Embedded Security Consultants

Having an internal security department is a great benefit to most organisations and in most cases is one that has been justified in order for the organisation to reduce or mitigate security risks that their organisation is exposed to. Unfortunately, this may not be possible to have an internal security department for various reasons including cost implications, size of organisation and limited risks to said organisation compared to others. This is where embedded security consultants or managers can greatly assist organisations from small to medium enterprises or furthermore, multinational organisations that need to adopt specialist areas of security and risk management and where a specialist security consultant is employed as and when on specific projects. CTR specialise in part/full time embeds through to retained consultants and also recruitment services. In the current climate, organisations are finding more and more benefit in outsourcing certain areas of their business and this is especially true of areas such as health and safety and human resources, as examples. Accountancy is also a largely outsourced commodity depending on the size and workload within that organisation. 

How can an embedded or contracted security consultant benefit an organisation? There are many advantages to having access to outsourced security consultants, whether for ad hoc projects or contracted for set periods per month. These benefits include (but not limited to) having instant access to professional guidance on security and risk related matters, peace of mind that assistance is at hand, reduced costs in terms of reduced requirements for your needs, and also in terms of statutory or mandatory requirements where present. 

What examples are there of embedded security consultants? A good example of the integration of an embedded security consultant takes the form of a renewables company based across the UK, whereby a security manager is required on an average of 2 days per week. This level of support is agreed by the organisation after an assessment is completed focusing on different aspects of the company and their operational footprint. Areas to consider when exploring the need for an embedded secuity professional are: 1. Size of company 2. Area of operation 3. Type of industry 4. Generic industry risks 5. Specific risks to that organisation 6. Any other contributing factors The above are the basic questions to be asked and a full audit may take place in order to ensure the most benefit from an embedded or contracted security consultant. In terms of the renewables company then the company wanted to ensure that their staff and assets were safe and secure and that any level of risk was either reduced or mitigated and this involved multiple site visits to certain locations throughout England and Scotland whereby the security manager would be responsible for identifying and assessing risks and then reporting their findings back to the organisational management team. The business environment is constantly changing and so are the risks that organisations are exposed to, culture itself is more and more adopting non-commitment attributes as such offerings fit into the lives of individuals and organisations as opposed to that organisation fitting into the routine of unnecessary expense and management of having either a department or internal member of staff responsible for security and risk management purposes.