As we approach the end of 2023 and look toward the next year (and beyond), it’s important to harness the power of data – not from individual anecdotes, but from on-the-ground security leaders that are living the experiences and challenges that we at HiveWatch hope to solve.
That’s why when the Security Magazine 2023 Security Benchmark Report came out last week, we dove in and pulled some key insights that align with what we’ve been hearing from partners, customers, and key stakeholders in their conversations across industries.
Here, we discuss what the industry should be considering as we ring in a new year:
Security has to have the business in mind
When security leaders were asked what their biggest concerns and issues were, amongst the top listed was “business continuity and business resilience,” while the same leaders listed “aligning security with the business” as the second in a list of 15 roles that security owns.
The takeaway?
Security impacts the business in a big way (and it’s growing). But until security can speak to shareholder earnings and elevate the conversation around the “duty of care,” corporate security will continue to be seen as a red line item. We’ve heard security leaders say, “Security leaders need to be business people with a security hat.” In essence, each decision and strategic vision for security needs to be directly tied to business objectives. Doing so will give security a seat at the table and allow these leaders to be involved in critical decisions.
Budgets might be staying the same (or even shrinking)
While the last two years showed that budgets grew, there was a notable difference in security leaders who reported that budgets would stay the same: from 8% in 2022 to 26% in 2023. That means security leaders will have to contend with not only a higher-than-normal inflation rate, but rising operating costs that won’t be offset by increasing budgets.
The takeaway?
Security leaders are going to have to do more, with less. This means harnessing the power of incoming data from existing security systems and being able to scale without ripping and replacing expensive security systems. The way to do that is to take a three pronged approach, which we outlined in a recent article, “Doing More with Less: 3 Considerations to Make to Optimize Your Security Programs”:
- Start with an assessment: You can’t begin to optimize your security program without knowing what you have (this means technology, data, risk, and budget analysis).
- Involve stakeholders: Look at the data from other departments and how security data might be leveraged across the organization. The result could be a shared budget and resources to get more from the existing data you already have (and security has a lot of it).
- Incorporate technology: If you identify missing data or data that needs refining, it’s a good thing to invest in technology that can maximize the information coming in. Doing more with less might mean investments that reduce other parts of the budget – such as field resources and outside guarding.
Disparate systems abound
The vast majority of security leaders report having access control (97%), video management systems (97%), and ID/badging (95%) in addition to naming intrusion detection, mass notification, two-way radios, visitor management, intercom/communications, perimeter security, travel security monitoring, and facility risk monitoring as actively in use across their facilities. And with 67% reporting that they have a security operations center (SOC) in use, that’s a lot of systems and point solutions to manage for operators and analysts.
The takeaway?
As we talk to end users on a regular basis and learn more about the challenges they face, we see a theme around the sheer amount of incoming data that needs to be collected, analyzed, and acted upon to properly protect people, the brand, and assets. With the number of false alarms that these point solutions create and the amount of time and resources dedicated to managing them, this may mean a significant amount of manpower and guard resources that can have a very high price tag.
Each of these disparate systems serve a purpose to better protect the environment in which they’re deployed, but improper setup or configuration can plague security teams with an inordinate amount of alarms that might cause key incidents from being identified and resolved. And no organization can afford to deal with the fallout from failed security protocols. The costs are too high.
Whether you're looking to bring disparate systems together, streamline response, or discover new efficiencies across your security program, HiveWatch can help. Learn more about the HiveWatch® GSOC Operating System here or schedule a demo with our team.
Popular Picks
Explore
Promotions
