Online Exclusives

With vaccinations on the rise, organizations are seriously contemplating whether and how to return to physical workspaces. By leveraging ESRM principles, security leaders can help steer the conversation.

Worrisome indicators often precede insider threats. More and more, these indicators are reflected in publicly available spaces.

Private security personnel are ideally situated to observe people who are vulnerable to trafficking or are currently being trafficked.

World events from 9/11 to today demonstrate that violence and extremism are a prevalent threat, with the risk of right-wing terrorism rising globally. But 25 years after a major terrorist attack in Argentina, complacency is setting in.

Worries over workplace safety in the COVID-19 era, as well as concerns about the impacts of business closings, plant shutdowns and mandatory stay-at-home orders, spawned more than 2,000 lawsuits from January 2020 through March 2021.

The Internet can be a powerful force multiplier for investigators. When used prudently and strategically, online information sources are undoubtedly a critical component of a thorough investigation.

Many security leaders have discovered that, due to the pace of change and increasing demands for real-time risk analysis, organizational capabilities that were effective five years ago are no longer sufficient in today’s environment.

Core services do not mean all services. In a private enterprise scenario, your core functions must be identified so that your continuity plan ensures at least their partial operation within the shortest amount of time possible.

The organization needs to have mechanisms in place to leverage any and all investigative findings for process improvement.

TSA’s Instagram account has nearly 1 million followers. Here’s how it uses its feed to share important security updates, one great catch and K9 at a time.

When it comes to protecting priceless pieces of cultural heritage, following industry best practices with planning, automation, and early response measure proves essential.

“If we don’t start growing the number of people we’re fostering, our industry will go extinct,” says Rob Duhart, Jr., global head of federated security at Google.

The COVID-19 pandemic may have provided an ideal push for organizations to implement an ESRM approach to resilience and crisis management, which can multiply security’s value to the business.

When leaders fail to see how toxic masculinity affects their teams’ dynamics, the whole organization is at risk.

Organized crime groups, terrorists, and state actors have all dabbled in antiquities trafficking to fund their operations. But the scale of the market remains elusive due to the diversity and secrecy of the art world.

Most museums and heritage sites were forced to close during 2020 in response to COVID-19-related lockdowns. Here’s what should be top-of-mind as they reopen.

While most protests are peaceful, some trigger violence, riots, looting, and clashes with law enforcement, and where one protest escalates, other movements are likely to watch, learn, and adopt similar tactics or countermeasures.

Requirements for information protection are changing. The U.S. government is taking a new approach in marking and handling Controlled Unclassified Information, which can lead to best practices in the private sector by modeling proper protection methods for sensitive information.

Investing in expensive technology when it is not required can be a hard sell. So before you invest, carefully weigh the benefits and considerations of access control technology.

The COVID-19 pandemic will continue to impede aspects of employment screening in 2021, leading employers to use alternative procedures such as conditional hiring and remote drug testing.

These new requirements act as the U.S. Department of Defense’s response to strengthen its focus on cybersecurity and resilience against outside forces and emerging security risks.

Along with investigating fine art thefts, the FBI Art Crime Team also works with partners around the globe to track down and return antiquities to their rightful homes.

As security personnel are expected to stay responsive and nimble in the face of the unexpected, knowing how to de-escalate yourself is key.

Resilience is a multifaceted concept, and depending on which way you view it, you may see different challenges and stronger solutions, says Michael Szönyi, Flood Resilience Program Lead at Zurich Insurance Company.

Eighty-seven percent of security, legal, and compliance executives agree that investment in technology to advance physical security effectiveness and mitigate violent threats is necessary for the future of their company, according to a recent study from the Ontic Center for Protective Intelligence.

As the lines between work and leisure time become increasingly blurred and employees use company-issued devices and resources for personal use—such as social media, online shopping, and even telehealth—the potential for cyberattacks is ever present.

Nearly three decades ago, the U.S. government grew increasingly concerned of the potential negative impacts of rising globalization and terrorism on U.S. corporations with international operations, giving rise to the creation of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC).

The differences between training and learning will require a major shift in preparation and standards for armed security officers.

