The hybrid work model is being touted by companies large and small for the foreseeable future, but for security leaders, removing the on-premise work environment increases risks

As the United States commemorates the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, injured 10,000 more and changed the course of life for many on September 11, 2001, those in the industry reflect on the changes that have happened in the security profession since.

One of the insights that this year’s security leaders shared with us was which metrics their security programs and the C-suite find most valuable — and we found some overarching trends in this area.

In acknowledgment of the wide-reaching effects that damage to critical infrastructure organizations and systems can impart, Security has dedicated our October 2021 issue to Critical Infrastructure Security. This month, our features cover the challenges and risks associated with this market sector, along with solutions and best practices security leaders can take to mitigate some of those risks. Here, we cover a few simple steps critical infrastructure security leaders can take to proactively build a program of resiliency.

Taking a proactive approach to examining potential risks and liabilities within the supply chain in regards to human rights violations, human trafficking or other abuses, can not only save a company from financial or legal liabilities, but also help it avoid irreversible reputational damage.

A critical part of ensuring adequate, safe and reliable operations amid a crisis includes comprehensive tabletop exercises to demonstrate and assess capabilities before an event occurs.

Security teams of all sectors face incidents of violence, anxiety, escalation and trauma during their careers. For a security leader, fostering a healthy workplace environment following trauma or helping managers and frontline security personnel navigate such incidents is particularly essential to healing, reducing turnover, and allowing everyone in the workplace to feel heard, respected and confident.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Victims of Crime, workplace homicides declined between 1995 and 2015. Yet workplace homicides are not the most common form of workplace violence — simple assault is. Simple assault is defined by the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) as an attack without a weapon that results in no injuries or minor injuries (e.g., cuts, scratches, black eyes), or any injury requiring fewer than two days in the hospital.

Steven Seiden, president of Acquired Data Solutions (ADS), has been involved in “digital divide issues” for more than 20 years, and he believes broadening inclusion and diversity in the STEM literacy field is one of his purposes. An engineer by trade, Seiden has experienced a shift in the tech world over the years, watching the convergence of technology, IT and IOT and noting the ever-expanding engineering lifecycle that now includes security.

As a young boy, Frank Figliuzzi had a sense of right and wrong, good and bad. He was so interested in criminal justice that at the age of 11, he wrote a letter to the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) asking for advice on a career in the field.