Security Vendor Management: How Managers Measure Performance and Accountability

by | Nov 12, 2026 | Informative

Security Vendor Management: How Managers Measure Performance and Accountability

Key Insights

  • Coverage isn’t performance: Full staffing does not guarantee effective security services.
  • Evidence matters: Vendor KPIs must reflect contractual requirements and verified operational results.
  • Accountability drives improvement: Security Managers must identify deficiencies, assign corrective actions, and verify their effectiveness.

A security contractor reports 100% staffing coverage. Every post is filled, invoices are accurate, and the monthly performance dashboard looks satisfactory.

Yet access-control exceptions remain unresolved, incident reports contain missing details, and shift handovers repeatedly fail to communicate outstanding security concerns.

Is the vendor delivering effective security—or merely fulfilling its staffing commitments?

For a Security Manager, the answer requires more than reviewing attendance records. Effective security vendor management combines measurable expectations, performance evidence, corrective actions, and accountable follow-through.

This guide explains how to evaluate contracted security services using practical KPIs, a reusable scorecard, and a structured performance-review process.

What Is Security Vendor Management?

Security vendor management is the process of defining, monitoring, evaluating, and improving external security services against organizational requirements. It involves contract oversight, performance measurement, operational verification, and corrective-action management to ensure providers deliver agreed services effectively, consistently, and with clear accountability.

Security vendors may provide guarding, mobile patrols, control-room operations, monitoring services, or physical security technology maintenance.

A Security Manager must answer three questions:

  • Compliance: Did the vendor deliver the agreed services?
  • Effectiveness: Were responsibilities performed correctly?
  • Accountability: Were deficiencies corrected and verified?

A vendor can meet staffing requirements while failing important operational expectations. This makes evidence-based oversight essential.

Three Layers of Security Vendor Performance

Security Managers should evaluate contractors at three levels.

Layer Core question Example
1. Coverage Was the service available? Required posts were staffed
2. Compliance Were procedures followed? Officers followed approved post orders
3. Effectiveness Did the service achieve its intended purpose? Access exceptions were identified and escalated correctly

Practical example

Two corporate facilities report complete security staffing coverage.

Facility A: Officers document incidents accurately, follow access-control procedures, and communicate outstanding issues during shift handovers.

Facility B: Officers remain at their assigned posts, but unresolved access exceptions are omitted from reports.

Both facilities meet the same staffing figure. Their operational performance differs.

Management insight: Measure what the contractor provides, how services are delivered, and whether those services meet agreed security objectives.

Effectiveness assessments should also consider responsibilities and risks outside the provider’s reasonable control.

Security Vendor KPIs and Performance Scorecard

The most useful security vendor KPIs measure staffing reliability, personnel readiness, incident reporting, escalation compliance, supervisory oversight, and corrective-action closure. Each KPI needs an agreed definition, measurable target, and reliable evidence source.

Essential Security Vendor KPIs

KPI What to measure Evidence
Post coverage Required post-hours fulfilled (%) Schedules and attendance
Personnel readiness Qualified personnel meeting requirements (%) Training records
Incident reporting Reports meeting documentation standards (%) Report samples
Escalation Incidents escalated within agreed time (%) Incident logs
Supervision Required inspections completed (%) Inspection records
Patrol compliance Required patrols completed correctly (%) Guard tour records
Corrective actions Actions verified closed by deadline (%) Action register

How to Calculate Vendor Performance

<escape>Example 1: Staffing coverage</escape>

Formula

Post-hour fulfillment (%) = (Verified covered hours ÷ Required hours) × 100

Suppose a facility requires 1,000 post-hours and 985 are verified.

Result: 98.5%

If the agreed contractual target is 99%, performance falls below that illustrative requirement.

However, coverage alone does not establish overall service effectiveness. Managers must consider contractual definitions, approved exceptions, and operational impact.

<escape>Example 2: Incident-report quality</escape>

Formula

Report compliance (%) = (Compliant reports ÷ Reports reviewed) × 100

Suppose 34 of 40 reviewed reports meet the required standards.

Result: 85%

Managers should investigate the significance and pattern of deficiencies rather than relying on this percentage alone.

