Page 56 - the SyI Quarterly 14 Booklet Format

Chartered Security Professionals

Brendan senses, however, that the balance of power may be changing, and that conversations are becoming
increasingly positive, at all levels and across multiple disciplines: “Security, far from being a grudge purchase,
Senior Security Leader warns of is being seen as a potential business enabler, if appropriately specified and managed. It is going beyond the
basic principles of keeping buildings, people and assets safe, and taking on additional meaning,” he continues.

image problem impacting “This more positive mindset is having a direct impact on the solutions now being proposed. Our industry has
been guilty in the past of over designing and specifying systems and equipment that the customer doesn’t
really utilise the full potential of. Just because a new piece of technology is on the market, does not make it
value of security systems and teams immediately necessary for every security system owner. Indeed, over-specifying equipment can be as big
a problem as under-specifying and can directly impact a buyer’s perception of value for money when the
features of the technology are under-used.”

By Brendan McGarrity CSyP FSyI While innovation is a good thing, Brendan believes it is important to elevate the conversation beyond a
narrow focus of an individual product, and its associated cost: “We must look instead at the value that the
entire system delivers over time. The alignment of the client operational needs through the completion
of Security Operational Requirements (SyOR), support the relevant, proportionate and necessary security
systems to be procured.”

A Chartered Security Professional is warning that security has Buying an unproven, unreliable camera, for example, even though it is the latest ‘thing’, may seem like a smart
an image problem, and it is only when something goes wrong decision, especially when looking at the initial capital cost. But if that camera should fail at the critical moment,
– a break-in occurs, or a perimeter is compromised – that or require disproportionate service and maintenance, then that smart decision may not prove so smart after
businesses begin to appreciate its true worth. all.

It’s also often when organisations find out whether the “It is much better if the value of security is seen in the context of its lifetime cost, rather than as a snapshot of
security, they have installed was actually up to the job for time. And it is much better that the security team is listened to from the outset, rather than finger point and
which it was intended, and the moment when buying cheap picking up the pieces afterwards,” Brendan concludes.
may look like an un-informed purchase.

The warning comes from Brendan McGarrity CSyP FSyI
Director of Evolution Risk & Design, who says that for too long,
security has been sold as a commodity item: “Like insurance, Upcoming CSyP Application Workshop Dates
we know we have to have it, but we’re determined to buy
it as cheaply as we can, and even then our money will be
grudgingly spent,” he explains.
We now offer monthly CSyP Application Workshops to help guide prospective applicants through the
He says that when an incident occurs, the security team is process. Click here for a full list of events and to reserve your place: https://events.bookitbee.com/
often blamed for failings elsewhere: “An intruder breaches security-institute/
a perimeter and it’s the security team that is accountable.
Assets are stolen or damaged, and huge sums are spent Tuesday 18th April 2023
on their replacement or clean up, before a more thorough Tuesday 16th May 2023
evaluation of the actual security need is then undertaken. Tuesday 20th June 2023
Tuesday 18th July 2023
“This is often a frustrating time for the security team, who Tuesday 15th August 2023
recognise that if their voice had been heard from the start, Tuesday 19th September 2023
they might have saved their organisation the inevitable Tuesday 17th October 2023
disruption, cost, and impact on corporate reputation that Tuesday 21st November 2023
inevitably follows. It is even more frustrating for them to see Tuesday 19th December 2023
their organisations spending more money after the event,
than they would have had to spend if they had listened to the If you are promoting becoming a Chartered Security Professional within your organisation,
experts at the beginning.” please email [email protected] to arrange an in-person workshop at your premises.

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