CORPORATE SECURITY
Corporate security
identifies and effectively mitigates or manages, at an early stage, any
developments that may threaten the resilience and continued survival of a
corporation.
It is a corporate function that
oversees and manages the close coordination of all functions within the company
that are concerned with security, continuity and safety.
Introduction
Globalisation
has changed the structure and pace of corporate life;
1.
The saturation of traditional markets is taking
companies to more risky places;
2.
The shift towards a knowledge
economy is eroding the importance of ‘place’ in the business world;
3.
New business practices such as offshoring
challenge companies to manage at a distance;
4.
New forms of accountability, such as corporate governance and corporate social responsibility,
put
added pressure on companies to
match their words with deeds, wherever they are operating.
At the same time, security risks
have become more complex, too.
Many of the threats, such as
1.
Terrorism,
2.
organised crime and
are asymmetric and networked,
making them more difficult to manage.
There is also greater appreciation
of the interdependence between a company’s risk portfolio and the way it
does business:
Certain types of behaviour can
enhance or undermine an organisation’s ‘licence to operate’, and
In some cases this can generate
risks that would not otherwise exist.
As a result, security has a
higher profile in the corporate world today than it did five years ago.
Companies are looking for new ways
to manage these risks and the portfolio of the security department.
Security
department has widened to include shared
responsibility for things such as reputation,
1.
Corporate governance and regulation,
2.
Corporate social responsibility and
There are MANY characteristics of
alignment between security and the business:
1.
The
principal role of the security department is to convince colleagues across the
business to deliver security through their everyday actions and decisions.
2.
The
security department is in the business of change management rather than enforcement
and works through trusted social networks of influence.
3.
Security
is there to help the company to take risks rather than prevent them and should
therefore be at the forefront of new business development.
4.
Security
constantly responds to new business concerns and, as such, the portfolio of
responsibilities and their relative importance will change over time.
5.
Security
departments should never stand still or become fixed entities.
6.
In many
companies today, its role is more concerned with overall corporate resilience
than ‘traditional’ security.
7.
Security
is both a strategic and operational activity, and departments must distinguish
between these two layers.
8.
The
power and legitimacy of the security department does not come from its expert
knowledge, but from its
·
Business
acumen,
·
People
skills,
·
Management
ability and
·
Communication
expertise.
Core Elements
Core elements of Corporate Security
are:
1.
Personal
Security
5.
Compliance
and Ethics Programs
6.
Crime
Prevention and Detection
8.
Investigations
12. Environment, Safety and Health
Roles
For many years corporate security
has been dominated by a ‘defensive’ approach, focused on protection and loss
prevention.
The head of security was seen as
little more than the ‘guard at the gate’, someone whose actions invariably
stopped people doing their jobs instead of enabling the business to function
more effectively.
Typically, heads of security came
from a narrow talent pool, namely police, armed forces or intelligence.
There are many reasons companies
tend to recruit security managers from these backgrounds.
The police and armed forces churn
out individuals with intensive training in the practice of security and
protection, and
have hands-on experience that is
rarely available elsewhere.
There are a number of reasons
greater diversity is essential within the corporate security function.
1.
There is
a growing recognition of the strategic importance of security and as a result
security departments need to operate at a much more senior level.
2.
Matrix
organisations require a particular approach to management and leadership, which
can be antithetical to those with police or armed services backgrounds.
3.
In
today’s corporate environment, the impact of the security department is proportionate
to its ability to persuade individuals and teams all over the company to collaborate
and cooperate.
4.
This
means that dialogue between security specialists and non-specialists is essential.
5.
Traditional
security skills are associated with an approach where security is perceived as
a ‘dis-enabler’ of business.
6.
Those
with formal security training can tend to be risk averse, while businesses need
to take calculated
·
Risks to
stay ahead of competitors,
·
Break
into new markets and
·
Maximise
profits.
7.
The
corporate security function needs people who are happy breaking rules, innovating
and thinking outside the box.
8.
58
Studies of security-related professions such as the police, the ambulance
service and local authority emergency planning departments have suggested that
‘too much’ experience
in a traditional security context can inhibit people from making innovative
responses to security incidents.
9.
Heads of
security consistently rated qualities such as independent thinking, willingness
to challenge assumptions and behaviours and innovation as being ones they value
most in their team.
10. One said: ‘I’m looking for people who push the boundaries
and constantly challenge the way we work.’
11. There is a growing recognition of the value
of ‘the human element’. According to experts, many security professionals are
typically trained to address security incidents and emergencies in ways that
fail to factor in the human dynamics of such situations, including the impact
of emotions, perceptions and fear on people’s behaviour.
12. Emotional intelligence is critical to
effective alignment, but the human element of security and risk management is
routinely overshadowed by the emphasis on technical security skills.
For security to be aligned with the
business, security managers must understand the business and how they
contribute towards its objectives.
The Chief Security Officer (CSO) is the
corporation's top executive who is responsible for security.
The CSO serves as the business
leader responsible for the development, implementation and management of the
organization’s corporate security vision, strategy and programs.
They direct staff in
1.
Identifying,
2.
Developing,
3.
Implementing and
maintaining security processes
across the organization to reduce risks,
1.
Respond to incidents, and
2.
Limit exposure to liability in all areas of
Financial,
Physical, and
Personal risk;
Establish appropriate standards and
risk controls associated with intellectual property; and
Direct the establishment and
implementation of policies and procedures related to data security.
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