For example, an omitted administrative field is different from failing to record a critical security notification.

Free Security Vendor Performance Scorecard

Use this scorecard during monthly contractor reviews.

Review area Required standard Actual result Action
Staffing Contract target ___ ___
Training Approved qualifications ___ ___
Reporting Documentation criteria ___ ___
Escalation Notification requirements ___ ___
Supervision Inspection schedule ___ ___
Corrective actions Closure requirements ___ ___

How to use the scorecard

  1. Enter the applicable contractual requirement.
  2. Record verified results and supporting evidence.
  3. Identify significant performance deficiencies.
  4. Assign an accountable owner and deadline.
  5. Verify improvement before closing the issue.

Managers can extend this template with columns for evidence references, risk ratings, corrective-action status, and verification dates.

Important: Performance thresholds and sampling frequencies should reflect site risks and contractual requirements. No universal percentage suits every security operation.

Contracts, SLAs, and Post Orders

Three documents establish the foundation for security contractor oversight.

Document Purpose
Statement of Work (SOW) Defines services, deliverables, and responsibilities
Service Level Agreement (SLA) Establishes agreed performance expectations and measurable targets
Post Orders Explain how security personnel perform site-specific duties

How these documents work together

Suppose a vendor is contracted to provide continuous access-control coverage.

The SOW establishes the required service.

The SLA identifies applicable performance expectations.

The post orders explain how officers verify visitor authorization, document exceptions, and escalate incidents.

A Security Manager should ensure that these documents are consistent and operationally practical.

Management insight: When requirements are unclear or inconsistent, resolve the issue through authorized contractual and operational channels before assessing compliance.

Five-Step Vendor Performance Review

Consider a hypothetical corporate campus where a contractor reports full staffing, but several access exceptions were escalated late and handover records remain incomplete.

The Security Manager can investigate using five steps.

Step 1 — Establish the Requirement

Review the contract, SOW, SLA, and relevant post orders.

Identify exactly what the contractor was required to deliver.

Avoid treating informal expectations as contractual obligations.

Step 2 — Verify the Evidence

Compare contractor reports with relevant operational records, including:

  • Incident management software
  • Guard tour systems
  • Access-control logs
  • Shift handover records
  • Supervisory inspections

Review timestamps, missing information, exceptions, and relevant circumstances.

A completed electronic record demonstrates recorded activity, not necessarily effective performance.

Step 3 — Evaluate the Risk

Determine the operational significance of each deficiency.

A minor formatting error may require administrative correction. An unresolved access exception involving a sensitive area may require immediate intervention.

Management decisions should reflect actual operational risk.

Step 4 — Identify the Root Cause

Use root cause analysis (RCA) to investigate recurring deficiencies.

Potential causes include unclear procedures, insufficient training, workload constraints, communication failures, or ineffective supervision.

Look beyond individual mistakes to determine whether wider operational controls are failing.

Step 5 — Correct and Verify

Agree on four essential requirements:

  • Corrective measure
  • Responsible owner
  • Completion deadline
  • Verification method

Do not close an issue merely because the vendor confirms that training occurred.

Management rule: Close corrective actions only when appropriate evidence demonstrates the required improvement.

The EVAR Vendor Review Loop

The EVAR Vendor Review Loop provides a repeatable structure for reviewing security contractor performance.

Stage Management question
E — Expectations What must the vendor deliver?
V — Verification What evidence supports the reported performance?
A — Action Which deficiencies require correction?
R — Reassessment Did corrective action resolve the problem?

[Custom visual: EVAR Vendor Review Loop — Expectations → Verification → Action → Reassessment → Repeat]

Monthly Reviews vs. Quarterly Business Reviews

Monthly reviews focus on staffing, performance KPIs, incident trends, unresolved deficiencies, and corrective-action status.

Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) examine longer-term performance patterns, recurring weaknesses, resource constraints, service changes, and improvement opportunities.

Monthly reviews measure current performance. QBRs assess the effectiveness of the wider vendor relationship.

Managing Poor Performance and Systemic Failures

When security vendor performance falls below an agreed requirement, managers should verify the deficiency, assess its operational consequences, document evidence, communicate with the responsible provider representative, assign corrective action, and verify improvement. Serious or repeated failures should follow approved escalation procedures.

