Security and Crisis Situations

Managing operational and physical security

Security from an operational perspective is about protecting assets. Assets entails physical property (such as machinery), intellectual property (drawings / designs), processes and people. The safety of so-called keymen (critical decision makers with top access to company accounts), should be considered extra carefully, and big firms often take care to not let key executives fly on the same flight, just in case there’s an accident. Here are some points all companies should consider in their day to day:

• Do we know what our mission critical assets are? Make a list with the other stakeholders in the business. Ask all top functions to prepare a list of what they consider critical assets.
• How are we protecting our assets? The answer will to a large extent depend on what these assets are. This should be clearly stated and easy to follow.
• How are we managing safety of employees and executives?

If your company has a global security function, having a discussion with them about these topics is strongly suggested. Locally, several specialized firms offer support within these areas.

Handling crisis situations

Following the discussion about operational security, all companies sooner or later can come across a crisis. By the nature of a crisis, they’re hard to predict. There are however some steps that can be taken to mitigate even unknown factors.

The most important part of preparing for a crisis is thinking through assets and having a basic plan of action ready for the scenarios you are able to foresee. Your plan should be concise and practical and should include contact details of companies and people you may want to be able to reach quickly. Examples of useful contacts to add to your call list are the Consulate General, the local police, a security specialist and a law firm of choice.