Recently, I was interviewed by Camera Security Now for my thoughts & insights into the Top 2 Security Risks for US-based multi-national corporations for 2017. I had a terrific time meeting & discussing today’s issues overall and especially want to thank Andy Wendt for reaching out to me and putting this article together!
Incidents of violence in the news have dramatically increased over the past 2 years. These situations include:
San Bernardino CA office party
Orlando FL nightclub
Charleston SC church
Aurora CO movie theatre
Dallas TX parking garage in Texas
Perpetrators have also begun to prey on law enforcement. Violence against the police in 2016, topped out with 21 officers killed in November alone, 140 deaths in the line of duty for the year. When your protectors need protection, you begin to look for stronger solutions to maintain security.
Shock from these events has been widespread. Wisely, leaders in both the public and private sectors have begun to re-examine current policies and to actively look to build their security posture.
Our clients have identified active shooter/active threat and its assessment as an issue they would like PRS to address in training. New for 2017, Dr, Michael Corcoran is partnering with Premier Risk Solutions (PRS) to deliver some exciting online training to help managers and executives deal with workplace threat issues that arise and how to assess them.
Every other month we will present a new. The program will kick off with a free, 30-minute overview webinar of the topics for that month, defining the issues and some ideas of how to deal with them.
Two weeks later, we’ll discuss an actual case we had involving one of these topics – what occurred, how we approached it and problems encountered.
Then we’ll ask for questions, comments and ideas to be emailed in about that type of case or problem – and all will be answered.
Two weeks later, Part 2 of the case review will have us going over the questions we received and exploring ways to resolve the issues.
Finally, two weeks after that, we’ll have an in-depth webinar to really explore the topic in more detail, to include other subject matter experts (SME’s) advice.
Hence, PRS will be part of this experience as additional SME’s and share their insights.
Stay tuned and keep an active eye on the Premier Risk Solutions Advance Training Center tab of our website for more details.
The mainstream media is continually reporting on IT security vulnerabilities, Russian, Chinese and other apparent state-sponsored hacking and the potential for Alexa to spy on you, something appears to be missing in this conversation.
The elephant in the room for many CSOs we have been talking to and the thing that keeps them up at night is an equally, if not more fatal threat. While cyber security is a very valid concern, there is a movement afoot in the US and indeed global marketplace to steal wholesale parts of your business enterprise.
Learn where these threats come from and who the players are behind it. Hear how proactive assessments and programs will determine your very survival as a brand, should these disruptive activities overtake you.
In this edition of PRS Radio, Joe Zaccaria interviews John Lee about this very real global threat. John previously directed security operations across Asia for a global security giant. He has witnessed first-hand the devastating impacts these events have had on some organizations that reached out to him for help.
In an ever changing and evolving threat from terrorism, we all look for viable solutions that are economically feasible, meet the duty of care requirement and do not complicate business. Often times we forget the implications the Global War on Terror has for our business operations overseas. I recently completed a survey that was focused on whether business should pull out of Istanbul or remain. The question couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. While I was planning my impending travel to the city where East meets the West, I found myself looking closely at the travel risk as well as whether it was feasible to curtail travel by our business units. Istanbul on the surface is a “somewhat” safe city. The biggest issue I have found is the ongoing conflict the PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party) has waged against the Turkish Security Forces. Add that to the ongoing refugee influx as well as the presence of Islamic extremism, to include ISIL, you have a recipe that often times involves violence and terror. These elements are looking to cause a significant blow to the Turkish economy, and by all accounts, according to reports, have negatively impacted nearly $450 billion USD to the local economy. Does that mean US business should pull out? Certainly not “yet.” Once we begin to withdraw business from the region, we are saying in so many words “you have won.” In my opinion, we can establish a stronger security posture in and around our businesses as well as provide recommendations for the business traveler. There are simple things all business travelers can do in order to decrease their exposure to attacks and criminal activity. For example, some key things I encourage travelers to do:
Don’t linger in the “non-sterile” area of the airport either on drop off for departure or for arrival
Limit your use of taxi service and hire a “known” driving service. The exchange rate is very favorable, thus making this expense negligible
Make sure your driver speaks English and knows alternate routes to the airport and your hotel
Prior to departure, use mapping software such as Google Maps to plan your route from every starting and stopping point to include your route from the airport to the hotel
Make sure your cell phone has international coverage and make a call when you land to verify
Limit your time on popular touristy sites! This is a big one. As tempting as it might be, stay away from the popular areas where people visit
Never engage in conversation with someone you don’t know and don’t provide them with details of your stay
Have an alternate “cover story” for where you are from (best not to say “America”) and be able to back it up. Often time people pick cover stories that they cannot back up. If you say “France” you better be able to speak French, for example.
We are all proud American’s but please don’t wear your Red, White, and Blue on the street. Try to blend in.
Always be aware of where you are, where you are going and how long it takes to get there.
