Security training - Expert commentary
Part 5 of our Security in Healthcare series It’s difficult for hospital security directors to provide a quantified ROI in an updated security system Several forces are working in favour of greater adoption of hospital security and video surveillance technologies in the healthcare market. “Healthcare facilities and campuses are growing at a rapid rate to accommodate an aging population and the research and development of pharmacology and many different type...
How will the UK's decision to leave the European Union affect security cooperation between its member countries and with European countries? 'Strength through unity' is the term being used by pro-European economists observing the fall-out from Brexit, but it's surely an even more pertinent phrase for the security sector and this is being underlined in the most unexpected quarters. Fifty-six percent of the referendum votes cast in Northern Ireland were for 'Remain' and even sta...
A security awareness program is an educational process to help employees observe events or people through a “security lens” Organizations have a duty of care to protect their employees wherever they work. But in the increasingly complex world that we all live in, the ability to deliver a risk-commensurate and cost-efficient security program that adds real value to a business is extremely challenging, according to IFSEC International 2016 speaker Frank Cannon....
There are resources to help guide an organization’s management of cybersecurity risks, most prominently from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. NIST defines cybersecurity as "the activity or process, ability or capability, or state whereby information and communications systems and the information contained therein are protected from and/or defended against damage, unauthorized use or modification, or exploitation.&rdquo...
Drones can satisfy five commercial needs, today: surveillance, patrolling,incident response, mapping and site assessment The military uses drones. So do the police. Drones serve as weapons and surveillance tools.Today, businesses and institutions are applying drone technology to a variety of private security surveillance challenges. Private uses include patrolling facilities and installations such as pipelines from the sky. To be sure, private contractors sometimes weaponize d...
ISC West educational sessions bring into focus some of the challenges, issues and opportunities faced by systems integrators What will be the hot technology at ISC West 2016 this year? Devices to detect drones, more affordable biometrics, or cameras with 360 degrees of clear vision? You’ll probably see some of the above and much more if you’re attending the security industry’s largest trade show, scheduled for April 6 through 8 at the Sands Expo Center in Las...
The PASS guidelines don’t just point to specific technologies; they address securityissues and help guide school administrators to make their schools safer and more secure From K-12 to college campuses, schools need integrated solutions and proactive measures to lessen the potential of active shooters while targeting general loss prevention and security. The good news is that technology is available to address nearly every threat and challenge, and systems integrator...
Employers are increasingly concerned about the risks associated with employees, temporary workers, independent contractors, and others who have the ability to wreak havoc on an organization from the inside. This is often referred to as “insider threat.” There are numerous types of insider and post-hire threats that range from embezzlement, theft of trade secrets, workplace violence or active shooters, and everything else in between. Potential insider threats are...
The FSMA Final rule will protect the food supply against intentional contamination due to sabotage, terrorism, counterfeiting, or other illegal harmful means The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is due to release the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Final Rule on Intentional Adulteration on May 31, 2016. Food Industry Security Professionals will soon be tasked with assessing their facilities to reduce supply chain food adulteration vulnerabilities. Food Secur...
A more strategic approach to corporate security can better align departmentsin an organisation to achieve better results of shared goals The alignment of corporate security with the business strategy of an organization is a topic that has been on the agenda of many senior security professionals. A corporate security department’s inability to demonstrate a clear thought process of how they arrived at proposing the strategic direction, or failing to make a compelling busin...
Sports security combines manned guarding with access control devices, HD surveillance cameras & analytics in a command centre for a comprehensive security presence Providing security for sporting events and venues has long focused on personnel. Protection came in the form of guards and other personnel who controlled access to the venue and to restricted areas. With an increasing need to provide higher levels of protection in an age of terrorism, venues have turned to tradi...
Done right, a good metric program will help tell the story of the security department Knights of medieval times are known for impossible quests and challenging missions seeking rare religious items. The quest for the Holy Grail is perhaps the most notable. Today’s security professionals are often on their own quest, seeking what sometimes feels like the impossible – the search for perfect security metrics! What are metrics and are they really that hard to find? M...
Improved alarm verification standards will help reduce the number of false dispatches of law enforcement officers The verification of alarms continues to progress with more affordable technology as well as an updated industry standard set for release as soon as the end of February 2016. The definition of alarm verification is getting a makeover in the standard, guided by a range of stakeholders including the security industry, law enforcement, associations and other intereste...
On event days, representatives of emergency response & security agenciesare together and running sports venues as a unified group In the world of sports security, alliances are bringing together personnel and agencies that once only talked to each other during an emergency. Consider the recently announced agreement between the Security Industry Association (SIA) and the National Center for Spectator Sports Safety and Security (NCS4). This memorandum of understanding (MOU)...
There are between 4 and 6.8 million lone workers in the UK, and many of us arelone workers at some point in our working lives The Suzy Lamplugh Trust was set up to highlight the risk faced by lone workers and to offer information and advice to reduce the risk of violence and aggression for everyone. It was established following the disappearance in 1986 of 25-year-old estate agent, Suzy Lamplugh, after she had gone to meet an unknown client. This article is based on a present...