With more employees working remote and from home, companies’ have become increasingly liable once a victim informs them that he or she now works and lives with the abuser.

The contemporary CSO has to understand the geopolitical dynamics of the 21st century. In an interconnected and a globalized world, a crisis in one part of the world will have profound cascading effects on organizations on the other side of the globe.

Where do I start? It’s a common refrain, whether it’s coming from a young professional just entering the security industry, a former law enforcement officer building her first private sector SOP, or a security industry veteran preparing to combat a new crisis. Fortunately, few of these paths need to be walked alone.

After five years, six managers, and three promotions, Carla Gray shares her insights and guidance for security managers operating in both global enterprises and agile, rapidly growing startups.

The business case for diversity is stronger than ever. A 2020 report found that companies that foster gender diversity are 25 percent more likely to have above-average profitability than companies that don’t.

Child sex trafficking is a multi-billion dollar a year business. Besides the moral obligation to combat domestic minor sex trafficking, businesses are criminally and civilly liable as facilitators for indirectly, but knowingly, profiting from the venture in reckless disregard to use of a minor.

For companies to maintain a motivated, productive workforce, organizations need to find the best methods to gather and interpret employee feedback, including from remote workers, and make changes accordingly, experts say.

Rising hate crimes in the United States show the increasing threat of accelerationists in white supremacist groups.

As U.S. federal law enforcement agencies warn of a potential wave of armed protests across the United States in the coming week, members of the ASIS International Extremism and Political Instability Community share lessons learned, analysis, and preparedness advice for the days ahead.

At its core, QAnon is a militant and anti-establishment ideology focused on destroying the existing corrupt world order and accelerating the arrival of a new Golden Age. When true believers turn violent, workplaces and employees are at risk.

Knowing the basics about QAnon, as well as the terminology and beliefs of this movement, can help security leaders recognize when someone is being led down the rabbit hole and possibly becoming a risk.

Hardening is an offensive security measure; it stops the fight before it starts.

As organizations double down on remote work policies, security leaders shift their management, communication, and mentorship styles to foster team wellness and personal resilience.

Organizations need to begin to plan now for the wider rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine and what policies and procedures they need to have in place.

As companies begin readying their workforce for a new normal in anticipation of use of widespread COVID vaccine, eLearning can offer a safe, flexible, and perhaps more efficient method of ensuring business travelers are appropriately versed in risk mitigation wherever they go.

If security screening lines are too crowded, many Americans said in a recent poll that they would abandon plans to attend an event or enter a facility.

The year 2020 started inauspiciously with a hard security insurance market in the United States. This meant security firms experienced rising premiums and tightening underwriting guidelines, largely due to concerns about claims, costly legal settlements, and risk management in the industry. These issues were only exacerbated by the emergence of COVID-19 and civil unrest.

The pandemic, the recession, and various protests are driving a record increase in gun purchases in the United States, and some experts are concerned about what that might mean for employees.

Crises are by nature unpredictable and uncertain. Our brains process uncertain and unpredictable events as life-or-death threats. During a crisis, one of the key steps to manage our stress and our emotions and to foster our perspective and analytical reasoning is to de-shame.

Airports have seen a drastic reduction in international travel due to the coronavirus pandemic. Once traffic resumes, however, security screeners will need to hit the ground running.

Beyond retail shrink caused by shoplifters, internal thieves, or fraudulent returns, retailers are also aware of the risks posed by those taking advantage of chaos from mass protests that have become regular occurrences in 2020.

Much like the world we live in, the security business has changed, and the lessons gained serve as a powerful reminder that to be effective in our industry, we need to evolve as leaders to get the best out of our people.

Considering the global shift toward more service-based providers and platforms for physical security, it can be argued that the overall cost of protection is being reduced.

Employers are re-evaluating workplace diversity at their organizations, starting with being more thoughtful about recruiting from a broader range of talent. However, these efforts are not without pitfalls.

Monitoring tools can track productivity and guard against security threats, but employers should weigh the benefits against the legal risks.

Not all risk mitigation measures are made equal. When managers deploy countermeasures without first understanding and addressing the company’s own specific risk posture, they are contributing to “security theater”—a concept that refers to security measures that make people feel more secure without doing anything to actually improve their security.

