Building the business case

For any business, the process of selecting a suitable security provider poses a unique set of questions that need to be answered. Many procurement specialists fail to realise the direct financial benefit to the organisation of a robust security proposition, and thus building a persuasive cost-benefit analysis isn't always the easiest of tasks.

In view of the ongoing threat of terrorist attacks, it's not surprising that security's importance has ascended the corporate agenda. Perversely, so has cost-cutting and revenue maximisation. If security managers are going to ensure that their budgetary wishes are granted by the ‘money men', they'll need to do their research well, plan meticulously, prepare to educate and discover a tenacious streak.

Justification: it's easier for some

Remember that it is far easier for a store manager in the retail sector to justify his or her recommendation for security provisions that will protect tangible assets. Shrinkage is a multi-million pound problem for High Street ‘names'. Here, the benefits of deploying security officers can be readily equated to reduced shrinkage (maybe even no shrinkage at all). In other vertical sectors, though, the cost-benefit analysis is largely speculative.

At a recent seminar we held in the City of London, all of the security managers present insisted they had reviewed their disaster recovery and business continuity plans in the wake of 7/7. However, almost 10% of them also suggested their employer had not increased security spend since those suicide attacks.

Businesses should view their people as the company's primary asset. The saying: ‘Protect your people and you protect your business' still holds true. To this end, people are really the central component of any security strategy. Of course technology has a role to play, but it's all-too-easy to focus on the latest cameras and access solutions while neglecting the very basics of security provision.

There is sometimes a perception that security and risk control need to be expensive, but let's not forget that some of the most effective measures - raising general security awareness, wearing identity passes, challenging an unknown face, the prevention of tailgating and providing only limited disclosure of potentially sensitive information - cost absolutely nothing.

Alas, many corporations have still to wake up to the importance of raising wider security awareness among members of staff, and the necessity to plan for unexpected events. Investing time and money in adequate training and preparation will reap dividends if an adverse security situation should arise. To do this, though, there absolutely must be senior management buy-in.

In essence, businesses should have a secure structure in place which not only engenders a ‘security culture' within the organisation, but is also flexible enough to be adapted for any emergency that should arise.

The importance of a robust business continuity strategy is highlighted by the broad range of threats facing companies and organisations. These range from the natural or accidental through to the deliberate. From the strategic threat of terrorism through to activist groups and disgruntled or malicious workers.

The human element of security

It is worrying to think that a good many companies operating in the UK are still far more pre-occupied with the cost of security provision than the effectiveness of a solution that will mitigate their risks

Businesses should not overlook the human element, and must be willing to challenge assumptions at all times. It is vital that staff be encouraged to think on their feet and remain flexible as and when a situation develops.

Sadly, too many people view security and risk management as an inconvenience. The challenge for us all is to raise security's profile such that Corporate Britain embraces it as a discipline, in much the same way that both Government and commerce embraced Health and Safety in the Workplace during the 1980s and 1990s.

The introduction of Security Industry Authority (SIA) regulation has helped to raise the industry's profile in the national media. However, before security officer licensing came into force on 20 March, our own telephone research - conducted by Solologic between 21 and 30 September last year - discovered that almost 25% of businesses in England and Wales were unaware that contract security officers deployed on their premises would require an SIA licence.

Let us stress again that companies with unlicensed officers working at their sites could risk invalidating their public liability and business insurance. This is real evidence that the deployment of licensed security personnel can have a direct financial benefit to an organisation. The whole purpose of licensing is to protect companies by ensuring that security operatives are reputable, fit for purpose and trained to deal with all manner of crises at a moment's notice.

In simple terms, those client organisations who allow unlicensed, contracted security officers to work at their premises could be placing the Health and Safety of their employees at risk. Additionally, premises might well be vulnerable to theft and attack. Unlicensed personnel will not have completed mandatory criminal checks, and neither will it have been confirmed that they've undergone aptitude training to a minimum statutory level.

More than mere procurement

Above all, businesses should never treat security provision as a procurement issue. It is worrying to think that a good many companies operating in the UK are still far more pre-occupied with the cost of security provision than the effectiveness of a solution that will mitigate their risks.

Although the introduction of licensing (coupled with the general increase in seniority of many security managers) has helped to raise the industry's status somewhat, there remains much evidence to suggest that security is being purchased at the lowest unit cost simply to satisfy the ‘bean counters' in the Procurement Department.

UK businesses should realise that, by investing in highly-skilled and licensed officers, they will be better protected against security incidents. They cannot afford not to have first class security.

Parallel to this, it is hugely important that businesses involve their people every step of the way, and make their contracted security operatives feel like an integral part of the whole operation. People are the one resource which many businesses have in abundance. They are also the one element that can really make a difference to the safety and security of the host company.