Physical Security

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Chuck Davis, MSIA, CISSP-ISSAP, is Senior Director of Cybersecurity at Hikvision, a global company with more than 40,000 employees and 59 branch offices and subsidiaries around the world. Based in the U.S., Davis leads the global cybersecurity team and, under his leadership, Hikvision has achieved several cybersecurity milestones to include the establishment of the Source Code Transparency Center at Hikvision USA’s Los Angeles headquarters, where government and law enforcement officials may examine the source code for Hikvision’s cameras and NVRs.

Mass shootings in the U.S. have increased despite  widespread closures of schools, businesses, and many public places due to the coronavirus pandemic. There were 615 mass shootings in 2020 resulting in 521 deaths and 2,541 injuries. Compared to the previous year, there were 181 more incidents. The stress of the COVID-19 pandemic, job loses, unemployment, and the economic crisis is a potential for a disaster which could lead to an increase of violence at the workplace. The recent spike in gun incidences and stolen weapons across the United States is alarming. Businesses need to take heed and increase security measures to protect their employees and staff.

Some 200 individuals have been charged with federal offenses connected to the siege at the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021. Among them are at least 15 examples of family affiliated extremism. These instances include: five sets of husbands and wives; two cases of fathers and sons, mothers and sons, brothers, and cousins; and an instance of father/daughter and brother/sister participation. Although of a different strain and less serious offenses—none specifically terrorism nor involving murder —such kin-connected radicalism is neither a new phenomenon nor one unique to the United States or elsewhere. 

In the latest twist in the bidding war to purchase guarding company G4S, GardaWorld  declined to raise its bid for the company, moving Allied Universal into what appears to be the winning position.

A combination of factors are likely to keep the world on this path in the near term regarding social unrest. An atmosphere of social unrest has potential consequences at the enterprise level in terms of risk and resiliency and business continuity. Here are five concrete steps security leaders can take to prepare for or reevaluate their existing response plans.