A corrective-action record should include the finding, supporting evidence, risk, required action, responsible owner, deadline, and verification criteria.

Isolated Error or Systemic Failure?

Use these five diagnostic questions.

Factor Management question
Frequency How often does the issue occur?
Distribution Does it affect multiple shifts or locations?
Severity What operational risk does it create?
Persistence Does it recur after correction?
Control effectiveness Should existing supervision have prevented it?

For example, repeated incomplete incident reports across several shifts may indicate a supervisory control weakness rather than a problem involving one individual.

Managers should investigate the pattern before determining appropriate corrective action.

Decisions involving contractual penalties, payments, or commercial changes must remain within delegated authority.

Security Management Standards

Structured vendor oversight reflects established security operations management principles.

ISO 18788:2015 — Management System for Private Security Operations provides a framework for managing, monitoring, reviewing, and improving security operations.

The standard addresses organizations conducting or contracting security operations and emphasizes responsible management, accountability, and continual improvement.

For Security Managers, these principles reinforce the importance of clear responsibilities, evidence-based performance assessment, and systematic corrective action.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Trusting Vendor Dashboards Without Verification

Contractor-generated reports should be checked against appropriate operational evidence, particularly where material risks or repeated deficiencies exist.

A favorable dashboard cannot substitute for verification.

2. Measuring Activity Instead of Effectiveness

Patrol counts, hours worked, and reports submitted are useful operational indicators.

However, they do not independently demonstrate that security services are achieving their intended purposes.

3. Closing Corrective Actions Too Early

Updated procedures and completed training may demonstrate progress.

Managers must still verify that the underlying problem has been resolved before closing the corrective action.

Why Vendor Oversight Matters for Security Managers

Vendor oversight demonstrates the transition from supervising individual security activities to managing a wider security program.

A Security Supervisor may identify a missed inspection.

A Security Manager must determine whether the failure reflects inadequate resources, unclear requirements, ineffective oversight, or broader contractor performance problems.

That responsibility requires judgment across contracts, operational management, policy implementation, performance measurement, and organizational accountability.

Professionals developing these competencies must learn to evaluate evidence, make proportionate decisions, and verify operational improvements.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does a Security Manager do in vendor management?

A Security Manager defines or interprets service requirements, evaluates contractor performance, verifies operational evidence, addresses deficiencies, and coordinates corrective actions within delegated authority.

Which KPIs matter most for security contractors?

Important measures include staffing coverage, personnel readiness, incident-report quality, escalation compliance, supervisory inspections, patrol performance, and corrective-action closure.

What is the difference between an SLA and a KPI?

An SLA establishes agreed service expectations and may specify measurable performance targets. A KPI measures an aspect of actual performance and helps determine whether applicable requirements are being achieved.

How often should security vendor performance be reviewed?

Review frequency depends on operational risk and contractual requirements. Critical failures may require immediate intervention, while routine performance may be reviewed monthly and broader strategic issues assessed quarterly.

Key Takeaways

  • Evaluate contractor performance beyond staffing and attendance reports.
  • Link KPIs to contractual requirements and verified operational evidence.
  • Use structured reviews to identify performance deficiencies.
  • Investigate recurring weaknesses before assigning corrective measures.
  • Verify corrective-action effectiveness before closure.

Final Perspective

Effective security vendor management is not about generating more reports.

It is about determining whether contracted services meet organizational requirements, identifying operational weaknesses, and ensuring corrective actions produce measurable improvement.

The essential question: Can the organization demonstrate that its security provider delivers the services it actually needs?

Develop Your Security Management Competencies

Vendor oversight is one component of managing professional security operations.

CorpSecurity International’s Certified Security Manager (CSM®) certification supports professional development in security management, including operational oversight, policies, resources, vendor management, and accountability.

Explore the Certified Security Manager (CSM®) Certification

Emergency response ahead of severe weather season

by | Nov 22, 2021 | Informative

According to US natural hazard statistics, there have been significant increases in severe weather-related fatalities in the world. Many of these have become a seasonable phenomenon. Weather changes that happen regularly such as flood, heat, tornado, lightning, hurricane, wildfire, extreme cold, and wind and earthquakes have been dominating the headlines of newspapers throughout the world. It has now gone to the extent that not even a single day passes without having been heard about at least one such incident taking valuable lives and properties somewhere in the world.  

