Advanced technologies have a significant impact on security, but traditional elements still important, report reveals

Many of the traditional elements of good security are still important today and perhaps all the more so because of technological advancements, a recent research report by the Security Research Initiative has been able to suggest.

The paper, entitled 'The Evolution of Physical Security Measures: assessing the benefits and implications', demonstrates that many of the traditional elements of good security are still important today and perhaps all the more so because of technological advancements. These include good products where security is designed in; a good security strategy guided by the broader needs of the business; recognition of the potential barriers to implementation and the need to chart a path for circumventing those barriers; effective implementation and management; savvy security staff with skills in both security and business; and good user engagement with programmes.

At the same time they are behaving in a way that is consistent with good practice and helps reduce contract churn (itself a contribution to profits). Other benefits noted include, for example, better equipping security officers, helping managers to be more efficient, in

streamlining processes and releasing staff and resources; generating more and better information to make decisions; facilitating better engagement with other departments (such as IT, HR and compliance); generating quicker responses to incidents which are known about

sooner and about which there are more details; in linking security technologies to the broader aims of the business it has enabled security to demonstrate its value to a wider organisational audience; in so doing it has enabled the best security people/teams/companies to develop new skill sets helping to reinforce and further highlight their value to the business.

Professor Martin Gill who led the research, said: "Speaking to both offenders and security professionals it is significant that while advances in technology can make offending harder by presenting new challenges to overcome and can enable a more informed and efficient response; it can also present new opportunities to offenders, not least the ability to be anonymous by offending remotely. Notably, people remain crucial — to implement and use technology effectively, and to respond effectively to the incidents that technology can identify. Offenders are used to having to adapt and will learn how to overcome the problem of security or find an alternative method or target. This research is a timely reminder that advanced technology while undoubtedly holding a number of benefits for physical security is not a panacea."

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