Topics
Featured Topic: Workplace Violence
Do a Post-Shooting Review Before an Incident Happens
Article • posted 09/01/10
Emcore is a pretty ordinary company—a manufacturer in New Mexico of about 700 employees that makes components for voice, video and data transmission over fiber-optic lines. So the “it can Continue…
- Hostage-Takings Highlight Needed Training Points
- Lessons Learned From a Rampage Shooting
- 10 Steps Divide a Smooth Layoff From One That Triggers a Security Nightmare
- New Laws to Protect Victims of Domestic Violence Emphasize Communication
- Is Closing Down Open Spaces After Shots Are Fired Possible?
- Experts Identify Four Trends in Workplace Violence
- How to Use the Police to Prevent Workplace Violence
- How to Develop and Enforce a Weapons-in-the-Workplace Policy
- Managing Violence Risk in Open Environments
- SDR_1002 Staff Training Now That Robberies Aren’t Just at 7-Elevens Anymore
- Preventing Serious Domestic Violence Spillover Events
Security Staff Management
What Traits Are Most Important for Making a Good Security Officer?
Article on Security Staff Management • posted 01/05/11
The requirements of a post will shape what skills, qualities, and attributes you want the security officer who fills it to possess. Generally speaking, however, what do security executives think is most critical? Which individual characteristics most translate into value for a security department? Continue…
- Don’t Let Armed Officers Create More Problems Than They Solve
- Benchmark Security Staff Costs to Manage Competing Forces
- Demographic Shift in Security Staff Presents Managing Challenges
- Focus on the Roles, Rules, and Risks of Security Officers
- Demand for More Skilled Security Personnel Increases
- Ethical Lapses by Officers Can Affect Bottom Line
- Security Lawsuits Reveal What Should and Shouldn’t Be Said
Retail Security
Which Anti-Theft Tool Gets the Highest Marks for ROI?
Article • posted 12/09/10
Faced with store losses, a security department with money to burn can implement the kitchen-sink approach: Throw everything at the problem, and have confidence that one thing or another will Continue…
- 5 Ways to Avoid a $500,000 Jury Award
- Can Conducting Remote Investigations Save You Money?
- Improved Planning Reduces Trampling Deaths & Lawsuits
- 10 Strategies to Maximize Value From Security Officers
- SDR_1005 Are You Fighting the Wrong Enemy to Prevent Loss?
- SDR_1002 To What Extent Can Wages Act as a Security Measure?
Terrorism
“Terrorists May Be Among Us”—So What Should You Do?
Article on Terrorism • posted 07/27/11
“Violent extremists have, in fact, obtained insider positions,” warns the DHS in a July intelligence bulletin (Insider Threat to Utilities). Learn how critical infrastructure companies can weed-out infiltrators and protect critical systems from attack—and what security executives at every type of organization should do in response to the renewed threat. Continue…
- Bomb Threat Planning Makes ‘Impossible’ Choices Possible
- Putting Risks and Threats in Proper Perspective
- How Global Recession, Political Instability, and Security Risks Intertwine
- Could You Earn An Exemption From Terrorist Attack Lawsuits?
- Create Awareness and Improve Alertness to Meet the New Terrorism Risk
- Latest Mail-Based Threat Assessments Indicate Reduced Risk
- 8 Years On, What Should You Make of the Terrorism Threat?
- Preparedness Checklist Against Key Cyberterrorism Attack Avenues
Risk/Threat Analysis
Are Your Risk Assessments the Reliable Decision Engine You Think They Are?
Article on Risk/Threat Analysis • posted 03/25/11
Risk assessments are at the heart of the value that security executives bring to their organizations, so it seems somewhat natural to them to take on this challenge single-handedly. But unless you conduct some critical consultations—particularly in examining the potential consequences from security incidents—your risk assessment will not only be incomplete, it could lead your operation astray. Continue…
- Putting Risks and Threats in Proper Perspective
- The Illusion of Risk Perception—How Bias Can Creep In
- Security Risk Assessment Process
- Avoid Bias and Fix Flaws in Your Risk Assessments
- How Global Recession, Political Instability, and Security Risks Intertwine
- How Real Is the Risk of Corporate Espionage Today?
- Cultural Diversity Affects How to Prevent Fraud
- Addressing Threats From New Business Solutions and Technology
- Interdependence Affects Today’s Top Security Priority
Investigations
Investigation Mandate Grows—So Does Liability for Doing Them Wrong
Article • posted 12/13/10
Where internal workplace investigations are concerned, it is a case of double trouble. While employee misconduct isn’t new, it can land employers in hot water like never before. So investigations Continue…
- Lie Detection Science Improves But Remains a Legal Minefield
- Can Conducting Remote Investigations Save You Money?
- Online Investigations Can Reveal Unknown Threats
- Has Company Monitoring and Screening of Staff Gone Too Far?
- Ask Privacy Queries Up Front to Curb Conflicts Later
- When to Draw the Line Between Smart Investigation and Over-the-Top Spying
Legal/Legislation and Regulations/Compliance
5 Ways to Avoid a $500,000 Jury Award
Article • posted 12/22/10
A video that went viral in September depicts a security officer employing a chokehold on a shoplifting suspect outside a Forever 21 store in Los Angeles. It seemed like Continue…
- Putting Security in Line With Tomorrow’s Legal Environment
- New Court Rulings Affect Some Security Department Policies
- Audit Your Staff Management or Risk a Lawsuit
- Does Your Approach to Security Pass the ‘Reasonableness’ Test?