Preparedness to mitigate the effects and rescue people has been taking all across the planet with efficient response and management teams being trained to cope with all types of emergencies. There are private agencies with trained officers ready to manage such crisis when an emergency hit. Some big corporations are assigning such organizations with the duty of protecting their employers and properties to efficiently respond to such emergencies. When they are tasked with the duty, they will be responsible for down to top operations such as issuing protocols, supplying necessary equipment, facilitating transportation, and providing required means to stay at a spot for an indefinite period. 

With each new change in weather becoming seasonal and unpredictable, investing more time and resources in the field of security response venture will be a relevant idea for this time in particular. 

Hurricanes, wildfires, and floods have been frequently hitting more parts of the world. Countless acres of land have been burnt in a wildfire in recent years. Hurricane takes hundreds of thousands of lives and other properties. Floods have also become a regular phenomenon claiming lives and destroying livelihoods. Since the root cause of this severe change in weather is environmental pollutions and other toxic-substance emissions, the future is likely to be more dark and hopeless as there has no visible practice in letter and spirit towards the reduction of pollution in the world. For this reason, at least equipping personnel to tackle emergencies by taking strategies that can rescue the most vulnerable people and mitigate the effects of the disaster should be the urgent priority of the security leaders and disaster management teams. Here you will be exposed to some smart emergency response ideas helpful for successfully engaging with rescue operations. 

Informing the communities 

The first and most basic thing one can do to respond to an emergency weather season is to pass the news of potential danger that is on its way. Security teams are expected to have the most advanced communication channels to reach out to residents to facilitate information sharing more effectively so that they can take enough precautions and demand help in a critical situation. Security leaders must also be careful about not turning the people in panic with their interaction rather they should communicate only the most critical information in a strategic and timely manner. Enabling a rapid and coordinated response requires proper communication between all the stakeholders of a situation. They should be very thoughtful about what this announcement means to the public and how they will respond as each one assess that in varying degrees. They must find proper channels and systems to convey the message and ensure that the message has reached the target audience. This is the fundamental duty of security leaders to manage severe weather conditions and natural calamities. 

Defining the vulnerable areas and people  

When communicating with people who are going to meet the calamity, the security team has to bear in mind that giving a message should be confined into the specific areas and it is also advised to inform the nearby area that is going to have its consequences. For example, if a hurricane hits an area near the ocean, it may cause the water to overflow to areas where people are living. In such circumstances, security personnel is indulging in rescue operation teams have to proactively foresee the entire probable follow-ups. 

Making proper planning and preparation for the operation  

We have Emergency operation centers these days in several places. It functions keeping in mind the protection of lives and properties as its core goal. They are a set of trained security professionals ready to manage the communication activities and support and operate emergency response activities in a sheer professional and creative manner. Such a safety operation team is entrusted to prepare for the worst disaster with meticulous planning and response strategies. This involves providing adequate training and skills for the personnel and devising the course of action. For security leaders, it is important to assign specific roles to the personnel and maintain a commanding power without creating confusion during the rescue operations. There should be established communication among the security personnel and also with the affected communities. Preparation again involves testing the efficiency and functionality of the tools and technologies that they are going to use in the operation. Identifying potential points of failure and finding ways to minimize the inevitable casualties are among the prime concerns of the security leaders.   

How much collaboration valued during the operation 

Total collaboration between all the concerned stakeholders of a particular emergency is paramount for the successful operation of an emergency response team. Collaboration between private and public security agencies, security management, and other rescue forces need to be well-coordinated to have a smooth function while the work goes on. During a severe weather emergency, immediate informing of the community, establishing the separate responsibilities, and making a clear direction for the entire operation all these vitals will not be possible if there was no active collaboration among the stakeholders. Constituting an integrated commanding system will be a highly recommended way to establish collaboration. 

