Mr. Dublois

Security & Safety

Security: The Key to Return on Investment

By Edward Dublois, Principal Consultant, Dublois & Associates

There has never been a time more significant than the past 10 years that has caused many hotel and lodging professionals to move security up the line in terms of importance and criticality. Across the nation, substantial dollars are being spent to establish, upgrade or enhance security in a wide range of applications. Often these increased measures of security cameras, restricted access control, employee training, panic systems, covert surveillance and overall awareness incrementally decrease the risk and threat levels of a lodging or resort property. However, is there a possibility that these efforts can be further improved upon to deliver a greater return on investment? Can the benefit cost ratio be improved upon to the extent that the security plan can be self amortizing?

Typically an approach to remedy a potential or existing security breech, threat or risk, is performed by applying a reasonable and rationalized electronic security solution. This can be accomplished through the use of security surveillance cameras, access control systems, communication systems, and other types of alarm, detection and security devices. Sometimes this effort is a knee jerk reactionary achievement and other times it is a scheduled and budgeted event. At the same time, much too often, a broad stroke approach is utilized to accomplish these goals. This occurrence often results in a host of issues that can plague the property or system operator. Sometimes the system is under utilized; at other times it may be over built. Then there is the all too familiar project that has gone over budget or maybe the entire effort yields a system that wasn’t entirely necessary in the first place. While the efforts were well intentioned, the net results often fall short of reaching the goals of efficiency, effectiveness and desired return on investment.

A thorough and comprehensive security Risk and Threat Assessment (RTA) performed in advance of any calculated security solution pays dividends into a security budget and operating plan. The RTA should be considered the blueprint and first step in the mission critical plan for any evolving or existing security effort. A decision to implement an RTA is the important process that merges the components of return on investment (ROI) with the effectiveness and efficiency of a properly executed security plan.

Who needs a Risk & Threat Assessment?

There could be several reasons to commission an RTA. Perhaps you are about to initiate a new security plan or upgrade an existing program. Maybe your property is designing and constructing a new building or renovating an existing structure and you are charged with implementing the security component. Or perhaps you have an existing property, with an existing security program and system in place but you want to affirm that you are hitting the target in terms of what your program addresses, how your system functions and how it applies to the needs and requirements within the organization. In addition to these, there are many other cost justified and critical reasons to consider the deployment of a comprehensive RTA study and analysis. Consider that the RTA is the preliminary and vital step towards the protection of people, property and assets, so if you have any of these within your organization, you may be a candidate for an RTA. The resulting objective of the RTA is to align the components of vulnerabilities, risk and threats as they exist, or can potentially exist, with an adequate countermeasure approach using “best practices” methodology. This often encompasses assessment work in the areas of policies, procedures and protocols as well as electronic and physical security.

The RTA is not necessarily a tool used exclusively for areas or environments that are prone to a high incident of criminal activity. In fact, the RTA is commonly used as the front end effort of a needs assessment review for any structured security plan regardless of the location or level of security required. The need for security spans across many different sectors of the business and operational activities of the property. These needs can be derived from countermeasures against common occurrences such as; supplies shrinkage, guest room intrusions, white collar crimes, vandalism, threats of personal violence, intrusion and theft, hostage taking, insurance fraud, liability mitigation, active shooter threats, vehicle break in and theft and many more.

Thus we find that the RTA needs to be customized towards the perceived vulnerabilities, risks and threats that surround the organization and its assets. The RTA also takes into consideration the need to maintain a non invasive, security presence in order to maintain a pleasant guest experience. A property that transmits the image of security problems to the guest is a lost opportunity for repeat business or recommendations.

RTA equals ROI

Security is often viewed, within the organization, as a cost center meaning it is unlikely there is anything on the other side of the ledger to offset the expenditure. This is typically derived from the fact that it is almost impossible to measure or establish a value on the benefits of a security system or an overall security program. The forces that drive this equation further down the path of inequity are usually found in an improperly planned or misguided security effort. By implementing an RTA, the organization can optimize the perceived, but not necessarily measured, return on investment across the spectrum of the entire security plan and program. This experience is accomplished by virtue of the process that makes up the RTA.

