U.S. enterprise organizations are facing an increased volume of threats driven by persistent political, social and economic issues, including the war in Ukraine, the return to office shift and COVID-19, among others. Nearly two-thirds (66%) of businesses said in 2022 their company received or investigated one or more threats weekly, including one-quarter that are on track to receive or investigate up to 260 threats annually.

The “2022 Mid-Year Outlook State of Protective Intelligence Report,” commissioned by the Ontic Center for Protective Intelligence, surveyed 400 C-level risk management leaders across physical security, cybersecurity and information technology (IT), human resources and legal and compliance at U.S. companies with over 5,000 employees regarding physical security challenges and opportunities unfolding in 2022 and the impact on business continuity and resilience.

Concerned about the rise in threat data as well as keeping employees, their CEO and senior executives safe as they return to offices and work remotely, risk professionals feel increased pressure to identify threats to save their company money and reduce liabilities. But through year-end, about one-in-four (26%) of these executives at American companies anticipate they will miss at least 51% of threats, while another 31% anticipate they will miss between 26% and 50% of threats before they cause harm or damage.

Key findings from the survey include:

• 98% said threat assessment or threat management training to recognize workplace behaviors that could turn violent or cause damage is important for their team to successfully execute their job, including 71% who say it is very important
• 64% agree at their company employees do not report erratic and violent behavior or other warning signs in a timely manner
• 63% agree their company downplays risk to emulate a safe environment
• 54% do not have a mechanism in place that allows employees to anonymously report issues and 43% rely on employees to take the “if you see something, say something” approach to security, whether they are working from home or onsite at a company location

For more report insights, click here.