Page 44 - Security Today, April 2019

Dealer Strategies
guards focus on decision-making and response, you’ll get their focus when you need it most. This approach will also help drive workforce engagement, which is key in an industry prone to staffing shortages.
Implementing technology for technology’s sake. From cameras to access control readers to interactive voice response systems, there are so many neat and fun technologies available, it’s easy to fall into the trap of purchasing the latest gadget to solve a one-off problem with- out considering the big picture first. A standalone call-in system may help to boost incident reporting, for example, but to really impact your bottom line, it needs to be integrated into your overall work- force management platform so that you can collect, store and report actionable data about those incidents.
Before making a technology purchase, it’s important to under- stand the problem you’re trying to solve. It doesn’t make sense to purchase the latest in automated detection technology if you don’t have the integrated systems in place to ensure a timely, coordinated human response will follow.
Overlooking the value of data. Traditionally, guard services were sold at an hourly rate. Clients wanted to know that a guard would be on site at a specific time, without necessarily questioning the benefit. In today’s data-driven world, this scenario is changing. Corporate ex- ecutives want to know specifics about the service they’re receiving for their annual security budget—from the type and number of incidents reported to the time of day when most incidents are likely to occur.
The more that a security service provider can present informa- tion to show where resources are best used, and where money can be saved, the more likely they are to retain the clients’ business. Ask yourself: am I providing information or intelligence? Don’t let your data hide in plain sight. Make sure you are using the right business in- telligence tools to first collect that data and then turn it into a mean- ingful report that can be used for decision making.
Not aligning security with corporate goals. Corporate security is no longer viewed as made up of “corporate cops,” but rather, as an internal service, integral to a company’s overall performance. As a se- curity service provider, you need to routinely review your clients’ cor- porate goals and objectives, and show how a security service can help to reach them. As an example, if Human Resources is focused on creating a safe work environment, offer to provide employee escorts to the parking lot at night and contribute to the overall corporate goal of a higher employee net promoter score (eNPS).
Ignoring security as an important business function. There’s grow- ing evidence that Enterprise Security Risk Management—the practice of managing a security program through the use of risk principles— needs to be fully integrated into corporate processes at every level of business. If you don’t establish organizational policies, procedures and best practices to identify and manage corporate security risks, you won’t be properly equipped to mitigate them. It’s important to remem- ber the 90/10 rule: 90 percent of effective security measures are policy and procedure related, only 10 percent has to do with technology.
From small local shops to large multinational security service providers, the biggest change in security workforce management is the transition to generate and collect data, right down to the guard activity level. Guards are often the biggest spend of a security pro- gram and forward-thinking executives are demanding insight into how that money is used. The better equipped you
are to deliver business intelligence about the secu- rity service you provide, the more you’ll be able to demonstrate the true value of security as a busi- ness function.
Mark Folmer is the vice president, Security Indus- try of TrackTik Software Inc.
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