- Recent Cases Highlight Company Liability for Employee Misdeeds
- SDR_1003 The ‘Best’ Data Security Tool Gets a Regulatory Push
- Test Your Liability IQ
Professional Development
Physical Security
How a Scoring System Can Solve the What-Asset-to-Protect-First Dilemma
Article • posted 12/01/10
It would be nice if every facility was maximally protected—that is, if every major asset was certain to survive any assault and keep right on working as if nothing had Continue…
- Why Do Physical Security Measures Fail?
- SDR_1005 Lessons From Physical Pentration Tests
- Using Green Design to (Finally) Score Security Pre-Construction Input
- Companies Face Security Risks From Vacant Properties
- Benchmarks and Best Practices on Office Laptop Theft
- Does Your Physical Security of Servers Hold Up to Scrutiny?
- 20 Ways to Prevent Crime in Large Parking Areas
Emergency/Crisis Management
Will Your People and Property Be Safe During an Evacuation?
Article • posted 12/09/10
The mass evacuations that preceded Hurricanes Gustav and Ike got us wondering exactly how security departments should prepare to protect property in such an event. So we asked one of Continue…
- Tall Building Occupants May Need to Rethink Evacuation
- Level of Disaster Readiness Affects Business Operations
- Success of Disaster Response Relies on Employee Reaction
- Rules of Thumb for When Security and Medical Issues Collide
- Including Recent Advances Improves Crisis Mgmt. Plans
- Are Your Training Exercises Going to Waste?
- SDR_1002 Preparedness Should Build On 8 Principles of Resilience
- Does Your Crisis Planning Lack Strategic Focus?
Fraud/Scams
Are You Facing the Truth About Your Greatest Fraud Risk?
Article • posted 12/03/10
As necessary as it is to investigate an employee’s gaming of the workers’ compensation system or discrepancies in stock inventory, it all pales against large-scale internal fraud. This is the Continue…
Department Management/Organization/Surveys
Lessons Learned in Tackling a Security Manual
Article • posted 12/24/10
When Darrell Clifton arrived to head up security at Circus Circus Reno, he discovered that its last security manual had been written on a typewriter. Soon after, he found himself Continue…
- Get Sites to Effectively Deliver the Corporate Security Vision
- 7 Lessons Microsoft Learned During Security Rollout
- How Companies Can Overcome Barriers to an Integrated Security Strategy
- Five Ways to Jump-Start a Transition to Strategic Security
- Is Your Dept. Doing Everything to Protect the Firm’s Brand?
- Board Oversight Needed to Sustain Data Security Effort
International Security
Jurors Take New View of Ways Cos. Protect Staff Abroad
Article • posted 12/09/10
Practically speaking, security departments must approach protection of an organization’s people from two perspectives: 1) the actual risks personnel face and the countermeasures that are appropriate to protect them Continue…
- Are Standardized Security Operations Successful?
- Attacks Change Indian Security Planning, But Not Business
- Global Picture Requires More Attention to Supply Chain Risks
- How Are Companies Addressing the Safety of Traveling Staff?
- Beyond K&R: Can Security Make Doing Business Safer?
- Will Global Climate Change Affect Your Firm’s Security?
Crime Prevention Strategies
How You Can Drive Security Deeper Into Your Organization
Article • posted 12/01/10
To enhance a company’s security culture, an executive is certain to have two questions foremost in his or her mind: “What do other companies do to improve it?” and “Am Continue…
- Do Employee Theft Theories Apply to Young Workers?
- Benchmarks and Best Practices on Office Laptop Theft
- Four Reasons Today’s Employees Break Rules or Steal—And How to Stop Them
- Cultural Diversity Affects How to Prevent Fraud
- 10 Strategies to Help You Thwart Fraud Schemes
- 6 Ideas to Protect Your Firm Against Theft & Assaults
Computer Crime/Information Security
How to Weed Out the New Insider Cybersecurity Threat
Article • posted 12/01/10
A recent face-off in Los Angeles between the city and union workers reflects how threats have evolved. A labor strike traditionally stokes fears that angry sign waving might deteriorate into Continue…
- Laid-Off Workers Justify Data Theft With Entitlement
- Data Insecurity—Is Not Knowing the Cause Part of Your Problem?
- New Data Focuses on Handling Linked Security Breaches
- Indifference Is the Real Enemy in Battle to Protect Information
- One Solution May Mitigate 2 Data Security Breaches
- Can Your Workers Be Tricked Into Revealing Co. Data?
Budgets/Security ROI
Are You Getting Out of Security What You Put Into It?
Article • posted 12/08/10
You put a lot of energy into your security programs, so you surely want to know what you’re getting for your efforts. And you want to understand whether you’re receiving Continue…
- Beyond ROI: Moving to a More Balanced Tool for Evaluating Security Projects
- What Are the Best Ways to Get Top Management to See Security’s Value?
- What Would It Take for Your Security Department to Generate Revenue?
- How Companies Capture Business Benefits of Security
- Striking the Right Balance When Building a Picture of Security Performance
- Formalizing Aspects of Security Management to Spark Better Results
Contract Security
Good, Bad, & Ugly—Where Contract Security Is Today
Article on Contract Security • posted 12/23/10
A just-completed six-month research project by SDR/IOMA compiles detailed data on the fine points of contracting security officers. These data are critical to consult before renewing a contract or selecting a security firm, but what did the survey results suggest more broadly? What is the 20,000-foot view of where the contract security industry is today? Continue…
- What You Can Do to Improve Contract Security Performance
- Prevent Lax Officer Oversight by Creating Audit Points
- How a Billion-Dollar Business Addresses Its Security Challenge
- 10 Strategies to Maximize Value From Security Officers
- Using Contract Officers Can Save Money But It Results in Double the Turnover
- How to Hold Security Contractors— and Contract Managers—Accountable
