by Micheal Delamere | Nov 20, 2016 | Related Local Business
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.
by Micheal Delamere | Nov 15, 2016 | PRS Team
Time: 47:18 ~
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
by Micheal Delamere | Nov 15, 2016 | PRS Team
Time: 22:44 ~
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!
by Micheal Delamere | Oct 10, 2016 | PRS Team
Time: 22:56 ~ Business Resiliency, Continuity and Resumption are vital to the success of your enterprise. This program will focus on a tailored program for your specific operations and will eliminate any costly and unnecessary process steps.
Viewers will…
- Consider the significant costs associated with maintaining the status quo
- Explore the relationships between business units, functions, and criticality
- Learn how collaboration with in-house subject matter experts aid this process
- Discover how routine maintenance can create challenges and what you can do about them to avoid failures
- Develop a keen eye for single-point failures and how to document them
- Be challenged to be resourceful and creative with solutions and processes
- Learn how to gain management support and obtain budget dollars
- Realize a targeted program yields results, while leveraging your internal domain expertise
by Micheal Delamere | Oct 5, 2016 | PRS Team
Time: 22:00 ~ France, San Bernardino, Orlando… these words alone strike a chord in all of us similar to 9/11. Excel Industries, Accent Signage Systems, Hartford Distributors, for some reason do not stimulate the same kind of response. Yet these last three companies were the victims of mass shootings by a workplace violence perpetrator in just the last 3- 5 years.
Believe it or not, the shooters in all of these atrocities exhibited similar behaviors prior to the event. The specific motivation for the act may have been different, but their behaviors well before the shooting are surprisingly alike!
This 22-minute webinar reveals these behaviors in order to identify and thus prevent these killings. Protect yourself, your employees, your coworkers, and your business – without being armed or skilled in the martial arts!
by Micheal Delamere | Oct 5, 2016 | Related Local Business
The question has often come about from many companies seeking consultants, auditors and program developers, how can a young company with limited staffing support a company on a global scale and the answer is and always will be Strategic Business Partnerships. There is a reason most companies seek outside support and that is these individual companies provide the specific knowledge, experience and expertise to assist the larger company without requiring them to hiring internal staff, especially on short term projects and assignments.
The company selected must have a clearly defined program that meets the client’s needs and that their leadership has the knowledge, experience and expertise to support the needs on a global scale and that they can demonstrate these capabilities through their global partnership. This company should be able to demonstrate that they have a strategic plan to support and administer the project or program and that they have a process in place to verify and validate their capabilities.
Here are some key things to consider:
- Company’s Leadership Team, experience, knowledge, and capabilities
- Company’s Financial Capabilities to support the project or program
- Company’s Internal Hiring, Training, and Certification Process
- Company’s Strategic Business Partnership on a Global Scale
- Company’s ability to complete the project on time and as agreed
There are a number of other factors to consider and keep in mind that even large, international consulting companies use smaller companies to support their clients. Far too often individuals seek out large, well established companies as their service or solution provider and they are not always capable of supporting these projects so you should not rely solely on the name or size of the company but rather do research on them, such as client references and recommendations.
It is recommended that companies seeking specialized companies have a detailed outline of the project, timeline, expectations, and financial dependencies. A well-thought-out strategy will allow for ease in the selection of the right company with the right capabilities and knowledge. In most cases with smaller companies, you have direct contact and interact with their senior leadership team who are in most cases directly engaged in the work activity.
by Micheal Delamere | Sep 15, 2016 | Related Local Business
Business Continuity and Resumption becomes more important to businesses when something goes wrong. The panic sets in, the rush to make things right and then the finger-pointing aftermath. Many companies take the gamble because business continuity and resumption seems like such a daunting task and who really has time for all that? Well, here are four steps to motivate you to get cracking on your Business Continuity and Resumption Planning (BCRP).
One of the great places to start your BCRP process is to conduct an All Hazards Risk Assessment. A good all hazards assessment will short-list what your company (per location) will need to address in your planning. For example, are hurricanes prevalent in your operating area, or is that St. Louis branch far inland and unaffected by such weather conditions? What are the historic norms for your hot list of hazards? Now that you have completed your All Hazards Risk Assessment, you have great intel to begin your BCRP journey…
Tip #1 Leverage Your Internal Resources
Your company has many unique processes and programming to deliver your product or service to market. The greatest experts are therefore within your own operations. There are many front-line personnel that hold amazing amounts of historical and current know-how. Whether you tackle this planning alone or with a consultant, you need to ensure this knowledge base is exploited for the good of your company and you need to resist any third-party consultant that wishes to move you towards a cookie-cutter approach to BCRP. Leverage your internal resources and save yourself money in the long run.
Tip #2 Break Up the Work Into Small Tasks
BCRP does not come together overnight. Organize a team of internal stakeholders from various departments within your operations. Develop a questionnaire to be sent out to every department within your operations. Send it to that department’s manager. Have each department rank their critical processes and equipment/material needs. Don’t overload them and don’t give these folks to many tasks to do at once, or they simple will push this to the side of their desks.
Tip #3 Analyze Responses and Probe Loss
Now that your team has flushed out what may be critical to your specific business units, have each department take another small bite of the BCRP pie. Have your team develop a rating system for the impact of loss of process or equipment, based on time. What will the impact be if this process, equipment or other asset be unavailable for (5 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 1 hour and so on). Include 24, 48 and 72 hour time frames.
Tip #4 Zero in and Get Creative
Now have your team work with the departments to sort out what was “nice to have” on the lists, as opposed to what is really CRITICAL to company operations. When you have whittled things down to what is truly critical, it’s time to work creatively on solutions that will help your company RESUME operations, following a emergency. Think out of the box to see what you can borrow, patch or share within and outside of your operations. Pen agreements and devise plans around these valuable recovery resources and begin to assemble these items NOW, while there is no active crisis to deal with. Ensure that you update this entire process on a regular basis.
There are many ways to tackle the Business Continuity and Resumption Planning process. This is one very simplistic way of starting something from scratch. In an upcoming blog post, I will share some examples from the field regarding some of these items and issues. Good luck with your BCRP!
