Insight on Demonstrating Value

Insight on Demonstrating Value

A Framework to Build Partnership and Consensus

Nearly every security leader tasked with developing a major cross-disciplinary initiative begins by looking at all the variables and asking this first question, "Where do I even start?"

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Raise Confidence in the Security Function

A corporate security leader's ability to influence internal customers relies on those customer's perceptions of the effectiveness and value of security programs. This infographic provides advice on how to gain more confidence for the security program from internal stakeholders.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Collaboration Is Key to Expanding the Definition of Security

Businesses today operate within a much more complex, sophisticated, and interconnected competitive universe than they did 20 or even 10 years ago. One of the impacts of these transformations on Corporate Security is that cross-functional partnerships, once considered a "nice to have," have become a risk management imperative.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Faculty Advisor: Decision Making Tips for Security Leaders

Decisions that security leaders and their teams make can have lifechanging consequences. All security leaders would do well to consider these suggestions to enable themselves to make the best choices for their organizations and the people they protect.

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How Concept of Operations Can Build Cross-Functional Partnerships

Imagine trying to launch a workplace violence prevention program without talking to Human Resources. Or starting a GSOC without bringing in IT. There are some collaborations that are essential to effective security risk management. A concept of operations is a good vehicle for accomplishing that and more.

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Thirteen Fundamentals for a Successful Security Program

Each security program may have its own set of required activities and skillsets. However, we have found there are a handful of fundamentals that apply to the implementation of any type of security program.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Building Valued, Relevant Metrics Programs

In the SEC's October 2023 Security State of the Industry briefing, Tier 1 Security Leaders heard from two successful security executives discuss their metrics journey.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Security Barometer: Your Biggest Challenges with Executive Management

Security leaders are faced with a multitude of challenges everyday. Among the biggest may be dealing with executive management.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

The Biggest Gap in Security Success: Not Getting Executive Agreement on "Why?"

Of the five basic problem-solving questions about security, who, what, why, how, and how much, the one that poses the biggest challenge for many security leaders is "Why?" -- yet it’s the most important question to answer.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

SEC Security Success Universe Abbreviated Assessment

Take the SEC's abbreviated Security Success Universe Assessment to ascertain where you score compared to your peers on key success factors.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Five Free Assessments to Measure Program Success

When senior management asks you to explain how well the Security function operates, how it delivers value, or how it measures up, do you have data to back up your answer? If not, the SEC has 5 free abbreviated assessments that can start you on the path to measured success.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Security Optimization - Looking Beyond Traditional Definitions of Convergence

How does cyber security and corporate security collaboration influence security optimization, and is one structure more likely to lead to optimization than another?

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Security Universe Assessment Charts Bring Results for Security Leaders

Three Tier 1 security leaders shared their stories and discussed how they are using the results of their Security Success Universe Assessments for positive change in their organizations.

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Universe Assessment Identifies Gaps and Opportunities

At the Security Executive Council's May 2022 State of the Security Industry (SSOI) Briefing, SEC staff and faculty led participating Tier 1 security leaders through the new Security Success Universe Assessment, designed to help them identify gaps, find credible organizational partners, and enhance security offerings to fit the needs of their organizations.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Cost of Loss Due to Security Incidents Elusive

Insights gathered from a survey investigating organizational cost of loss.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Faculty Advisor: Reporting to a New Boss? Preparation Is Key

You’ve gotten the news that you’ll be reporting to a new boss. Whether it’s due to an internal shift or an outside hire, an M&A or a restructure, such news can bring with it a cascade of unknowns.

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The New Challenges of the CSO

The Chief Security Officer role has adopted new complexities in the face of seismic shifts in risk and business over the last few years.

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Measures and Metrics in Corporate Security

How good is your security program? By what ruler do you measure security’s effectiveness, efficiency, or success? How do you explain and prove this success to the rest of the organization? Strong metrics can communicate security’s value, results, and return on investment in a language all other functions can embrace...

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How Proactive Investigations Can Boost the Bottom Line

Organizations can incur criminal loss through many avenues – organized crime, theft and diversion, intellectual property loss, myriad types of internal and external fraud involving insurance, employee benefits, misappropriation, kickbacks, and more. Each of these loss avenues may be managed by a different function in the company, which is why...

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Faculty Advisor: Operational Excellence Metrics for Security

I would like to engage my security function in some sort of Operational Excellence framework so I can show my organization, in terms that already resonate with our executives, how we meet and exceed expectations. Do you have any recommendations for measurable targets we can set as we get started?

