Enterprise Security Risk Management (or ESRM) is a security program approach that helps raise the profile of security. To put it simply, it occurs by linking security activities to an enterprise’s mission and business goals. This occurs through various risk management methods designed to gather informational data. Ultimately, both the organization and its leaders will understand risk with a perspective on real-time impacts.
Of course, the executive protection industry has evolved tremendously over recent years. For one thing, during the cusp of a global pandemic, most organizations adopted the inevitable digital workspace or hybrid work model. What’s more, the image of bodybuilders in matching black suits with earpieces still resonates in the perception of the general public but also the principal.
Secondly, with close-quarter protection making up a sizable amount of protective details, sadly, strategic planning and research are often bywords when planning for the protection of persons, property, and brands.
And that’s precisely where ESRM falls in the scope of executive protection. Enterprise Security Risk Management is a strategic approach that allows organizations to incorporate security management professionals into advisory capacities to better protect their assets.
Let’s remember; employees are an organization’s most valuable asset.
Why Should Executive Protection Professionals Care About ESRM?
As mentioned above, valuable employees who merit executive protection – either as a C-Suite member being escorted to their place of residence, or a management team traveling to satellite locations abroad – ESRM becomes a force multiplier in EP because it asks its principal(s) “What keeps you up at night?”
Now, this question does not always generate clear or simple answers. There are a plethora of risks and threats that a principal(s) may not be aware of. Again, that’s precisely where ESRM comes in. To help get the principal(s) from point A to point B and then safely home is the overall, operational objective.
However, it’s vital to understand that security risks are dynamic. Just as with everything else, the factors affecting an enterprise’s security risks are subject to change. With the ESRM mindset, an EP team takes a guided and supportive role in the safety and security of the brand – and they do this in an ongoing way.
The strategic scope of ESRM in executive protection includes some of the following:
- Working closely with the organization’s Chief Security Officer (CSO) to see what is at stake if something happens to the principal(s). For example, loss of business or defamation of character.
- Strengthening the partnership with contract security management if the principal’s organization has corporate locations that are under 24/7 private protection.
- Gathering reports generated by private security teams and local authorities to better aid in the planning of the route of travel for the principal(s).
As evident, the types of strategic routes to take can be endless. The ESRM approach can be implemented into any organization or assignment, an executive protection team leader can weave this concept into the protective framework as an additional layer of security in protecting persons, property, and brands.
The Takeaway
ESRM is an approach that’s most likely here to stay. Managing the range of risks organizations and their client’s face is not getting any easier. As more regulative and legislative hurdles arise, this adds additional challenges to the business of doing business. For this reason, more and more CSOs and EP teams are adopting the ESRM approach.
I would encourage everyone in executive protection and related fields to ask pertinent questions about ESRM. Such questions may include:
· What does ESRM mean to your principal(s) and organization?
· How can you utilize the strategic methods of ESRM to serve the client and organization better?