How Yesterday's Events in Washington Inform our Thoughts on Corporate Security
The events yesterday at the Capitol raise many issues regarding the state of our democracy. Yet we at Insite are focused on the abject failure of the Capitol Police Department to protect both members of Congress within the Capitol and the monument itself. Yesterday's failure reveals four lessons applicable to the security of asset managers and their firms as they consider returning to the office:
1. Your security perimeter begins at your front door, not the downstairs lobby. Protesters at the Capitol walked right through the checkpoints and into the building. The presence of police officers, signs and magnetometers did not deter the intruders, and they won't deter an intrusion at a midtown office building, either. Your security plan should include a strong entrance area that is resistant to both forced and surreptitious entry.
2. Help won’t come soon enough. One problem with yesterday’s emergency was the delay in sending reinforcements to help the overwhelmed Capitol Police. By the time they realized they needed help, it was too late to receive meaningful assistance. The same holds true in cases of corporate security emergencies. If a firm hasn't retained dedicated resources prior to an emergency, it is unlikely that private security will be available to respond in time.
3. Intel matters. While the Capitol Police expected protesters to be peaceful and compliant, anyone savvy to social media would have recognized the likelihood of violence. If you don't have a predictive, protective intelligence gathering initiative in place, you are likely to be surprised by a sudden swirl of controversy.
4. Black Swans are not so uncommon. The Capitol has not been overrun since the War of 1812. The country has not had a pandemic since 1918. The fact that an emergency has not occurred in recent memory does not mean that it is unlikely to occur. Wise managers plan for the low-probability yet high-impact events that can arise and threaten an organization—especially those that are easy to avoid with a proper security program.
Security Operations Leader | Accomplished Builder of Teams and Programs | ESRM | Executive Protection | Financial Crimes Investigations Programs | Ops & Technology | Resilience | Physical & Cyber Fusion | Problem Solver
4 年Point 4 on Black Swans, in particular, resonates. Leaders and Managers shouldn’t use the “once in a hundred years” mentality to suggest it’s low risk and not worth the expense. Fact is, we see some sort of Black Swan event almost every year...they just take different forms (super storms, wildfires, terror attacks, pandemics, cyber breaches, and now insurgency). Preparedness and security requires changing the vernacular from “expense” to “investment.” The cost of investing in preparedness over time will always be less than the expense paid after the fact.
Executive Director at American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands (AmCham)
4 年Interesting to read your thoughts, Chris! Long time since we spoke. Hope you are well? Marcus
Trusted Security Thought Leader
4 年Good article, Chris.