Istanbul is a great city, but remember it is also a city struggling with a huge refugee population and a highly desirable destination for those trying to flee Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Not to mention those attempting to leave Syria after the battle for their cause to get to the West and continue the battle. Should business pull out? Absolutely not. We should just be wiser in how we conduct ourselves there.
Over the years, I’ve been asked to participate in surveys from security peers where the primary objective was to determine how many full time staff (aka FTE’s, proprietary, or In-House resources) vs. contractors we have. One specific request was from a security director of a fortune 500 company who invited me to participate in an all-day benchmarking session to discuss proprietary FTE staffing models. The company had just reorganized and his new VP questioned their current security staffing model. I think the security director regretted inviting me because I told him he was way overstaffed with FTE’s and could effectively run his business with less FTE’s and more contractors.
Many security directors come from the government with military or law enforcement backgrounds. They are used to having FTE staffing and only used contractors on a limited basis. I know a few security directors that pride themselves on having large FTE staff because they feel the more FTE employees they have, the more power they hold. There are some biases, whether conscious or unconscious, towards contractors. I’ve heard from some of my FTE staff in my early years in the corporate arena that contractors needed to have limited decision making authority and only FTE’s could drive strategic programs. I disagreed because I knew that talent is talent no matter the employment status of someone. I’ve seen in the physical security industry where contractors are treated poorly by FTE’s and I definitely would not tolerate that in my organization. Part of the problem resides in some contracting companies that treat their staff like commodities that are easily expendable, so the result is having poorly trained, uninspired, unengaged, and unhappy contractors. This is where a security director may argue that having FTE staff is required over contractors because of a higher retention rate and morale. There’s a trend in Silicon Valley where traditional contracting roles such as man-guarding are being converted to FTE’s. I don’t want to debate anyone’s reasoning for doing this but I can only speculate if their companies ever have a bad quarter and need to cut costs, there’s a high likelihood that the FTE man-guarding will be at the top of the list to cut.
I have built a strong contracting model in my organization as getting FTE resources is very difficult to obtain; however getting dollars for contracting is much easier. I recall about 14 years ago when I was a new manager some of my FTE staff warned me not to bring in higher level contractors to help with our strategic direction. They felt only FTE’s were capable of making key strategic decisions. I guess being new to corporate security, I wanted a second opinion and brought in strategic consultants to help validate what I was being told. I’ve learned that there are good contractors that are committed to delivering to their client’s objectives, and I’ve also had bad experiences. Years ago I hired a consultant for a risk assessment project who later covertly pitched my CSO why he (the contractor) needed to run the operations organization as the director. I think this is where security managers are leery of security consulting contractors not looking out for their client’s best interest.
My advice is to check the references of security contractors/consultants and get feedback on the tangible results they delivered. Another example I have is from a very well-known consultant that I considered bringing on for a strategic project. He told me that he had done a large project for the IT department in my company. He dropped a few names from my company that hired him, one being a very high level VP whom he probably thought I wouldn’t reach out to. I reached out to the VP, and he said never heard of the guy and never did a project with him. When I confronted the consultant with my findings, he changed his original statement that he had subbed for another consultant doing the work. I quickly found out that wasn’t true either. Needless to say not only did he not get my business, I continue question his veracity and reputation when I see him posting blogs and articles about being a security authority.
Part of the problem of the security contracting world is the actual contractors or companies themselves. It’s really no different than hiring a construction contractor where you’ll find really good ones, middle-of-the-road ones, and very bad ones.
Once I find a security contractor that delivers on what they say they will do, and are strategic partners that are truthful and transparent whether the message is good, bad, or indifferent, I stick with them for the long term and have built a very successful, world-class security organization with their help.
In conclusion, don’t be afraid to leverage contractors as long as you do your own due diligence in checking their body of work, references, and holding them accountable when you bring them on. You won’t be disappointed and will likely build a long-term strategic partnership that will make your organization better and stronger.
*Disclaimer: The opinions and views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily state or reflect those of Microsoft.
For the last decade, Mexico has been the country in which more people have been abducted for kidnap for ransom purposes.
Different criminal groups have dabbled into this criminal phenomenon because there is a perception of low risk and high reward. Motivations are drawn by money.
There are no political or religious incentives — this a crime that is purely for greed and avarice.
Viewers will…
Understand how kidnapping has evolved in Mexico
See worldwide statistics as well as local ones
Learn how this crime operates
Understand the first steps that should be taken in case of a crisis
Are you getting the most from your in-house or contract security provider? Unless you audit them, how will you know? Running occasional audits of security officer resources is a good way to keep personnel on their toes and vendors serving your needs. In this 30-minute webinar designed for busy executives like you, PRS will present a simple checklist framework for you to conduct your own Security Force Audit.
Learn the tips and tricks of performing a proper audit and gather data. If you are planning an RFP process, this audit program will be that much more valuable to you. As they say, you can’t manage what you don’t measure!
