W


hat makes a good Security Manager in the


current climate?


What are the aspects that influence how security is delivered where you work?


Here, we highlight some of the key elements needed for good security management.


We face many challenges in the modern security environment. Some examples across the threat landscape include societal aspects, political unrest, financial impacts, abundance and impact of social media, localised crime, and the need for constant awareness of extremist threat and terrorism. This does not even start to include the minutiae of specific contract threats, day-to-day operations, client needs and expectations, occupier operations and risk appetites etc. We know that this can be extremely frustrating!


With all these considerations, delivering comprehensive security is no easy task; it may look like it to the uneducated: “what’s so hard about security, you stand on a door?” etc. etc. We’ve all heard the comments. To effectively deliver security as a manager is without doubt a plate-spinning exercise; however, as I have outlined in previous articles, chasing problems just leads to frustration and increased stress levels.


Therefore, focusing and prioritising is essential. Pick your battles, know what and when to let go and accept, what you cannot change, this must be in your management approach. I caveat this with ensuring that you have made the client or relevant individuals aware of these concerns, preferably in writing! Remember with security, we are there to manage the risks of the contract; we do not necessarily own these risks.


So, the below are key elements I feel need to be a priority in good security management. I’m not going to teach you how to manage, we all have our own styles and approaches – there is a plethora of studies, books, articles, and courses available on this.


Knowledge and understanding:


A strong understanding of security practices, industry standards, and emerging technologies is essential for a security manager. You need to stay updated with the latest security trends and developments to make informed decisions and implement effective security measures. It is essential that you understand the contract and the environment in which you operate. This will allow you to identify the skills sets in your team and deploy them appropriately – granted, easier with larger teams, than smaller


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What


makes a good Security Manager


Developing a career in Security


evidence. This ties into the previous points of knowledge and understanding. For example, if there are areas of service expectations that are likely to impact


ones, but you will have a variety of strengths and weaknesses to utilise.


Deploying these appropriately has to be considered. This awareness will develop your ability to respond to threats and risks that you may face, and will be a huge benefit to your management of the contract. Day-to-day churn can create tunnel vision and the bigger picture can be missed. While the core operational aspects need to be managed, these will not typically take up the majority of your day (yes, I speak from experience!). Knowing and being aware of the risks and threats in the wider areas will assist in better security planning, the ability to update and discuss with clients and colleagues, and to allocate resources. So, take the time to step out of the weeds and review beyond your immediate perimeter and contract boundaries.


Evidence your security delivery:


Sometimes, reporting by omission is vital to outline where service delivery has been focused; this will demonstrate where some things may not have been completed. The need to meet client needs on service expectations is becoming more and more expansive; at times it greatly dilutes the security service. However, the difficult meetings when things have gone wrong and justifying what we were doing will need valid


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deployment because of additional needs, then make sure the potential problems in doing this are documented. Again, the risks we may work with can be exacerbated due to the financial capacity of the contract, or budgetary restraints (and at present we are all feeling the costs of doing business). Make sure your threat matrix, security plan, risk assessments, etc. have these points in a place where they can be reviewed regularly – KPI, SLA monthly meetings, etc. This allows for the appropriate risk and threats to be addressed and kept on the radar. Your monthly meetings should be a regular opportunity to ensure the security strategy and objectives are being met and discussed.


Contract responsibility:


Although this seems like an obvious statement, as a manager the contract responsibility sits with you. It’s a far wider- reaching responsibility, ultimately where the buck stops if it goes wrong. Knowing that, holding the position of manager, lead officer, supervisor etc. has repercussions. Those in these positions will quickly learn what understanding what could happen if there are incidents, especially serious incidents, (Manchester Arena and the soon-to-be Protect Legislation), and that those in charge need to understand you will be held accountable to justify their decisions, processes, and actions. It’s important you don’t let the day-to-day distract you from this element of security management.


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