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2021 Corporate Security Organizational Structure, Cost of Services and Staffing Benchmark: Selected Highlights

About This Research The data used in this analysis were provided by SLRI members and Tier 1 Security Leaders™ of the Security Executive Council. All are risk management practitioners comprising a broad cross-section of industries. The organizations represented come from the public and private sectors; they range from small and...

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How to Quickly Show Stakeholders the State of the Security Program

The Security Success Foundation Assessment™ has proven its value in a range of programs, from brand new, to transitioning, to established and mature.

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Three Steps to Overcoming Security Challenges: Develop a Stable Foundation, Optimize Security’s Story, Recognize Opportunities and Limitations

Baffled by executives’ lack of engagement? Sidelined by negative feedback on risk management decisions? Constantly battling internal customers’ unwillingness to comply with policies?

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Your Business is Changing. How Does Security Keep Up?

By reimagining risk and security, you can weather the storms of change and come out stronger.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Faculty Advisor: Reestablishing Security as a Critical Partner within the Organization

I have been on the job for several years and I sense senior management is not as on board with security as when I started. For example, there was management reorganization and I report to someone who is at a lower level than who I was reporting to before. There have been committees formed that I thought I should sit on and I was not invited. Should I be worried?

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Security Barometer: Is COVID-19 Putting Your Budget or Team at Risk for Reductions?

If Security cannot contribute like they have in the past due to stagnation of certain business activities - will this result in cuts?

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Is Your GSOC Contributing to Operational Excellence?

This brief self-assessment can help prepare you for a conversation about your GSOC's needs and capabilities with executive management

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Are You Ready to Make Your Business Case?

If you can't justify your proposal to the people who need to fund and support it, why should they say yes?

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Often Missed Key Strategies That Can Undermine Your Program and Career

Achieve success by aligning to what is attainable in your organization.

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Faculty Advisor: Concept of Operations and Why It Should Be In Your Toolkit

We have a hard time getting understanding for some of our initiatives. Any thoughts on how to get the attention of senior management?

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Operational Excellence in Contract Security Performance Measurement

The focus in this paper is on measuring the performance of security service providers. The Security Executive Council believes that there needs to be a more in-depth consideration of what constitutes "excellence" in these operations given the consistent growth of outsourcing to guard service companies.

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Discovering the Total Cost of Security (Parts 1-4)

In this presentation, the late Dick Lefler, SEC emeritus faculty, discusses what security actually costs a company, not just what is in Security's budget.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Aligning Security Services with Business Objectives (Parts 1-6)

Aligning Security Services with Business Objectives outlines how security practitioners can articulate the value of the absence of security problems.

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Are Core Security Programs Being Neglected?

You might be concerned about the programs, but either the organization is not interested, or you are too busy with urgent issues to work on improving them.

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Security State of the Industry (SSoI): Measuring Security Leader and Program Value Potential and its Relation to Being Valued by the Business

After the Next Crisis Happens, Will You be Ready to Quickly Explain Security’s Value to the Business?

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Benchmarks Aren’t Magic, They’re Tools

Benchmarking can inform corporate goal setting and can play a significant role in strategic planning. Unless security leaders look beyond the numbers to consider all the potential explanations of why their program varies from the average, they’ll still be missing critical insights.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Exploring the Value Story

Our value has to be connected to our success in measurably impacting risk. What are the measures, and how are you communicating the critical messages?.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Faculty Advisor: Gaining Confidence in Showing Value

I am trying to re-position my organization’s security function to be more aligned with the organization’s mission. What can I do to gain the confidence of my senior management and to show and enhance security’s value to the business?

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Case Study: Risk Management and Security Metrics at Boeing

This case provides background information on Boeing and why its security group undertook an evaluation of the metrics that they use. The results of that evaluation are presented, along with a general discussion of how metrics are used to improve decision making and assessment.

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Driving Excellence in Enterprise Security

If enterprise security is to be effectively aligned with its company’s strategy and processes, it must be driving a focus on operations excellence (OpEx) into every corner of its suite of products and services.

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Finding Value in Security Benchmarking: The Current State of Comparison Research in the Security Industry

Benchmarking compares practices or processes against others to evaluate quality and resource allocations such as personnel or costs. It is also used to ascertain practices or processes that others are doing well and that may fill a known gap in the sponsoring organization.

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How to Influence with Metrics

Let’s say you develop some must-have metrics in your organization. You have the data and the results; now how will you use them to influence your business?

