Articles by Diane Ritchey

Next month, ASIS International will hold its 57th Annual Seminar and Exhibits. The event, September 19-22 in Orlando, will include keynotes from Jeb Bush and Vicente Fox, in addition to education tracks about workplace violence, security leadership and more.

Security issues exist every day on our nation’s ports, terminals and roads, but funding challenges and regulations makes securing those areas difficult. What’s working, what’s not and what do security end users and integrators wish they had in their arsenal of tools? Security magazine editor Diane Ritchey andSDM magazine editor Laura Stepanek brought together end users and integrators from these critical infrastructure areas to discuss their challenges and successes.

In the world of sports, it’s all about reaching the next level: the World Cup in soccer, the Stanley Cup in hockey, the Masters in golf, the World Series in baseball, the Super Bowl in football and the U.S. Open in tennis, among others. Name the sport, there’s a championship to win. But first, the facilities – the stadiums, arenas, golf courses and other facilities in which the sports are played – have to be secure.

One of my favorite quotes, hung prominently in my office, reads: “Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” —Peter F. Drucker   But what are those “right things?” What makes a good leader?

Four years after a student gunned down 32 people in a rampage, Virginia Tech University officials remain adamant that they did nothing wrong by waiting two hours to warn the campus that a gunman was on the loose. Virginia Tech says it acted reasonably based on standards in place at the time and doesn’t deserve the $55,000 fine that the U.S. Department of Education imposed on the school for violating federal law with its response the day of the shootings. As of press time, they had yet to decide on whether or not to appeal the fine.

It runs only 4.2 miles long, but it’s the economic engine of the entire state of Nevada. The Las Vegas Strip is arguably one of the most popular destinations for tourists world wide. Nineteen of the world’s 25 largest hotels by room count are on the Strip, with a total of more than 67,000 rooms.           

Money moves from bank to retailer and back to bank. Just as important, personal information accompanies any electronic transaction. Security magazine editor Diane Ritchey and SDM magazine editor Laura Stepanek brought together financial, banking and retail professionals and a security integrator to discuss how their industries are similar but yet have such differing security needs from other segments.

The shuttle Endeavour launched into space this morning with much fanfare. Behind the scenes, however, securing the shuttle, crew and the entire NASA operation, is not an easy task, yet it's done with much skill and grace under pressure.

Sticky fingers, beware! Some hotels are catching thieves who steal towels and linens using RFID.

As surveillance video has grown increasingly popular, it’s popped up in more places. It watches the cashier in retail stores. It captures license plates as cars enter and exit parking lots.