In this editorial we ask for the thoughts of Lynne James (Managing Director at Elle Security Ltd) on whether the current economic downturn is having an impact on asset protection. Norman Mortell, Director, Agenda Security Services
The economic downturn has a double edged impact on our industry. Security can be a grudge purchase influenced by the mindset of “it won’t happen to me” unless a direct threat is apparent or an incident has occurred. It’s sometimes the case that when an incident occurs and already impacted on the organisation is it a consideration to assign a budget for security.
In some cases it’s prudent to look at the budget where an organisation may have an “acceptable” level of loss by the nature of their industry, and compare this to actual cost of implementing even the most basic of security measures.
The other side of the coin is as times are more difficult and as societies fare worse by job losses and redundancies, the opportunity for an escalation in criminality is more prominent. That’s one small part of course…
Geographically each location differs in the impact that the economy has on society and the part it plays in the way criminality or indeed terrorism evolves, therefore the risks to our organisations and our employees can come in many different guises.
In addition, critical to our ability and capability to respond are the tools to hand and the effectiveness of the infrastructure and legislation in enable their use.
Nowadays as individuals and as businesses we transit the globe, with our only knowledge being what we encounter or what we are told through media or fellow travelers. To some extent this is an intelligence gathering capability that we all utilise and we naturally assess risk as we go about our daily lives. But what if you’re not so informed? What if you’re too busy to take time to ask about the geographical or local threats? What if the ripple from something you didn’t immediately perceive as a threat is now invading your inner space…..is it too late?
The investment of governments, corporate or individuals in security has to measure against the effectiveness of the methods they have at their disposal or employ to respond. Intelligence is crucial and plays a major part in being aware, developing a security aware society is in itself a concentric layer of protection for all around us and pushes to the surface the threats and intentions to cause harm. To protect our assets we need to stay informed, be proactive and be aware. How capable is your current security plan to protect those assets? How up to date is it? When was it last tested? Are you getting value for money?
Is it worth considering a more educated approach, identifying what you have to utilise, how you would use it but more importantly what are you using it against, knowing what you are likely to encounter as a threat allows to you to answer the initial questions!
The storm will always hit hard on the ill prepared, a perpetrator will always look for the soft target, the vulnerable, the easy to access, easy to exploit to achieve their objectives, easy to get away with it, perhaps! What obstacles as an individual or a organisation can you put in the way? What is the impact on your productivity? How can you make yourself less of a target or more protected? What is your resilience plan – identifying your exposure to risk?
Often we wait until a serious incident before we act!
In the event of a crisis your ability to return to normality as quick as possible is the main aim. Without an understanding of the threat, how and what sort of impact that crisis may be or how it will manifest itself… then you are behind the curve!
Resilience management coupled with effective security measures will enable your business continuity and reduce the impact of an incident affecting your business or personal lifestyle. Having a wider view on factors that could impact on your growth, production or profitability is time well spent and makes all of the difference when it comes to survivability. Internal and external focus, scenario planning and testing with a view to convergence with security planning is crucial.
All too many organisations duplicate effort between security departments and crisis management, and indeed the corporate direction and company operational objectives don’t always get fed into the mix. Compromise and detailed planning, enhanced through communication at all levels builds a working tool. Accountability can’t be ignored and management’s corporate responsibility and legal obligations can at times be overlooked, it’s all too late when the wolf is at the door…
Lynne James, Managing Director
Elle Security Ltd
www.elle-security.com