Now let us take three examples of weather response activity  

Flood management; has become a frequently required operation nowadays as floods continue to be a recurring process. Searching and rescuing, cleaning up some hazardous materials, utility restoration, and other critical activities should only be carried out by experienced and trained personnel. For example, if there is full of water near an electric circuit and the electric nuance touches the water, it will be catastrophic if it was not properly managed. And removing debris, rescuing isolated people trapped in a place surrounded by water, using technological tools to facilitate the operation, taking enough self-defenses against drowning, insects, chemical dangers, fire, and exhaustion are all things security personnel involved in flood management have to understand. 

Hurricane management; primarily requires a thorough evacuation plan in the entire areas that the hurricane is expected to hit. It includes evacuation procedures, a chain of commands, tools for the personnel, and other essential accessories. The flow of information must be assured from the sources only. Anticipating the potential consequences, responding accordingly, planning relief and recovery course of action, leveraging the relationship with other agencies, mobilizing volunteers, calling the first responders are among the factors a security leader managing the hurricane has to address. Other components such as the use of technology and post-storm assessments also come under the duty of the Hurricane management team.  

Wildfire management; is a very important issue because of the extensive damage it causes and the threat it poses to the safety of people and the property. It is urgent in sites packed with inflammable vegetation to have an effective wildfire plan at all times. Some key elements to keep in mind while engaging with wildfire are defining the exact location of the site, preparing a detailed description of the site, identifying the location of fire-sensitive features, narrating the procedure to be followed, creating communication procedures including radio frequencies of responding agencies and map identification such as entry spot, exit spot, water source and location of flammable fuels. And last but not least, maintaining a close relationship and liaisons with the local fire agency is very important. Conducting training exercises and sometimes joint training with the local agencies will help to sharpen the efficiency of the whole operation. 

As most countries fail to keep their promise of reducing greenhouse emissions and other polluting components, things don’t seem to change. When elements producing such emissions are on a skyrocketing pace, the only reliance, government, and private agencies have before them is to equip security personnel to respond and manage the changing weather emergencies. Security leaders both from the public and private sectors alike have a lot to learn and do in the coming days as many of the corporations starts to employ security agencies to respond to the emergencies in the face of seasonal and frequent weather-related casualties across the world 

Safety and Security: Self Defense for Plane Journey

by | Nov 8, 2021 | Security Technology, Electronic Security, Physical Security, Security Awareness, Security Professionals

Flying at an altitude height of 35,000ft to 42,000 ft people need to be more careful while there are on a plane journey about their concerns for safety and security. Most people find it very exciting while taking a plane journey, be it their first time or not. But with the recent trends in the increase of terrorism and their methods to hijack a plane safety and security can be a high priority. Knowing a little self-defense while traveling at a height of 35,000 ft is only going to hurt the hijackers who hijack the plane. 

Today together let us know how one can be safe and secured during a plane journey.  

While traveling through commercial planes the passengers in the plane during the flight can imagine the various type of scenarios that can cause interruption to their safe and secured environment and lives. 

How do you want to be sure that that you are going to be safe and secure during the plane journey? 

Technically speaking there can be different kinds of risks involved while taking a plane journey. Turbulence issues can cause the plane to blast in the mid-air, severe weather conditions can change the plane course or destroy the plane scattering the plane into pieces in the middle of an ocean. Some kind of technical glitches during landing the plane can cause accidents. Well, in all these scenarios there isn’t much a passenger can do about it. 

We are going to talk about how you can make sure that you are going to be safe and secure during a plane journey that involves yourselves. 

Snakes are definitely not going to be a part of this discussion 

Let me clear your thoughts first, snakes cannot be a threat for the passengers like in the movie Snakes on a Plane hypothetically speaking only. Well, if snakes are really abroad then the right course of action can be listed out during that emergency. But for now, let us stick to the actual and real threats. 

Criminals, sophisticated thieves like in the movies, and the most dangerous ones can be the hijackers. These can be the real threats on a plane with the given space in the plane and well you are obviously in a manner are in the space (atmosphere).  

These can be some serious problems to face while you are at high altitudes with some serious less sensitive equipment on the plane. Hijackers mostly have different agendas while they plan to hijack a plane. Hijacking a plane needs some serious planning which can be avoided firsthand by trying to stop them before they board the plane. 

