150 Things You Should Know about Security

Lawrence J. Fennelly, Marianna Perry

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Year: 2017
• Edition: 2
• eBook ISBN:
  9780128095089
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Sociology
• Index: Social Sciences

150 Things You Should Know about Security, Second Edition covers the essential tips and techniques for the latest trends in physical security. This indispensable guide further covers the latest technological trends for managing the security needs of all kinds, from physical and corporate security, to the latest cybersecurity threats. Through anecdotes, case studies, and documented procedures, the authors have amassed the most complete collection of information on security available. Security professionals will find this book easy to use and understand when seeking practical tips for managing the latest security technologies, such as bio-metrics, IP video, video analytics, and more. Several themes have been included, such as management principles and styles, communications, security applications, investigations, technology, physical security, the future, and many more. In addition, tips for quantifying the reduction and prevention of crime, loss and liability risks are included, assisting security professionals in securing corporate resources for security manpower and infrastructure. - Provides essential, practical tips on a seemingly infinite number of security topics, allowing busy security professionals quick access to the information they need - Blends theory and practice with a specific focus on today's global business and societal environment and the various security, safety and asset protection challenges - Provides tips on how to utilize the growing field of crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED)

Appendix 1

Women in the Security Profession: A Practical Guide for Career Development¹

The Future of Women in Security: Developing a Strategy for Success²

Marianna A. Perry, M.S., CPP

In 1989, Jay W. Lorsch, a professor at Harvard Business School, wrote about the framework of corporate structure and the decline of American companies to make the system operate efficiently and generate profit in Pawns or Potentates: The Reality of America’s Corporate Boards.³ It is up to the boards of directors in companies to find solutions to difficult problems, to voluntarily implement measures for continued business success, and to not rely on laws or court decisions to positively affect business profitability and continued growth. Even though this publication does not specifically discuss the future of women in the security industry, it can be compared with the future of women in society in general and, above all, in the chessboard of life. Chess is a game of strategy, and the goal is checkmate or to threaten your opponent’s king with capture. When the game of chess is played, it involves 32 movable chess pieces. The queen on a chessboard can move any number of spaces, in any direction—forward, backward, right, left, or diagonally. A pawn on the other hand, can only move one or two spaces at a time toward the opponent. Playing chess is similar to what we as security professionals strive to do each day in the security industry. We want to threaten our opponents (or those who threaten the safety and security of an organization) with fear of capture. It is a game of strategy and preparedness. Our goal is to be proactive and develop countermeasures or security systems that make a security breach unlikely. We use overlapping layers of security components to protect our “king,” or our organization, much like the other pieces on a chessboard.

To further explain and discuss this analogy, queens have more options than pawns and they are often considered the most powerful piece on the chessboard. Queens are valuable because they must think several moves ahead. To prepare for success in any industry, women (and men) need to think like a queen on the chessboard. This is done by thinking ahead, preparing for the future, and setting ourselves up for success by being proactive and anticipating the needs of the future. Each of us has to determine how much control we want to have over our own future and how far we want to go in this industry. We can do this by asking ourselves the following question, “Do you want to be a queen or a pawn?”

The Security Industry

The security industry, like law enforcement and other areas of public safety, are generally male-dominated professions. Traditionally, the security profession has been dominated by former law enforcement and military personnel, as well as seasoned male security practitioners. Even though men still outnumber women in the security field, the demand for qualified security professionals continues to grow and there are high-profile positions available for both men and women. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, awareness was raised throughout the world about the need for competent security professionals, and there are more job opportunities in the diverse world of security for those individuals, both male and female, who strive to stay on top of this ever-changing industry by being knowledgeable about current trends and issues and are consistently striving to develop themselves professionally to remain on the cutting edge of the latest innovations and solutions in the industry. Technology has and will continue to have a great influence on the security industry. The future challenge for security professionals will be to understand the capabilities and the integration of technology into day-to-day security operations. It is important to understand that technology is not the answer to effective security. Technology is a component within the overall security process. Moving forward, all security professionals will need to be adaptable and have the ability to anticipate change and needs of the future by gathering information, analyzing data, and studying crime trends.

According to research done by Scott Goldfine in the 2014 Security Industry Demographic Census,⁴ women comprise only 7% of the workforce in the security industry. With the advances in technology, more and more women are entering the field of information security and International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)², the world’s largest not-for-profit information security professional body, released a study that women represent 11% of information security professionals.⁵ One of the obstacles for women in the security industry appears to be related to a general lack of information about the industry and the awareness about the careers available in the security profession.

Professionalism

Professionalism is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as “the skill, good judgment, and polite behavior that is expected from a person who is trained to do a job well.”⁶

Undoubtedly, you have probably been told to be professional if you want to have a successful career, but what does it really mean? Most of us have probably not been formally taught about professionalism and are instead supposed to learn it on our own, but that is sometimes a difficult way to learn things. Being a professional means displaying competence in your area of expertise and knowing your strengths and weaknesses. This is not being arrogant—it is demonstrating that you are competent. Strive to demonstrate the core values of professionalism. For example, wear the appropriate business attire and practice proper workplace etiquette. Whenever possible, take on leadership roles and show that you are willing to accept responsibilities and that you can produce results.

It is very important that you build a professional resume that will help you succeed and reach your goals. Join organizations that will help you grow—both as an individual and as a security professional. Be an active member in ASIS International by participating in your local chapter, joining a council, attending the Annual Seminar, writing book reviews and articles, and attending ASIS-sponsored training programs. Participate in industry events that law enforcement, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and other government entities sponsor in your local area. Turn your brain into a sponge and absorb all the knowledge and security industry expertise possible. Determine where you want to be and do everything possible to make that happen. Be a valuable security professional.

Workplace Bullying

This brings us to another issue in the workplace. Many times, we think that bullying is only a problem in the school environment, but, unfortunately, bullying is sometimes also an issue in the workplace. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention definition of bullying includes “a perceived or actual power imbalance” and now considers bullying to be a public health problem.⁷ Workplace bullies generally display negative behavior and have no regard for other workers. Workplace bullying is sometimes hard to identify and may be difficult to manage. It can occur at every level in the workplace and can come in many forms. It is often not noticed and not addressed until there are distressing consequences.⁸ The Workplace Bullying Institute states that approximately one-third of workers may be the victims of workplace bullies. About 60% of workplace bullies are men, and they appear to bully male and female employees equally. Female bullies are more likely to bully other females. This may be because there is more pressure on females trying to succeed in male-dominated workplaces.⁹ The job market today is competitive, so let your outstanding performance, productivity, and quality of work speak for itself. Craft your strategy to succeed, and ensure that your success is not at the expense of someone else. Stephen Covey said it best in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: “Win/Win is based on the paradigm that there is plenty for everybody, that one person’s success is not achieved at the expense or exclusion of the success of others.”¹⁰

Women in the Security Profession

ASIS International, the leading organization for security professionals, has approximately 38,000 members worldwide¹¹ and only recently began collecting gender information on membership applications; however, it is not surprising to learn that there are more men than women who are members of ASIS.

In 2000, the Forum on Women and Minorities in the Security Profession was held in Granada Hills, California, and the proceedings were published in 2001 by the ASIS Foundation. The following is a portion of the presentation by Cynthia Conlon, CPP, then Chairman of the Board of ASIS:

Speaking specifically about ASIS, currently there are approximately 30,000 members in ASIS in over 120 countries. Although ASIS does not maintain statistics relative to gender or race, we can make some assump...

Table of contents

• Cover image
• Title page
• Table of Contents
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Preface
• 150 Things You Should Know about Security
• Appendix 1
• Appendix 2
• Index