Security Surveys
A Perennial of the Security Plan
Security Surveys
The Road to Resilience
Taken as a snapshot, at one point in time, Security Surveys are a staple of the security plan, as they establish if the protection provided for the assets of an organisation falls within its risk appetite. Traditionally Physical Security Surveys take the form of analysing the protective security measures there are, against a presumed spectrum of threats, from the perimeter fence inwards, through a series of defensive measures to the assets being protected.
It’s an approach that hasn’t changed for a considerable period of time, but organisations have. The adoption of home and hybrid working and the outsourcing of what were once seen as critical services, means that the perimeter fence cannot be taken as a demarcation line.
Protective Security, however and the basis on which RedLeaf Consultancy delivers its Security Survey programme, is about recognising the integrated security approach needed to enable an organisation to function and to deliver its products and services. It is the ability to prevent an occurrence in the first instance, reduce its impact, adapt as necessary, recover and learn from it, which is critical to security and to enable the road to resilience.
Understanding the Organisation, Identifying the Risks
Security is not something that is separate or siloed within an organisation, but is an integral part of it. Through working with an organisation, understanding what it does and how it does it, risks would be identified, interconnections and dependencies mapped out and critical nodes identified, in what is a critical first step.
Realising the Threats
It is from capturing the data on an organisation and its risks that enables relevant information to be collected, analysis made and a picture of the spectrum of the threat actors that there are drawn up. Those threats will vary, from the potential actions taken by inside threat actors, to terrorist groups, to foreign states, each will have different intent and display different capabilities in overcoming defensive measures.
Understanding Failure
The analysis of malicious threats in itself will not prevent failure as this is more tightly wrapped around the attitude of an organisation. It is how it sees security, combined the capabilities of the security team, its integration into the risk and governance regime and the impact that an organisation’s culture has, which defines the immediate and long term effect that security has. There is a need to understand why failures occur.
Capturing Resilience
Security is not just about the layers of protective measures that there are and setting those against a series of threats. Not only is it very difficult to predict all the threats and how they might affect an organisation, to be effective, Security has to deliver a product that not only prevents an occurrence, if it can, if it can’t, reduce its impact and from that position, recover and preferably be in a better place than before.
Delivering the Report
Security can be seen as a monolithic block and while there has to be an overarching report, it affects individual risks it different ways. The Security Survey report produced by RedLeaf Consultancy, captures both the overall view together with the individual requirements necessary for risk managers. It is a report on which decisions can be made.
Further Reading From Our Library
Homeworking – The Unintended Consequences
Facial Recognition and Smartphones – Have Identity Cards Had Their Day?
RedLeaf Consultancy
Integrating Security – Bringing Transparency
Available to Meet Your Needs
Available to speak to, video conference, email or meet in person, RedLeaf Consultancy is conveniently located in Northern Ireland, to enable travel throughout the UK, Republic of Ireland and via airport hubs, Internationally.
To Contact RedLeaf Consultancy
Phone: +44 (0) 7720 820023
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