Security professionals who are a part of the airport security stay vigilant about the passengers boarding the plane. They try to eliminate the threat by observing all the passengers in the boarding area to spot any unusual activity or unusual behavior of any passenger.  

Even the passengers who are ready to board the plane need to observe your surroundings and the co-passengers in the waiting area. If by any chance you find anything suspicious about anyone you need to inform the authorities instead of just ignoring them. Your information can sometimes be easy for the security departments to eliminate threats on the ground level, if not there can be some repercussions.  

Nervousness, excess sweating, impatience, often checking the watches and baggage, and noticing the movements of the security professionals can be some signs to identify the culprits who are about to board the plane with no good intentions.  

Some first-timers who are boarding the plane can also show the same signs but that will be taken care of by the authorities and security officials after running a background check on them. But your primary goal here should be about you informing the authorities about your suspicions.  

By raising suspicion when you find odd behavior from any of the co-passengers you make the job of the airport security officials to identify the threat is real or not.  

An Advice for the Cabin Crew and the Passengers  

Everyone admires the classy nature and the beauty of the cabin crew. But not in all cases the looks can serve the purpose. Along with the humbleness that is possessed by the cabin crew there are is something else that the cabin crew needs to work on to make a safe and secured flight journey for the passengers. 

Self-defense should be taught to all the flight attendants and the cabin crew to ensure safety and security on the plane. 

Self-defense can come in very handy in different situations for the flight attendants mainly.  

During a flight journey the cabin crew mainly the flight attendants has to deal with different kinds of passengers. The kinds can include sexual predators, abusers, assaulters, and the easily offended short-tempered passengers who pose various kinds of challenges and threats to them. Apart from these kinds of passengers, there is the most dangerous kind the terrorists who might hijack the plane or bomb the plane while in flight. 

With a few self-defense classes, the flight attendants would be able to defend themselves from petty issues to serious problems. Maybe not in all situations the threat can be eliminated effectively by the cabin crew and their self-defense lessons. But the least they can do with their self-defense techniques is that they can minimize the threat and the scale of danger it possesses in hijack situations. 

While encountering the terrorists or the hijackers who hijacked the plane with your basic self-defense lessons can be hard because the chances of your survival are very low and the stakes are very high, literally very high because your flight is at an altitude of 35,000 ft. But you challenging the hijackers can cause panic in them and their mission and also the passengers can give a hand with the push you gave them by showing courage. 

I think there is no need to give an introduction to the deadliest terrorist attack that has ever happened in human history. 9/11 attacks on American soil have created chaos in the infrastructures, the economy, and the 90 different countries that lost their citizens in the attacks. 

On the morning of September 11, 2001, four commercial planes from different locations were hijacked by 19 terrorists who were divided into four groups. Each group had their own pilot to fly the plane after taking control of the plane.  

The interesting fact in the attacks is that not all the planes were successful in destroying their targets. Only the three planes were able to crash in the locations they wanted to, but the fourth commercial plane which was carrying 33 passengers and 7 cabin crew did not reach the location.  

The fourth plane which was hijacked by 4 terrorists was headed to the Capitol building but crashed elsewhere. According to the reports, the fourth plane passengers showed resistance by attempting to subdue the hijackers, in fear of failing the mission the hijacker pilot crash-landed the plane in a field in Pennsylvania.  

These attacks claimed nearly 2,973 lives, not including the terrorists who carried out the mission. If the fourth commercial plane was also able to succeed in its mission the toll would have gone up a little. But the restrain and the resistance which was shown by the passengers in the plane averted the attack on the Capitol building. There were no survivors from all the planes but the fourth plane was able to at least avert the danger, not increase any more death count by sacrificing themselves.  

The world is in constant need of heroes who can protect others from threats. All the security professionals and the security departments from each sector always tries to keep the people safe and secured. But being safe and secure doesn’t always have to be dependent on the security officials and the law enforcement departments. We also need to look out for ourselves. To be able to do that doesn’t always require becoming trained fighters.  

