In the era of entire workforces going remote and a wide variety of tasks being moved online, it seems fair to ask: what else can be transitioned to virtual due to COVID-19? Some activities — think finance, general counsel and human resources — are inherently better adapted than others. But in the corporate security space, where site surveys involve boots on the ground, arguments for online adaptation that work elsewhere tend to fall short. Worse, they expose an organization to unnecessary risk and constitute ineffective security risk management.
It is easy enough to see why physical security surveys are on the chopping block. Sending in-house or contracted personnel around the world, often to higher threat locations amidst evolving travel restrictions, is itself a logistical challenge. It is also an expense. A Bloomberg survey of 45 large global companies from late 2021 found that 84% are planning on spending less on travel post-pandemic. Even U.S. Customs and Border Protection started implementing virtual validations for its Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (CTPAT) Program during the pandemic, and the agency has indicated these may continue into the future.