ASIS International's Security Management Reports on How the Role of Corporate Security Changed in 2002

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Press Contact: Vicki Contavespi
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Alexandria, VA (Jan 7, 2003) - Security chiefs now have a more direct relationship with senior management, reports Security Management's Editor, Sherry Harowitz, in the January 2003 issue of the industry's leading magazine. "The New Centurions" examines how the threat of terrorism, along with other business and economic developments, has changed-and challenged-corporate security. Some key points:

  • The place accorded to the top security executive in the corporate hierarchy is undergoing a seismic shift at many companies. In the ASIS International (ASIS) Annual Employment Survey of security managers, for example, 18 percent of the respondents said their companies' security chiefs now report to a person with a higher rank than before the terrorist attacks of 2001.
  • Few companies currently centralize all aspects of security, and the larger the company, the more it is likely to have a hydra overseeing security operations. But progress is being made, with coordination through "matrix management" a more popular option that strict centralization.
  • The background of those holding the top security spot and the skill-sets CEOs seek remain diverse, but the terrorist threat has put the emphasis back on core security skills, like intelligence and investigations.
  • Recognizing the need for a more standard job description for the head of corporate security, the ASIS International Guidelines Commission is now in the process of helping to develop a model chief security officer (CSO) position description.

To find out more about the evolving role of corporate security, read the full article: http://www.securitymanagement.com/library/001363.html

Also in the January issue, "A Year of Reassessment" is the second part of Teresa Anderson's two-part series analyzing the findings from the annual ASIS Employment Survey. Almost half of the respondents (45 percent) reported an increase in their overall annual security budgets, which, when put up against the struggling economy, illustrates the increasing importance companies are placing on security in this new, wary world. For more economic insights, go to: http://www.securitymanagement.com/library/001364.html

Finally, Ann Longmore-Etheridge interviews the new ASIS President, Daniel H. Kropp, CPP®, whose objectives include streamlining chapter and regional rules, as well as guidelines.

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ASIS International (ASIS) is the preeminent organization for security professionals, with 33,000 members worldwide. Founded in 1955, ASIS is dedicated to increasing the effectiveness and productivity of security professionals by developing educational programs and materials that address broad security interests, such as the ASIS Annual Seminar and Exhibits, as well as specific security topics. ASIS also advocates the role and value of the security management profession to business, the media, governmental entities, and the public. By providing members and the security community with access to a full range of programs and services, and by publishing the industry's number one magazine - Security Management - ASIS leads the way for advanced and improved security performance.