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Is it Time for a Corporate Security Maturity Assessment?

The benefits that can be achieved from Capability Maturity Models are not just for IT security.

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Demonstrate Security’s Alignment with Business Objectives

Results Sought: Increased understanding and appreciation by senior management and other key stakeholders of security’s value and contribution to the bottom line.

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Measuring Alignment Using Key Risk Indicators

I get a lot of questions about how Security can demonstrate with metrics that we have a positive connection to the core business strategy and objectives. Here’s one example.

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Faculty Advisor: Where is Security’s best Opportunity in Enterprise Risk Management?

Q. Our organization has identified risks using Enterprise Risk Management but as far as execution across the enterprise we are floundering. Also, Security is not as involved as I think we should be. Any thoughts on better managing risks across the company’s businesses? How can we strive for operational excellence in this area?

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Faculty Advisor: Thinking Strategically to Enhance Security-Business Alignment

Q. Business leaders think in terms of growth, reduction of operating costs, margins and competition, for example. Traditionally, security leaders tend to not think in these terms. Is there a way we can present our programs to match what are the driving forces of the business side?

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Is Your Security Program Viewed as Effective? Warning Signs of Security's Decreasing Influence

How can you assess if your corporate security program is effective? To start, you should be able to answer “yes” to these three questions:

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"Garbage In" Can Cost You Your Job

We recently conducted a poll on our Web site asking visitors the question, "What in your organization is putting your continued employment at greatest risk?"If you don’t start with high-quality ingredients, you’re not going to get high-quality results.

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Coping with Changes to Company Leadership

Whether the result of an internal structural shift, an external hiring decision, or a merger/acquisition, a change in leadership and reporting can signal a challenging time for security.

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Faculty Advisor: Demonstrating Security’s Contribution to Organizational Goals

How can we identify and highlight the programs, services and positive outcomes that Security brings to help meet the organization’s business goal? In particular, we are seeking an increased understanding and appreciation by senior management and other key stakeholders of security’s value and contribution to the bottom line.

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A Brief Introduction to the Value of Corporate Security for Non-Security Professionals

Corporate security can mean different things to different organizations. The SEC's Security Leadership Research Institute (SLRI)research has identified 20 different responsibilities that fall under a corporate security department.

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Business Evolution Requires Active Security Alignment

As business continues to change, the next generation of security leaders must be prepared to change with it in order to succeed.

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Rebuilding Influence after Corporate Restructuring

Company reorganizations are a fact of business that may have grown more frequent as our economy has changed in recent years. If Security will be reporting to a new boss, there are several questions you should ask yourself. This article provides insight into some of those questions.

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Insight on Demonstrating Value

Faculty Advisor: Aligning Risk Management Goals with Business Priorities

How can I make sure my risk management goals align with senior management’s priorities?

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Demonstrating the Value Security Brings to the Organization

SEC survey results provide insight into the large number of methods and techniques that contribute to demonstrating value.

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Faculty Advisor: Using Value Metrics to Make the Case for Security’s Return on Investment

We always strive to show the business side that corporate security is more than just “security tactics.” That what we do is strategic and makes a business contribution. Any thoughts on this?

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Faculty Advisor: Demonstrating That Security is Not Just an Expense

Security is usually considered a cost-center. But some of the things we do prevent unacceptable risks from occurring, which technically is saving money. Is there any thing we can do to demonstrate how we add to the bottom line?

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Faculty Advisor: The Need for Effectively Telling Security's Story

I’ve been in the top security position for three months. I’m the first security director for the company and about to start communicating security responsibilities to the organization. What is the best message I should be putting out?

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Faculty Advisor: Getting Traction for the Security Program Within the Organization

What do you consider to be some key components in developing a successful security program and, specifically, how should the role align with the organization?

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Enterprise Security Metrics: A Snapshot Assessment of Practices

This SEC report provides an assessment of the current use of metrics in corporate security management.

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Defining the Value of Security's Accomplishments

Here are some example slides that have been successful in helping define and present the value Security is bringing to the organization.

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Measuring and Communicating Security's Value

This book builds on George Campbell’s Measures and Metrics in Corporate Security. While Measures and Metrics guides you through creating a meaningful security metrics program, Measuring and Communicating Security’s Value takes you to the next step: using the metrics you deliver to communicate quantifiable value to the organization. The book...

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Faculty Advisor: Communicating Risk Avoidance to Management

How do I focus management's attention on future risk?

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Faculty Advisor: How to Really Connect with Your Business Leaders

What does “security” really do for our business?

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