Point Blank: The Security 500
Witness, if you will, 50 years of security art and science collapsed into the post 9/11 decade. When the dot com era burst, many venture dollars were looking for a place to work. 9/11, sadly, happened and was followed by many changes, including the creation of DHS and the promises to “inspect every bag at airports,” which led to the venture capital and curious question: Inspect them with what? The need rose, the money poured in. Innovation followed.
More than 500 camera companies were exhibiting by 2006 at the ISC trade show. The realization of security’s necessity due to risk or regulation demanded new organizational structures and management styles. And the requirement for business-minded leaders at the security helm followed. Security grew up fast.
From a grudge expense siloed from the organization managed by “second career cops” to a strategic driver of organizational goals led by, well, leaders. Great leaders, who are outstanding organizational managers, have solid business acumen and best practice security expertise. Those of you that have been security leaders for many years got the opportunity and challenge to show how good you are, earning credibility and respect within your organization.
The bar is high and it continues to go higher each year. Expectations increase, risks skyrocket, money gets tighter. The Security 500 members have earned a seat at the roundtable, where you are clearly connected to enterprise goals and bottom line results. By delivering both the basic blocking and tackling of security without a ripple while partnering as a service that helps drive enterprise-wide organizational goals, globally and locally; you create value.
The value of security’s contribution was highly questioned and nearly impossible to measure for most of the security leaders we interviewed in 2005. And the need for a way to measure ROI and benchmark was repeatedly mentioned. As a result, we not only received the input and information to launch “The business magazine for security leaders,” we launched the Security 500 benchmark program.
From our humble beginning of one list that includes 500 top organizational leaders, we now have 19 sectors, from Agriculture to Utilities. Each sector includes unique questions to gather sector specific information and provide meaningful and useful feedback to survey participants. Many of our sectors have a ‘coach’ who crafts the key data points necessary to achieve meaningful results.
While the Security 500 Report affirms what you already know: That you are among the very best in your profession, these rankings are only the tip of this iceberg. Beyond the benchmarking program, a core goal is to share management expertise, trends and challenges. The Security 500 Report provides an overview of leading trends each year. These are the key areas that Security 500 organizations are focusing on.
We are also fortunate to share management expertise and experience through our Thought Leadership Profiles. It is fascinating to learn about how leaders have integrated risk management and security best practices into their organization’s cultures and goals to achieve measurable results. These leaders have generously shared their time and their stories with you:
• Lou Barani, Director of Security, World Trade Center
• Alan Bontrager, Director, Security and Safety, SAS Institute
• Dominic Ceccanecchio, Senior Associate Vice President, Public Safety, Drexel University
• Roland Cloutier, Vice President, Chief Security Officer, ADP
• Richard Fisher, Vice President, Global Corporate Security, CB&I
• Tim Janes, Vice President & Chief Security Officer, Corporate Security Services, Capital One
• Rob LaCommere, Director of Loss Prevention, Justice Brands
• Jeff Larner, CSO, Peabody Energy
• Bernadette Morris, CISSP, Manager, IT Security and Compliance, Conair
• Dwaine Nichol, Manager of Security and Life Safety, City of Toronto
• Krista Osborne, International Director of Loss Prevention and Supply Chain Operations, Starbucks
• Bill Phillips, CSO, CNA Insurance
• Scott Shaw, Senior Manager, Corporate Security, Transportation, and Disaster, Preparedness, Aflac
• Mike Tarter, Executive Director, Safety & Security, Rio Rancho Public School District
• Bryan Warren, Director, Carolinas HealthCare System Corporate Security
• Steve Zipperman, Chief of Police, Los Angeles School Police Department, Los Angeles Unified School District
And, as you know, the whistle does not make the train go. We thank Panasonic for their partnership and sponsorship of the Security 500 Thought Leadership Profiles, including six leaders from the Retail, Finance and K-12 Sectors.
This has been a breakout year for Security 500 organizations. More than ever, they are connected to enterprise goals and measurable results. From the common comment of our first Profiles in 2006, “The CEO said he wanted to hire me, but he didn’t know what he wanted me to do,” to earning a seat at the roundtable … security organizations and their leaders have truly covered 50 years of dynamic change in just a decade.
Sixth Annual Security 500 Report: Measuring Up
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