The Benefits of a Current, Strategic Security Plan

Is it time to rethink your security strategy?

 

As more companies reopen, they’re finding that the current work environment looks drastically different than it did before the pandemic.

What many don’t realize is that those changes present an opportunity. Now could be an excellent time to re-evaluate, rethink, and redesign the security strategy to meet today’s needs and adapt to new circumstances.

 

Assess the Program and Operations

The first step to rethinking a security strategy is simple: conduct a complete assessment of the current security program and the organization’s present situation.

Review the Current Security Program. Start by taking stock of assets to be protected, the facility perimeter, current security personnel and equipment, scheduling, and the standard operating procedures (SOPs).

Broaden the Assessment. Next, look at external vulnerabilities. For example, what is the crime rate in the surrounding area? Where is your current facility vulnerable? What do you have or do at your existing facility that might be tempting to criminals or others?

Review how Operations have Changed. Are people working staggered shifts, meaning people might be exiting the building alone rather than part of a group? Are some facilities or areas that used to be busy now empty or rarely used? Areas that used to be filled with activity may now be much quieter, requiring cameras or additional patrols.

In short, do what Sunstates Security does when starting every client engagement: look at everything with fresh eyes, as if you’d never seen it before.

 

Update Security Procedures

Then, use the assessment as the foundation for new or updated SOPs. This critical guide should be a living, dynamic document, re-evaluated and updated on a regular basis. At Sunstates, we revisit SOPs every six months. Many of these updates are driven by data analytics from daily security operations and ongoing site visits from management. Keep in mind that every aspect of day-to-day operations, especially when incidents occur, presents a learning opportunity that can be used to refine the overall security strategy.

 

Test, Evaluate, Reevaluate

If you’re like most organizations, chances are you’ve added new health and safety procedures because of the pandemic. You may also be welcoming remote employees back on-site. This is the time to test new procedures with tabletop exercises or simulations. Identify potential challenges, especially in light of new government, OSHA and CDC regulations and guidelines.

Re-evaluate security needs as well. Whether increasing security in empty buildings or restricting facility access to necessary personnel, security programs should reflect ongoing changes in company staffing.  Many individuals have been terminated since the start of the pandemic. Security needs to work closely with HR and facility management to restrict access to inactive employees.

Several Sunstates Security clients, for example, have decentralized their operations and begun using remote “satellite” spaces for staff, adding to security needs. Others have combined security with non-security roles, such as mailroom, receptionist, and concierge positions, which increases the security presence while streamlining personnel needs.

 

Plan for Continuity

Years ago, Sunstates developed a pandemic response plan when avian flu emerged as a threat. That plan proved invaluable when COVID-19 arrived. The pandemic revealed the need to adapt quickly and keep facilities, operations, and personnel secure under challenging conditions.

Any comprehensive security strategy should include answers to the “what ifs.” What if a building or part of a building is closed but still needs to be protected? What if 50% of the team starts operating remotely? What if certain key personnel are no longer working on-site and an incident occurs?

The idea is to have a business continuity plan in place before it’s needed. That plan should be as specific as possible: who will be responsible for each aspect of the plan, what technology will be deployed, how emergencies will be managed.

The SOPs for each Sunstates client and facility outline the business continuity plan, step by step. That same plan is designed to ensure business continuity no matter what happens: a pandemic, a natural disaster, a terrorist threat . . . anything.

 

Build a Flexible Strategy

The pandemic has shown how quickly situations can change. Security strategies need to reflect the ongoing changes in the workplace, with both safety and business continuity incorporated. We can’t always predict what might happen, but we can still prepare for it.

 

Sunstates Security creates a continuously improved and updated data-driven security plan for every client and facility. To discuss the benefits of our approach, or to review your current security needs, please call Sunstates Security at 866-710-2019 or contact us.