Richard Lambert–Founder and CEO Evolution (Electronic Security Systems) Ltd
Businesses must engage with security integrators early, or waste money and risk brand damage
Businesses are at risk of focusing on the latest security technologies, without giving proper thought to the process, policy and procedures they need to support them – such systems should be designed to meet an agreed operational requirement.
Due to the increasing pace of technological development, security consultants run the risk of being behind the curve when it comes to the latest technology and how it can be operationally deployed to support end-user requirements.
The opportunity to work closely with the end-user, wider stakeholders and commercial departments of an organisation is key to delivering operationally supportive, cost-effective and fit-for-purpose security systems that secure an organisation’s day-to-day operations. The effective way of achieving the above is through the completion of a Security Operational Requirement (SyOR) for the planned systems.
There is a real need to work from a solid knowledge platform in relation to a client’s organisational risk and operational constraints. Only then can the systems be designed to mitigate the identified and documented risk that the success of the system can be measured against.
The industry is moving away from the old-school methods of consultancy and steadily towards something more relevant and current. True consultancy is about building a roadmap to meet future demand, and creating end-to-end solutions and partnerships that endure, rather than the “fit-and-forget” projects of yesteryear.
It means having a thorough understanding of the risk involved with each individual site and the applicability of (and compliance with) all relevant codes, acts and legislation. Similarly, a robust understanding of the latest technology and how it can be applied, as well as having the right policies and procedures in place, is crucial for security to become a business enabler and not a barrier to progress.
In these uncertain times, it is also critically important to understand and know the source of the selected security products. It is no longer acceptable to source security products from countries that do not respect privacy laws, engage in espionage and leave businesses at serious risk of back-door entry to sensitive data, leaving them open to corruption of their security systems, future support difficulties and serious risk of brand damage.
The point is that you can have the best, most expensive system in the world, that delivers the highest levels of sophistication and modern thinking, but none of it is even worth the cost of the packaging if the specific business operational risks and vulnerabilities are not properly understood from the start and the products are not from a trustworthy source to guarantee security and supply for the lifetime of the system.
Businesses must engage with security integrators early or waste money and risk brand damage. For more information visit: www.evolutionsecurity.com