Consider that a targeted assessment, focused on the specific security and safety needs of a given lodging or resort property reveals the threats, risks and vulnerabilities that may currently or potentially exist. This structured and exclusive approach is a departure from the typical “security walk thru” or “security survey” as often performed by an installing security systems contractor. It is very commonplace for the person charged with the security responsibility to call upon his or her local security vendor to perform a “walk around” or “survey”. While this segment of the industry puts forth its best intentions, sometimes these intentions do not match the needs of the property owner, and an embedded conflict of interest may be the underlying result. Specifically, the security system contractor is in the business of selling equipment and the servicing of that equipment. It would be impractical to think that they could pay the bills if they walked away from the majority of their security surveys without selling equipment. Thus their understood and appreciated mission is to offer exclusively equipment based solutions as the net result of their surveying efforts. This is one of the aforementioned areas that can contribute to a misguided and inefficient security plan and program.

Security is a practice best approached and implemented in layers. This applies to all areas of security implementation from planning to installation. A properly performed RTA can often span across a wide variety of security and safety issues and categories that exist within the property or organization including areas such as surveillance cameras, access control and alarm devices. Some of these other areas can include; threats from natural or man made causes, active shooter scenarios, location of gas lines and tanks, site line visibility for vehicles and pedestrians, media response plans, contingency plans, emergency evacuations, premise liability mitigation, employee behavioral analysis, interviews with key department personnel , crime prevention thru environmental design (CPTED) and many others.

It is these methodologies and practices that are rooted within the RTA that helps to establish the most cost effective, efficient and useful security plan approach for the organization or property.

Since the firm or individual providing the RTA is not in a position to sell or install security equipment, the unbiased countermeasures to the various vulnerabilities, risks and threats can sometimes include a low or no cost solution to the property owner. The qualifications of the firm or individual performing the RTA should meet a minimal level of standards which supports that person as being an expert in this area of assessment work. These qualifications should include someone who is not influenced or engaged by any particular manufacturer of equipment and has no embedded conflict of interest. Additionally, this person must be able to place themselves as a representative of the property owner in the event additional work or services are required by third parties vendors arising out of the RTA findings.

The RTA Report

Once the RTA has been performed, a comprehensive report should follow within a reasonable period of time upon the completion of the field work. This report should be handled, labeled and circulated as a confidential document. The report should be formatted in a manner that is easy to understand as it may be reviewed by several individuals within the organization, some of which may not have an in depth knowledge of security. There should be an action plan that reflects the findings of the field work. Each area should be broken down into categories with highlighted actionable items. These items should be categorized as severe, intermediate or precautionary. Each identified item should reference a remedy or suggestive course of action. Photos of existing conditions should be included with detailed descriptions. Additionally, historical information regarding security incidents within or upon the organization or property should be included. As a point of reference, local crime statistics, if available should be included as part of the report. These statistics can also include the cities within the state to provide an abstract of how the subject location compares to the rest of the state. This sometimes helps to determine minimal standards for the first layer of security. The report should reflect all of the field work and observations as well as any policy, procedure and protocol issues that may have been detected. If the purpose of the RTA was to serve as the first step towards implementing a new system design or enhancement of an existing system or program, then the RTA becomes the reference point going forward. As this reference point, the owner is assured that all considerations have been made to extract the most value, effectiveness and perceived ROI and any subsequent security related investments.

What should we spend on security? Where should we apply security? What are the priorities? Is our current system functioning properly? Does it match the needs of our property or organization? What is its life cycle? What are the unrealized vulnerabilities, risks and threats to our property or organization? What should we do to reduce liability exposure? What can we do to reduce premises liability? What policies, procedures and protocols should we change or implement? How can we protect our assets?

Most, if not all of these questions can be answered through a comprehensive and detailed RTA. In the end, the RTA serves as the roadmap to identifying the needs and requirements that will add value to the investment made in the overall security and safety effort.

Dublois & Associates was founded by and is currently managed by Edward Dublois. Mr. Dublois’ career has spanned over 30 years of performing Security Assessment work, as well as Security Design, Engineering, Management and Operations responsibilities within the security industry. For most of these years, he had served as CEO and President and of VVE Security, a commercial security integration and engineering firm based out of the New York metropolitan area. During this period, Mr Dublois led his team to roll out the first ever security initiative utilizing hand geometry, biometric technology for installations at government and defense contractor locations nationwide. Mr. Dublois can be contacted at 802-362-4994 or edublois@dublois.com Extended Bio...

HotelExecutive.com retains the copyright to the articles published in the Hotel Business Review. Articles cannot be republished without prior written consent by HotelExecutive.com.