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People, processes and technology

I think the first thing we need to ask is what causes the crime? The obvious answer is people, specifically criminals, but it’s people at the end of the day. The focus now shifts to how, what, when, where and why?

Massimo Carelle, risk consultant, Ingram Micro.

When putting security measures in place, these questions are the foundation as to what measures to take to mitigate the chance of being robbed, hijacked, pilfered, defrauded etc. One of the biggest challenges that we face today is the brazen manner in which these crimes are being committed.

As we know, security measures to counter this kind of criminal activity comes with a price, so it is very important to ensure that correct risk analysis is done to ensure that the risks and costs are commensurate. Sadly, cost is an issue when it comes to ensuring the company’s assets are protected. All companies are chasing targets and ensuring that they remain profitable, so security generally becomes a grudge purchase.

Detailed and documented procedures are an important part of every organisation. Some of the challenges that security managers face daily is the lack of proper SOPs (standard operating procedures) or the following of procedures within the operation. A lack of SOPs and a failure to follow the processes the company has ratified creates a loophole in the system and allows people to “legitimately” get assets out using weak processes.

This means that you can build a 100 m high wall around your entire facility, but if your processes and SOPs allow for fraudulent transactions, then the wall means nothing at the end of the day. This also creates a lack of responsibilities and accountability.

The lack of proper risk management frameworks is probably the single most neglected process in most companies. As soon as they hear the word risk, they automatically think security. But, in fact, it is more of a tool to ensure that the business objectives are met, which makes it one of the company’s biggest assets. It is important for MDs, CEOs, COOs, security managers, risk managers, operations managers, warehouse managers etc. to familiarise themselves with proper risk management frameworks to ensure that all the checks and balances are there within the organisation to ensure objectives are met – which ensures profitability.

Security is only a part of this, but we generally neglect to educate ourselves on these frameworks, which is a risk in itself.

So in a nutshell, the challenges are the people interested in our assets, the people that control the finances which hinder the implementation of sound security measures due to cost, the people that don’t follow process or fail to implement them, and the people that are ignorant to the fact that a good risk management process is key to success in meeting objectives.

No surprises then, that the key to a successful security system is to focus on People, Process and Technology.

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