In ancient times, many a security executive sat in the company basement directing guards, checking door locks and thinking only security.
Nowadays, chief security officers and security directors often have an executive office, a budget for technology and services and working and trusting relationships with information technology, human resources and a systems integrator.
But, above all, today’s CSOs identify with their businesses and the enterprise’s business goals. For many reasons, things have flipped – the security director at Widget Manufacturing now sees himself or herself as a manufacturing executive who provides security solutions to the enterprise’s problems.
To prove the point, profiled in this unique cover story are five security executives working in five different industries. They talk about what works for them, what their challenges are and how they measure the return on investment to the enterprise from the security operation. Also included are profiles of solutions based on use of traditional and nontraditional technology. The solutions mirror the business and security focus of these professionals.
All have business goals and missions. All have security goals and missions. All use technology to one degree or another. Facilities vary, of course. Some sprawl across the globe; another boasts thousands of stores nationwide; others have more localized campuses but with numerous buildings. What follows next is a top/down view through the eyes of our remarkable five. Then some invite us into their facilities to show retrofit solutions that meet both business and security goals. In between, management guru Roger Hall talks about trust and loyalty, top to bottom.