Many people who decide to run, hide or fight during an active shooter event survive. John Matthews, a decorated law enforcement veteran and nationally known public safety consultant, studies this premise in his 2013 book: Mass Shootings: Six Steps to Survival. “To survive, you have to be mentally prepared,” Matthews says. “You have to know what to do the minute the first shots ring out.” For his book, Matthews researched 60 mass shootings that occurred between 1980 and...
NCS4’s research has mainly been on professional sports venues, but they alsodevelop best practices for all levels of sports – including high schools and colleges Some of the most profound changes in the way sporting events are secured have come about since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. A realization that stadiums could be a target for terrorists has transformed sports security into a highly sophisticated profession that works closely with local and n...
As the security industry continues to grow, recruiting must have more sophisticatedscreening and hiring processes, and a commitment to hiring quality personnel The physical security industry today is driving focus on finding the right talent. Deborah O’Mara, SourceSecurity.com's dealer/integrator correspondent, in an exclusive Q&A with Brent O’Bryan, Vice President of Training and Development for AlliedBarton Security Services, discuss the challenges that secur...
From my vantage point, it would appear that the acquisition of goods and services related to security controls and measures remains healthy at the end of 2015. Although the time associated with evaluations and overall procurement processes, I am told, has become a bit lengthier. Mergers and acquisitions of both security industry providers and the merger of national and international companies are the biggest unexpected things to have an impact this year. Forbes reported that &ldquo...
The ESA Summit is offering registration for “Rising Leaders” to gain valuableleadership skills and business tactics Leadership Summit presented by the Electronic Security Association (ESA), Irving, Texas, has penned the slogan: “Link. Learn. Lead.” for its 2016 event. Scheduled for January 31 through February 3 at the Wild Horse Pass Hotel & Casino in Chandler, Arizona, the ESA Leadership Summit is a testament to a quickly changing security landscap...
2015 has been an eventful year for the physical security industry. As 2016 looms, the pace of industry change shows no sign of decreasing. Seeking insights into the state of the physical security market at year-end, SourceSecurity.com this month is publishing dozens of 2015 Review and 2016 Forecast articles submitted by manufacturers, integrators and other industry leaders. Taken together, the articles portray a mostly optimistic view of the industry’s present, and an...
An increasing trend, and one that will become even more pressing in 2016, is an expanded focus on personnel. This includes the recruitment, selection, training, engagement and recognition of the individuals who are assigned to help create and maintain safer and more secure environments. The tightening labor market has propelled this pressing need to the forefront. With fewer candidates for security officer openings – and openings in most industries – the competit...
Observers suggest asking open-ended questions and focusing in on specific details as the conversation moves ahead If a trained interviewer has ever questioned you, you may have started out by promising yourself to keep certain information secret. Then during the interview, you spilled it all. Police detectives, officers and savvy security professionals have learned how to talk to people in ways that will elicit information that subjects prefer to conceal. How do they do th...
(Click to see larger image) The ASIS Foundation & the University of Phoenix College of Security and Justice's Enterprise Security Competency model Are you competent in your security job or profession? How do you know? According to research carried out by the ASIS Foundation, security has begun to evolve beyond guarding doors, checking IDs and screening briefcases and purses. Today, something called Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) is subsuming the tra...
Conley’s security officers must study for and acquire a Certified Protection Officer (CPO) certification After nearly 40 years of a sustained and concentrated effort to transition the security industry to the security profession, Tom Conley is still beating his “security profession drum” at full volume. He still hopes that the security industry-to-profession movement will one day be a reality. He sees himself as an eternal optimist embarking on a feat of...
Complete Security Systems Inc., Marlboro, New Jersey, is a UL-listed central station and security installation company serving New Jersey and other East Coast areas. According to Chris Mosley, President of Complete Security Systems, attracting young people to the security industry is a challenge. Chris highlights Complete Security Systems' new products, services and training programs that have been developed to keep up with the fast-changing security industry. He admits that...
David Bleisch, ADT general counsel, addresses the media at a conference Door-to-door selling can be an effective tool to garner new security subscribers, and it’s been practiced for decades, according to Jay Hauhn, executive director of the Central Station Alarm Association (CSAA), Alexandria, Va. But it has to be done right, he says. A recent conference by ADT Security Services focused on deceptive alarm sales practices and the need to report such practices. In her late...
Affiliated Monitoring’s UL-Listed monitoring center with a second floor dedicated to areas for security company meetings Central monitoring stations have innovative approaches to assist security installing companies in growing their account base, adding value and boosting recurring monthly revenue (RMR). These companies do much more than simply monitor accounts – today they provide a host of services to give security installing companies the added edge in an extrem...
Suffering a breach is probably something that companies won’t admit to unless they must As the world has grown more and more interconnected through the Internet and company networks, cybercrime has grown at an alarming rate. According to the Federal Trade Commission, 783 businesses reported IT breaches in 2014, up 27.5 percent from 2013. “There were probably many more, but most go unreported,” says Kim Phan, of council with the Washington, D.C., law offices o...
Today, a number of school districts are saying no to these kinds of realistic active shooter drills In the wake of the shootings at Columbine High School in 1999 — 16 years ago — and the school shootings that have followed, we have struggled to figure out how to keep students and teachers safe during such an attack. Protective Measures An approach to the problem that has grown controversial is armed assailant or active shooter drills. Six states including Arkansa...