Some simple self-defense techniques can be very helpful in dealing with threats such as mugging, thefts, and assaults on the ground levels from workplace environments to streets. But knowing self-defense techniques during a plane journey can surely help in boosting up your confidence to go face to face with threats. 

With the metal detectors and the extensive screening of all the passengers, there won’t be many weapons on the hijackers. Given the fewer weapons, you can take it as an advantage to show your self-defense skills. 

Don’t believe what is shown in the movies, it is very difficult to smuggle something into a plane. So terrorists won’t be having AK-47 or automatic weapons for that matter which can make your task simple. They even use fake bombs to scare the passengers which were exactly what happened in the series of 9/11 attacks.  

Source: September 11 attacks – Wikipedia 

Security Positioning Strategy

by | Oct 29, 2021 | Informative

Effective and reliable workplace security is very important to any business because it reduces insurance, compensation, liabilities, and other expenses that the company must pay to its stakeholders, ultimately leading to increased business revenue and a reduction in operational charges incurred.

Therefore it’s of utmost importance for each employee the understand the Objective of Security in the organization & day to day operations.

Many organizations are still following Security protocols as compliance however those organizations who treat this department as their major department have been blessed with so many advantages.

So, there is a lot of opportunities in the above discussed first type of organization, wherein security leadership & management can #RePosition the Department.

In the below presentation, various strategies are discussed by the author Abhijeet Kumar Sinha to ReBuild the department.

Download

Drone: a security mitigation tool or a threat

by | Oct 9, 2021 | CCTV, Electronic Security, Security Awareness, Security Technology

The arrival of commercial drones and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) has created both opportunities and challenges alike. Giving an explosion of innovation to the industry, it has been tripling its presence across the entire security sphere. With an estimated hype in the operation of drones, the prospect seems to be promising in the drone management sector. Drones have managed to help us in a variety of areas. It is used mainly as a risk mitigation tool along with security teams as an effective auxiliary and cost-effective tool.  

The uses of these drones are countless as many organizations rely on drones for various security purposes which include site surveys of large properties, an inspection of the long stretched pipeline of utilities, taking videos or photos of a big gathering, and other endless activities. Security teams and professionals are using the same for monitoring sites and detecting potential threats.  

And to its discredit, there are some malicious uses with the same drone such as spying on the business competitors, helping to steal properties especially intellectual property and smuggling prohibited items. It can also be used to inflict physical damages. Though it started as a useful and playful toy operated by non-malicious people, it has been now changed to a much evolved and sophisticated one even making the job of terrorist organizations easier to target and carry out attacks in a more advanced manner. 

 When the availability and use of drones become widespread, countries are simultaneously worried about the potential danger and are looking forward to taking some actions in that direction. While they are supposed to value freedom, most countries are struggling with the prevalence of such drones. Given the level of benefits and uses, private agencies are extensively relying on drones for many purposes including malicious ones. So, when the future seems to be full of drones, it will be better to discuss the opportunities and uses as well as risks and challenges of drones in the days to come. 

What do drones do in the security field? 

The availability of drones is pervasive as it is cheaper, environmental-friendly and easy to use, commercial drones can be seen even in marriage functions to take perfect shoots in certain upper angles. It can reach inaccessible places and rescue people strangled in risk-filled areas. Now, drones have been the key player even in the agriculture sector. Farmers use drones to detect any crop failure other than watering and fertilizing thief paddy fields.  

In the security field, in addition to enforcing surveillance, drones are being used to deliver relief supplies to those trapped in flood areas or other calamities. It can spot arsenal sites, dangerous developments in the protected areas. 

Drones are capable of helping security professionals in a variety of ways as a mitigation tool of significant security issues. Let us consider some of its use as a security deterrence technology. 

Cost-effective: many organizations rely on applying drones for monitoring their structures and property. Instead of employing more security personnel at the site, enterprises now save a lot of money by using drones. They don’t have to employ more full-time security personnel or install cameras on all sites if they afford to buy a drone. So, it is reducing the amount the expenditure a company has to spend to secure its security infrastructure. Security personnel equipped with operating drones are being employed in these fields. 

