Book Review: Introduction to Security Consulting

Introduction to Security Consulting: A Lucrative Business Service; by William F. Blake. Charles C Thomas Publisher; ccthomas.com; 282 pages; $42.95.

As a security consultant’s primer, this book covers the essentials of consulting. Editor William F. Blake, CPP, presents a range of security-specific topics (developing policies, crisis management), industry-specific challenges (convenience stores, warehouses, nightclubs), and business-related issues (how to dress, small business survival). The book demonstrates how security consultancy may contribute to a variety of business sectors.

At first glance, the writing appears to veer off course with a chapter on protecting human assets and protecting children and the elderly from online scammers. However, these topics fall well within the scope of the book, as security consultants may need to mitigate risks not only to businesses, but to families and households who require their services.

Introduction to Security Consulting: A Lucrative Business Service achieves the objective of introducing security consultants to a broad range of challenges that they may face in many sectors of the private security industry. In addition, the writers demonstrate the importance of sound security advice through solid examples of financial losses due to poor decisions resulting from insubstantial security expertise.

The book is a good investment for a professional embarking on a career as a consultant and also serves as an essential reference guide for experienced security consultants wishing to support security proposals with solid examples of how poorly designed security responses may negatively impact an organization.

Reviewer: Andre Mohammed, CPP, is a member of the ASIS Global Terrorism, Political Instability, and International Crime Council. He is currently based in Pakistan as a security operations officer with the World Health Organization.