Extreme challenges present opportunities to do things better. Leaders are at a major inflection point, affording the chance to reroute connections and revise how they lead industries, endeavors, and teams—which has implications for safety and security.

“The push for companies to show what they are doing for the greater good will only intensify through the lens of the pandemic; the public will want to know whether companies put people or profits first during this global crisis,” says Allison Wood, an associate director at Control Risks.

As much of the manufacturing industry in Mexico has continued operations classified as essential throughout the federally mandated quarantine, businesses are facing unique and acute challenges.

Alongside the COVID-19 pandemic, a less-publicized public health crisis is surging across the globe—domestic violence. This guide for employers can help address employee needs and workplace concerns during remote work and return-to-work settings.

Hiring assessments can be a slippery slope for employers, especially when they rule out protected employees and create disparate impact.

Terminations can be triggers for workplace violence in normal times. With COVID-19, these are not normal times, and an organization that needs to lay off staff should account for the unique stress its staff is already enduring.

A long-term push for digital transformation paid off for Microsoft’s security department when COVID-19 disrupted global operations.

As organizations reopen their facilities, they must be aware of threats that may arise from a lack of human presence during shelter-at-home orders, such as the opportunity for Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks.

Employees are an organization’s most valuable asset. Businesses that implement robust and sustainable strategies to take care of their people during the COVID-19 pandemic will fare better than those that do no not.

Laying off employees is always painful, but having to do so when they are completely remote adds a new wrinkle: What should employers do to protect the company's data on laptops and other devices when letting remote workers go?

Harding University Assistant Director of Public Safety Kevin Davis discusses how security at his school managed the pandemic-related campus closure and what they doing to prepare for what comes next.

At this time, there is tremendous value in briefly pausing to reflect on the organization’s COVID-19 journey to date and conduct an “in-flight” incident review as a means of optimizing the approach going forward.

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) gave employers the green light to take employees' temperatures to try and ward off the spread of the coronavirus. But will taking temperatures really work?

For international business services company PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), managing business continuity and crisis response to the coronavirus pandemic has tested its international, regional and national capabilities. However, key steps—such as the early creation of a dedicated task force for information sharing—have driven a more streamlined, agile crisis response.

Security directors add value when they find data-based leading indicators that can help an organization prepare in advance for the risk factors unfolding as a result of COVID-19.

In the face of the coronavirus pandemic, many companies shut down their offices and told people to work from home. As they begin to reopen, companies will face several major hurdles in their mail centers.

With U.S. unemployment now at record levels, Allied Universal and G4S are swimming against the current by hiring tens of thousands of new security professionals.

As news proliferates yet public interest wanes, security leaders face myriad challenges to present accurate, timely, and actionable information to key decision makers. Here, two CSOs share their tips for communicating and influencing perception during the pandemic.

Using an ESRM-based approach can help organizations re-emerge after facing major, pandemic-induced disruptions.

Convention centers have played an important role in regional pandemic response. Here are some lessons learned from those put into use so far.

Effective leadership in the current crisis requires prioritizing your mental well-being alongside that of your employees.

The coronavirus pandemic could stir further global destabilization even after the virus is contained.

This short segment excerpted from a webinar describes the travel risks the pandemic exposed.

Security professionals are often considered essential personnel who must report to work during the coronavirus pandemic. Here’s what employers need to know to ensure staff is prepared to be at the job site.

ASIS, ANSI, and others open access to certain standards to help organizations in their pandemic response.

Almost one-fifth of the world is under some form of lock down. Here’s how those measures are impacting security teams protecting services and sites.

Amid floods of information, sales pitches, shifting risks, and staffing challenges, how are enterprise security leaders keeping up during the COVID-19 pandemic?

As the pandemic spreads through West Africa, a seasoned manager in Nigeria discusses the implications for security.

The preparation involved in enterprise security risk management (ESRM) enables organizations to act decisively and confidently in times of crisis.

More organizations are shifting to allow employees to work remotely. Now is the time for enterprise risk managers to strengthen programs against new vulnerabilities unique to telework.

Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe declared a monthlong state of emergency yesterday in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Crisis response hinges on two factors: what the organization does and what the organization says. When these halves align, it results in trust and a more positively received and effective response.

The pandemic has increased demand for security among many, and officers are being challenged with new duties and tasks.

The decisions you make today to mitigate the threat of the coronavirus pandemic will have significant impact on your operations in the future.

Brian Ishikawa, senior vice president and director of corporate security for the Bank of Hawaii Corporation, shares how the coronavirus has impacted the bank's business continuity.

Most organizations have activated incident management teams; fewer had practiced for an emergency situation in the previous 12 months.

Scott Stewart from Stratfor explains how security professionals can leverage their creative problem-solving skills and preparedness to diffuse panic and secure operations and assets during the coronavirus pandemic.

Whether employees are working at home or on-site, employers should be aware of various workplace and employment issues raised by COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

The chief information security officer for Fullerton Health, based in Singapore, discusses his organization's experiences dealing with the pandemic.

In light of potential shortages and rising value of personal protective equipment (PPE), healthcare security professionals can take additional steps to protect these newly high-value items and shore up supply chain vulnerabilities.

How are casinos maintaining the softness required for guest services while simultaneously keeping up a tough front against an increasing number of public attacks?

The world has changed since the 2003 SARS outbreak. Has your pandemic preparedness plan changed with it?

Whether de-escalating potentially violent scenarios, managing crowd control, or simply acting as a visual deterrent, highly trained K9 security teams are playing an important role at U.S. hospitals and medical centers.

The use of stolen customer information to purchase goods is becoming an even larger threat to online retailers.

A rash of large insurance claims in the United States has been reshaping the security insurance market, especially regarding security guards and guarding firms.

Every three years, millions of youth from around the globe make a pilgrimage to see the Pope. This poses unique security challenges.

At GSX 2019, Marine Corps General John Kelly (Ret.) sat down with Security Management to talk about how the United States is grappling with issues that the country faces today and will continue to deal with in the future.

Stakeholders can work hand in hand to protect against insider and external threats and reduce the risk of data loss while simultaneously improving data protection and streamlining processes.

How do you protect a soft target—a restaurant, a museum, a park, or a city street—without taking away from its beauty, cultural value, or intended use?

In the aftermath of the Notre Dame fire, security professionals should assess similar risks to their institutions.

​En el condado rural de Grant, Washington, el personal de servicios públicos no sólo protege las subestaciones remotas: también ayuda a responder a los llamados de emergencia de la comunidad.

An open office environment and a barricaded exit made it impossible for Capital Gazette employees to flee an active shooter.

Along with a recent renovation, Charleston International Airport invested in a new state of the art IT system to support operational efficiencies, including for its security, surveillance, and access control systems.

The Internet of Things is best understood less as a revolution in and of itself—and more as a transition toward an even greater revolution that we call the Artificial Intelligence of Things, or AIoT.

Para las agencias de seguridad y policiales, el desafío es llevar a cabo las labores del primer respondiente al mismo tiempo que se identifican amenazas de grandes consecuencias para las operaciones de aviación.

In recent years, the cloud has transformed how physical security systems are controlled and managed.

​Employees trying to escape a bullying boss may be surprised to learn that their workplace nemesis is providing negative job references.

One critical success factor to advancing asset protection in large corporations is what I call the "technology" of organizing to secure a company's people, critical information, and business strategy.

Healthcare and nursing home facilities have special requirements for access control.

The ability of the shooter to gain access to YouTube's office courtyard via the parking garage raises questions about the building's physical security.

This year, more employers ​hope to make progress in building inclusive workplaces through diversity recruiting efforts and will continue to experiment with new interviewing and selection techniques.

When building a master security plan, start at the end.

Whether hosted at a sports arena, outdoors, a convention center, or elsewhere, security practitioners are frequently called upon to provide support to large-scale events with sizeable crowds.

Florida Governor Rick Scott announced a major school security plan in the wake of a high school shooting that left 17 dead.

Five steps businesses can take to mitigate the security risk posed by a remote workforce.

Pero, además de los magníficos panoramas del campus, el personal de seguridad de la universidad se encontró contemplando frecuentemente paneles de incendio que no funcionaban correctamente.