Assessing the potential risks: Security personnel use drones to detect vulnerabilities and fragile areas. They will be able to find gaps in their works and proceed to fix them. They can sense the risks and loopholes easily with the help of drones. They don’t need to go to the roof to know if there is any security risk hiding behind the top. Personnel uses it with the thermal camera even at night to monitor campuses, auditoriums, and large gatherings. With this process, they can control the whole area and prevent any possible danger from happening. 

Securing remote assets: drones are the most effective tool if you are looking for securing large areas of land, animals, plants, and other valuable asset. For example, if you have a large plot of hundreds of acres with valuable trees and food items in it; you can use drones to prevent theft and other fraud activities across the area. 

Drones with the capacity of analyzing images and audio-video sensors can assess the situation more effectively than a security officer does. It can sense the danger and simultaneously inform the authority that there is an immediate situation at the given place.   

Emergency relief: Assessing the intensity of emergencies and providing the required help in the process of the rescue operation is what makes the drone unique. It is doing well in terms of finding people isolated in flood or fire or earthquake or inside the collapsing building and helping them to escape the situation. 

How drones turn into a challenge 

Drones can turn into a nightmare in multiple ways. Apart from being in the hand of malicious people, the drone can simply turn dangerous if the operator loses control. It can happen when the operator is an untrained one or when someone hacks the system. And as a technology, it is viable to system failures. So, without any intention of harming, it can inflict injuries and it will be bigger if someone malicious takes control of the drone through hacking and make a deliberate movement. It has now become a trend that people buy a drone fly it like a toy without receiving any training or standard. Such untrained operators pose enormous risks to their lives and properties. Ryan Hendricks, the Managing partner at Dronuspher, says “there are not enough trained drone operators to meet the demand right now”. This is why the news of drone accidents is not a surprise these days.   

Data theft: a big challenge 

Drones as a technology vulnerable to hacking can manipulate the manufacturing process and can be used to steal information. The recent example of the department of home security of the USA warning companies about the Chinese-made drones being used to send sensitive data to its manufacturers in China has shown the gaps and loopholes hiding behind the droned security requirements. As most of the drones used in America are manufactured in China, they can manipulate and steal data from the clients. 

Collision is yet another big challenge that the drone is susceptible to. As even a bird can make a plane’s journey difficult and sometimes takes it down, the possibility of collision and subsequent injuries are going to be a reality when the skies are all over the world with commercial drones. It can claim thousands of lives if it touches a plane or helicopters that flee below 500 feet. 

So, all things considered, an operator of a drone must be liable for the activities it does. And he should take responsibility for any loss caused by the drone. 

How drones affect the national security  

This article discussed how the drone itself is a boon and threat at the same time. Last but not least, here we are considering the larger security concerns about the continuous advancement of aerial vehicle technology. The drones have paved a new road for military attacks and war requirements. America uses thousands of drones for various military requirements which include capturing imageries of illegal and malicious practices. As of now, the evolving drones with its shapes, size, capacities, and strengths reflects the demands and the needs it is going to carry out in the near future. Jet-powered drones can fly as fast as commercial flight and can be deployed to any site. Drones are already using in militaries across the world.  

Despite the advantages that drones can provide to the various requirements, it could be an unforeseeable threat if it is in the hand of an irresponsible militia group instead of a responsible one. Besides, there are many utilities across the world capable of manufacturing sophisticated drones. Varied types of drones already exist in the market in immeasurable amounts. So, the easy availability of the drones makes it extra-advantageous to the terrorist and other malicious groups. The instance of insurgency using drones for attacking their enemy is already there as the Colombian group FARC carried out a Tokyo subway attack in Japan in 1995. And there has been news of their terrorist outfits considering the uses of commercial drones for carrying out attacks. 

As there are no significant efforts so far from the governments and international community towards the non-proliferation of commercial drones, the future looks uncertain with the drones are each day taking different shapes, sophistication, and power. As they can be equipped with many arsenals, the threat they pose will be unimaginable. 

To conclude, drones with all their advantages can cause various damages in multiple spheres. Ranging from the terrorist organizations designing it packed with explosive materials to attack their target, accidental falling of drones on the crowd in large venues to the use of an ordinary individual with basic know-how in order to inflict another one. So, the time demands effective measures and professional experts in the field.