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SSC Security Matters

Training for Security Success
by David A. Linsky — CEO, SSC, Inc.

Very few absolutes truly affect the security world. One of the more important and readily identifiable challenges involves the convergence of basic security staff operations with high levels of security staff effectiveness. To properly merge these two elements, it is essential that the security industry become integrated into normal business operations through clearly defined policies and ongoing education, training, and validation testing.

Communicating an enterprise’s security policies and procedures to security employees and gaining their commitment to adopting these policies, is vital to lowering the risk of loss or damage to the enterprise. It cannot be achieved in any meaningful way without ongoing training and testing. Every enterprise’s security staff and situation are unique and as a security executive or manager with security responsibility, you undoubtedly have specific goals. Meeting those goals requires the force multiplier effect of a trained team and today, many security managers feel that they have inadequately trained security teams. It is our opinion that the common theme to this assessment of security inadequacy is a need for properly defined and funded training and testing.

An enterprise typically has a diversified security staff with varying levels of experience. You may have special challenges that hinder optimal performance or your security department may appear to be outstanding, made up of sharp looking individuals who have a basic understanding of security issues. Unfortunately, the complexity of today's security environment demands specialized skills and real knowledge. Developing a strategy for training your security employees in order to help them understand the many convergent components of modern security operations is a necessary undertaking. It is important to be aware that security employees have the ability to override security measures through their actions or inactions; and understanding both the strategic and tactical reasons behind security policy can make all the difference in their judgment at crucial times and during challenges.

We believe that companies should work hard to mitigate human error from security operation or even remove it from the equation as best as possible. SSC’s broad security experience demonstrates that security employees care about security, but they often do not understand the larger security picture. Because of its nature, security can be complicated and confusing; and unless security employees have proper training, they are unlikely to have the intuitive feel for what’s appropriate or what constitutes a security risk to the enterprise. The more realistic the training, the more relevant it becomes to security personnel. The more feedback and exposure they receive to real world scenarios the better prepared they are to use techniques and equipment and to enforce policy with care and professionalism. Training builds confidence and will have an effect on limiting liability exposure to the enterprise.

Raising the bar on security awareness and effectiveness through customized staff training will help every security manager and executive be more successful in meeting their goals and protecting the enterprise. Training is a commitment to your security staff and it demonstrates confidence in them and builds faith in their capabilities. Security employees are like others in the workplace, they know that when you invest in them you consider them an integral part of your company’s success and an important part of its future. To achieve your goals and eliminate obstacles, a training program must be custom-made to your enterprise’s corporate culture, mission, and market place.

Understanding more than perimeter and access control is not enough. Training and education have to include the areas of threat that face all modern enterprises in a post 9/11 world. Some of these threats include insider threats, social engineering, workplace violence, and terrorism prevention and response. Technology alone will never be able to solve the challenge of providing security without the trained security personnel to interpret and react to events. Training and testing should be a key tactical priority of security departments.

SSC, Inc. assists its clients with the development and delivery of meaningful interactive training. Participants demonstrate knowledge learned and certify competency in all areas presented. The trainer endorses the participant is competent in all areas presented; this adds a layer of accountability. The training process promotes active learning since both the participant, and the trainer, have an active stake in assuring that the understanding of presented knowledge.

For more information about SSC’s customizable training programs, visit the Security Training pages on our website or call us at 800-360-3688 for a free security consultation.

© 2009 SSC, Inc.

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