Why The Term “Security Team” Is Too Limiting

There’s been a long history of people thinking of “gates, guards, and guns” when referring to physical security. And for a long time, this was the norm.

When analog cameras required significant amounts of wiring and a dedicated guard to watch said feeds (think about any action movie from the 90s), the assumption was that security was protecting assets, but had little to do with the overall business. 

Defining security with recent advancements

Fast forward to more recent advancements in video surveillance, cloud-based solutions, and artificial intelligence (AI)-driven decision-making, and now the term “security” has reached a more complex fork in the road.

“Security” is about a broader idea of protecting people, assets, and the brand from harm. So it’s only natural that the term used to describe the work practitioners do advances, as well.

Why is the term outdated? 

Today, security encompasses technology, the workplace, and culture, it touches so many facets

“Security team” has a connotation that may no longer be accurate for the scope of work that the people on that team perform.

Today, security encompasses technology, the workplace, and culture. It touches so many facets of the organization.

Security in retail

Take retail, for instance. So many security leaders encompass not only loss prevention teams, but also asset management, brand protection, and retail security.

Some companies combine the three of these or split them up based on the needs of the organization. In this case, the “security team” may place a limit on what the department aims to accomplish. 

Involvement of other teams

Security teams also may be broader and include external individuals who still require a say in decision-making:

• Technology: Whether it’s the company’s CTO, CISO, or IT department, you can almost guarantee that they’re going to want to know what technology is going on in the network. Convergence is no longer a buzzword, it’s a necessity; especially when cyber risk is growing and cyber criminals are becoming more and more sophisticated. 
• Legal: There are so many jokes about lawyers ruining all the fun, but the joke’s on any company that doesn’t consider the legality of data collection or usage before investing in technology platforms. Consider the implications of using biometrics or facial recognition especially when it comes to emerging laws or regulations. Security may not just be about physical security, it might also need to be about protecting the business from legal action, as well.
• CISO: Threats that cross over between physical and cyber security departments are becoming more common, which means a coordinated approach to protection is necessary. This also means that investments in technology should be able to serve both departments. Additionally, as physical security becomes increasingly dependent on intelligent devices, it’s the cybersecurity team led by the CISO that develops the best practices and policies for managing and securing them. Their input is invaluable. 

Decision-making in today’s business environment

Like any good business decision, multiple stakeholders should be involved in decisions around technology

Like any good business decision, multiple stakeholders should be involved in decisions around technology investments especially those who are directly impacted by the use of or benefit of the technology in question. 

For example, if it’s an operational efficiency investment, a company’s CFO should be involved (even more so if it impacts cost savings). 

Functional or operational changes

Technology investments (even in the security space) should involve IT if there’s an infrastructure component to the implementation. From an electronic security standpoint, cybersecurity or information security leaders should have a chance to weigh in.

As more decisions involve more people, security leaders need to think about what their investments in functional or operational changes can mean for other groups across the company. 

Budget sharing

It can help with C-suite discussions especially when there’s talk of “doing more, with less” 

Whether the technology can enable marketing, facility managers, or IT, multiple uses can mean multiple ways to allocate funding to pay for technology investments.

Budget sharing has become a popular way to pay for investments that help shift expenses away from a single department when many of them can benefit from the tech. It can help with C-suite discussions especially when there’s talk of “doing more, with less” happening at all levels of the organization. 

Benefits of security in an organization

“Security team” may not have a universal meaning anymore, but it’s safe to say that evolving the discussion around how security benefits the broader organization is beneficial to practitioners.

The more we talk about how we can protect people and assets, the more realization there will be about how that impacts the business and the industry will be better for it.