Insights into security management

Our archive contains more than 1,000 articles on security know-how, many relating to delivering effective security management. Here, we have gathered together some of our most popular articles on this topic.

Security management requires wide-ranging skills, knowledge and experience. It involves careful management of risk, people and systems. Recent articles from our expert contributors support in-depth insights into how to deliver effective security management. We provide a broad selection here to help refresh and widen your knowledge:

• Security past, present and future
• What makes good security?
• How prepared is your business for the next crisis?
• Working from home – the new insider threat?
• Capitalising on the benefits technology brings security
• Innovation in security through inclusion and diversity
• Mental Health for security personnel: the missing link in resilience planning

Security past, present & future

In his article Security past, present and future, Joe Connell, Chairman of the Association of Security Consultants  considers the key areas that will influence effective security management in the next 20–30 years. He writes: “It is essential that, in order not to evade responsibility, those of us in the security sector use all the tools at our disposal today to shape that future. To enable us to do this, we must consider three key areas that security in the next 20–30 years will be influenced by:

• The effects of global events
• The success of partnerships and community ownership
• The continued building of professionalism and trust”

Read his full article here: Security past, present and future

What makes good security?

Noah Price, Head of the G4S Academy highlights nine best practices that can help organisations stay one step ahead of the evolving threats:

• Regular risk assessment, planning and testing
•  Ongoing training for security personnel
• Working in partnership with all stakeholders
• Developing a security culture across the organisation
• Balancing security and customer service
• Taking advantage of new technology
• Building in integration
• Using shared information and best practice

Read the full article here: Nine key steps to good security

How prepared is your business for the next crisis?

Senior security professional Ian Pugh says the questions organisations should be asking themselves post-pandemic are “How prepared is your business, how prepared are your teams and are you doing enough to mitigate risk and prepare your teams for that next crisis?”.  He says we should remember the following about the next crisis:

• It will happen, unfortunately, and it will be instant – without government briefings or advice telling you what to do.
• It will lead to disruption to your business and, if significant enough, could lead to injury and death.
• It will have an effect on your brand and could affect your reputation.
• It could see senior directors in an enquiry answering questions about decisions they took or failed to take.

Read the full article here: How prepared is your business for the next crisis?

Capitalising on the benefits technology brings security

SSR® Personnel  carried out research into how technological innovation is transforming security and providing practitioners with powerful new capabilities. We have extracted five key pieces of wisdom from their contributors on how to understand the threats and benefits technology can bring security as part of effective security management:

• Support the business
• Understand the expanded nature of the security risk
• Embrace the convergence of physical security and cyber security
• Integrate Systems
• Don’t forget the human touch

Read the full article here: The benefits technology brings security

Working from home – the new insider threat

Sarah Austerberry, Director at the Security Institute  analyses the potential threat that increased working from home brings. She says: “Businesses that have allowed flexi-time and remote working have reported increased benefits including office costs being reduced, staff retention increased with better staff morale and productivity and the ability to attract a wider talent pool. COVID-19 forced many businesses to move their entire enterprise to remote working.” But, she adds: “The potential for insider risks within our business is as they say a clear and present danger.”

Sarah asks: Are you ready to meet these new challenges? It is certainly time to dust off the security risk register and apply a COVID-19 lens to the contents:

•  What does the new normal for your business look like?
•  What risks have changed and why?
•  Do you have confidence that the measures you have in place are effective?

Read the full article here: Working from home – Working from home – the new insider threat?

The road to innovative security through inclusion and diversity

Across the security sector many are asking how can we attract and retain the talent needed to reflect the diversity of the society it supports? Anna-Liisa Tampuu & Lisa Reilly Co-Chairs of the Security Institute’s Inclusive Security Special Interest Group (ISSIG) are clear that inclusion and diversity enhance the practices and innovation of the security sector. They believe that if the sector encourages a growth in opportunities for all individuals and provides a safe environment that truly nurtures diversity and inclusion, innovation and growth will follow.

Read full article here: The road to innovative security through inclusion and diversity

Mental Health for security personnel: the missing link in resilience planning

You have invested in mitigating risk and ensuring the resilience of your systems and property – but what about the mental health of your security personnel? Have you considered how they may be affected if they have to deal with a traumatic event, and the aftermath?

Patrick Rea, Director of PTSD Resolution, the charity for the mental health of UK Forces’ Veterans says: “There is much talk in the security industry about the issue of mental health, but many organisations still struggle to understand what they need to do to protect staff from the effects of trauma and how to align their training programmes, HR and management. This matters. Responsible employers support both the physical and mental welfare of their teams. All organisations have a duty of care to staff in relation to work-related incidents. There is a direct impact too in the risk of higher rates of absenteeism and costly errors in the workplace.”

Read full article here: Mental health for security personnel