​ASIS EUROPE EXPLORES SMART CITIES

The rapidly evolving technology landscape gives rise to a wide range of threats—but also the opportunity to make our cities smarter and safer. ASIS Europe 2019 will kick off with a morning of spirited discussions focused on cities of the future. Speakers include:

• Theo Veltman, innovation program manager for the municipality of Amsterdam, who will share Amsterdam’s smart city vision, including insight into the technologies and business models applied.

• Arnoud Molenaar, chief resilience officer, City of Rotterdam, who will examine how resilient city methodology is changing day-to-day and business life. 

• A panel of these keynotes, chaired by Christina Duffey, CPP, president, ASIS International, which will address key questions around how security teams need to adapt as our cities evolve.

Taking place 27–29 March in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, the ASIS Europe education program will cover technology as a friend and a foe—including focused discussions on artificial intelligence (AI) and drones, critical and emerging risks, and a training on biochemical terrorism.

The program also features management topics, with sessions on developing soft skills, securing an innovation culture, constructing teams, and working in collaboration with consultants. 

“Rapid, interconnected change and shifting perceptions of risk and value are key challenges for us as security practitioners,” states Eduard Emde, CPP, conference chair, ASIS Europe 2019. “We will examine evolving security challenges from the perspective of leaders tasked with protecting their organization’s reputation and most precious assets in a manner that drives business and cultural goals.”

The event will feature an Innovation Track of sessions that present solutions to today’s complex, connected challenges; a Career Center for coaching, skills, and career advice; plus exclusive networking opportunities for CSO Center members.

There are three ways to attend: 

• Leadership Pass, allowing full conference access 

• Professional Pass, providing great learning at a budget price

• Free Show Pass, offering access to the Career Center, Innovation Track, and exhibition

Visit asiseurope.org​ for full registration details plus sponsorship and exhibit opportunities. 

Foundation Grants and Scholarships

Did you make a New Year’s resolution to become a certified security professional? What if your employer doesn’t cover the cost of industry certifications? ASIS may have a solution.

The ASIS Foundation is now accepting scholarship and grant applications for the 2019 award cycle. 

New this year, the Foundation is partnering with the International Foundation for Protection Officers (IFPO) to add Certified Protection Officer (CPO) or Certified in Security Supervision and Management (CSSM) certification scholarships to existing CPP, PCI, and PSP scholarships. With a 30 percent increase in the number of awards given compared to 2018, ASIS scholarships and grants support member professionals in achieving the industry certifications they need to advance their careers and increase their overall earning potential. 

Qualified members can apply through 30 April at the new online portal on asisonline.org/foundation. The online application is the only way to apply; mailed and emailed applications will no longer be accepted. If you have previously applied and did not win, you are eligible to re-apply. Past winners are not eligible for 2019 grants. 

Grantee and scholarship results will be announced in June. Applications are assessed by members of the Foundation Board’s Scholarship and Grant Committee and industry expert volunteers.

Visit asisfoundation.org/scholarships​ to learn more.

DO BETTER THAN BUY: PARTNER

ASIS has joined with SecurityXchange, a strategic partnership summit taking place 8–9 August in Park City, Utah, USA. ASIS member John Nemerofsky, chairman of the board for SecurityXchange, explains the value of strategic partnerships. Learn more at verticalxchange.com/SecurityXchange. 

When you read “strategic partnership,” what comes to mind? Typically, it’s used to refer to co-branding: companies joining forces to amplify their reach, add brand value, and accelerate success. But there’s an entirely different partnership that often goes overlooked, and it’s one that can make a huge impact on your strategic plans and bottom line. That’s the partnership you ought to have with your solution providers.

As a security professional, you’re buying complex solutions—technologies that require significant investment but change rapidly. These technologies must work in concert with other solutions, and their performance is mission-critical. This is where strategic partnership comes in.

Sales reps can be excellent partners, but their jobs are to sell what the company has on offer today, not to be experts on technology in development. How much better could you plan strategically if you had insight into where your technology partners’ solutions are going in the next two years…or five years? Even better, what if you had input into that development?

When you have insight and input into the solutions you are buying, you have a meaningful strategic partnership. But how do you make that happen?

• Create a relationship with senior executives at the companies you buy from (or are considering buying from). 

• Dedicate some face-to-face time regularly to sharing ideas, challenges, and solutions. 

