THE MANAGEMENT OF CORPORATE SECURITY

The Management of Corporate Security



The Management of Corporate Security

Introduction

The term security management refers to efforts to prevent loss caused by fire, theft, or accidents. Borodzicz (2005) mentions security management is considered to be a business function and is supplemental to the services provided by governmental agencies such as police or fire departments. Nevertheless, it is a vast enterprise that employs more than two and one-half times the number of public police and claims expenditures of more than $50 billion annually (Borodzicz, 2005). This paper discusses the statement that “An understanding of contemporary management theory is not necessary to be a suc-cessful security manager”.

The Management of Corporate Security: A Discussion

The dominant approach in security management is preventive; in comparison, the typical approach in public policing is reactive (Borodzicz, 2005). In security, the emphasis is on risk management. Essential to risk management is risk analysis, a process of identifying and reducing the risks that threaten the persons, places, or things that are to be kept safe.

Office security can be broken down into two main areas: 1) protecting your office and employees from vandalism, theft, and personal attacks; and 2) protecting your office from corporate sabotage, both from inside the company and out. The first area deals more with the actual office itself—its layout, the use of security guards, alarm systems, and so on. The second area is primarily concerned with protecting a firm's intellectual property through the introduction and utilization of such measures as shredders, computer security, and employee surveillance (Borodzicz and Gibson, 2006).

Physical Security: Protecting the Office and Employees

Office security is an issue for every business, no matter the size. "There is not a business that's too small to consider the security issues that may effect them," contended one commercial security consultant in an interview with Business First of Buffalo (Borodzicz and Gibson, 2006). There are many steps that can be taken to improve security, many of which require relatively inexpensive outlays. To find out what is best for his or her company, a small business owner should hire a security consultant to visit the business premises and conduct a thorough security analysis. This review can identify weak spots and provide a clear plan for upgrading security.

The best place to start when examining office security is the physical layout of the office itself, or the layout of the larger building of which the office is a part. Office design should stress wide, open areas with clear sight lines. Hallways and offices should be open and have no nooks or crannies where an intruder could hide in the shadows. All areas should be well lit, especially after hours when employees might be working alone or in small groups (Borodzicz, 1996). Mirrors in stairwells and inside and outside of elevators allow employees to see around corners or past obstructions.

Doors and windows are the most obvious access points to an office and should be secure. Avoid double doors because they are easily hinged ...