force that convert them into securi ty force multipliers are extremely effective in optimizing a securi ty system.
12. The worst enemy of a securi ty system is the daily routine. It causes deterioration and erosion in alertness and performance. It is important for any serious securi ty framework to be checked, trained and drilled periodically by an external enti ty (since it can not perform and objectively evaluate those checks on itself).
13. How to properly budget securi ty? What is essential to its performance and what is superfluous, or overkill?

As we face an ever increasing threat from terrorist and criminal activi ty, we must understand the importance of a balanced securi ty resources allocation and the importance in maintaining a focused securi ty mindset and approach. Only then, we will know that we have done our best to protect our human, commercial and financial assets.

<< Return to Newsletters | Print this page