• Partner with an integrator who believes and invests in strategic partnership with technology providers, too.​​

Create an executive-to-executive strategic partnership with your most critical technology partners, and you can stay ahead of the technology development curve, help refine solutions that could better meet your needs, and ensure the best possible performance, not to mention create a powerful resource if a technology ever fails you. This is the kind of partnership that industry leaders rely upon to stay on top, and it’s a strategy that can work for you, too.

THIS MONTH IN ASIS HISTORY

In February 1985, U.S. Secretary of State George P. Shultz announced the formation of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) in an address to members of ASIS—which at the time was still known as the American Society for Industrial Security. 

Citing a rise in terrorism around the globe, Shultz established OSAC to foster greater operational coordination between the U.S. government and private sector security teams worldwide. “By working together to enhance security,” he said to the ASIS members in attendance, “we can be more effective in saving lives.”

More than 30 private and public sector member organizations comprise the OSAC Council—many ASIS members currently serve on it—and the partnership between OSAC and ASIS International continues to this day. OSAC regularly attends and presents at Global Security Exchange (GSX) and CSO Center events, including holding joint meetings with ASIS chapters around the globe.

Read more​ about OSAC in “National Security.”

CRISIS MANAGEMENT AND BUSINESS CONTINUITY COUNCIL SPOTLIGHT

You don’t know when a crisis will happen, but you need to be prepared. And, as ASIS International Crisis Management and Business Continuity (CMBC) Council Vice Chair Erik de Vries notes, “You can never learn too much in preparation for a crisis.”

This tenet underscores the council leadership’s approach to education. Every industry needs to prepare for the unexpected—and the CMBC Council seeks to be the bridge through which organizational resilience best practices are communicated to security professionals across all sectors.

The council’s annual workshop, considered by Council Chair Brendan Monahan to be the cornerstone of its educational content, enables CMBC gurus to share their joint expertise with attendees over the two-day course. The 2018 workshop—“Strategy and Tactics in Crisis Management: From Prevention to Recovery,”—was held in December in Scottsdale, Arizona, USA. It introduced a modernized approach to its format. Listening to the feedback of previous participants, the council introduced interactive tabletop exercises that allow attendees to get hands-on experience with crisis management scenarios throughout the process. Monahan notes an “enthusiastically positive” attendee response following the change. This year’s workshop will be held November 4–5 in Seattle, Washington, USA.

At Global Security Exchange (GSX) 2018, the council also proved to be one of the busiest suppliers of educational content, sponsoring several timely CMBC sessions—including “Converged Security: All Risk is Shared,” “Hostility Management: Defusing Hostile People,” and “Ransomware: Managing Data Extortion Crises.” On March 28 at ASIS Europe 2019, the council will also present training on “Reputation Risks from Fake News—Crisis Management Response.”

“We have monthly calls where we share best practices and lessons learned. In 2018, our members spoke on suicide as a workplace violence issue, crisis management in the airline industry, incident command systems for private sector emergency response, adaptive business continuity, and more,” says Monahan. “After we share knowledge and experiences, we then work together and find ways these lessons apply to scenarios across various industries. We’re helping to raise the bar of global CMBC practice.” 

The council takes steps to deliver these best practices to the ASIS membership at large, posting takeaways from these discussions in the Open Forum on ASIS Connects. If you have a CMBC question, connect with council members by visiting their community. Go to community.asisonline.org and search for “Crisis Management and Business Continuity Council.”

LIFE MEMBERS

ASIS congratulates its newest Life Members: Reggie L. Clark, CPP; Kenneth R. Cole, Jr.; Anne M. Gibbons, CPP; and Richard A. Michau, CPP.

Reggie L. Clark, CPP, has been an ASIS member for 35 years and a CPP since 1990. He has been active on the chapter and regional levels, serving as chapter secretary, chapter vice chair, chapter chair, assistant regional vice president, and regional vice president.

An ASIS member for 37 years, Kenneth R. Cole, Jr., has served in leadership for the Central Illinois Chapter over many years, with multiple terms as chair, treasurer, and secretary.
Anne M. Gibbons, CPP, joined ASIS in 1995 and earned her CPP in 1999. She has been active in her chapter, serving as chair, vice chair, secretary, and treasurer. Gibbons was a longtime member of the ASIS Physical Security Council and served on the Diversity Council.

Richard A. Michau, CPP, has been an ASIS member for 36 years. He was on the Professional Certification Board and served as its president. Michau was a member of the Petrochemical, Chemical, and Extractive Industries Security Council for several years, and he also served as a chapter chair.