Rob CURRIE - RCAS

corporate security

Control room optimisation

Many organisations require a control room to centralise the security processes, sensor feeds and technology to ultimately ensure the security and safety of their operations. The technological advances in the last 5 years coupled with the ever-increasing prevalence of AI driven detection systems have forever altered the level of sensor data available in control rooms. That said, the level of technical investment doesn’t automatically translate to a more mature or efficient operation.

RCAS and our key strategic partner Nenova, spend most of our time working on, in or around client control rooms. Our goal is to deliver 24/7, fully operational security control rooms equipped with state-of-the-art equipment, advanced technology, optimized processes and highly trained staff. The result is a proactive system based on cutting-edge technology and appropriate pre-defined processes and automation. When led by well trained and agile supervisors and staff, the holistic control room entity mitigates most security and safety threats to the business.

business continuity

Crisis leadership – seizing the golden hour!

Winning strategies for effective crisis management

A recent Netflix series documented Sir Winston Churchill, the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister who guided his nation through the global crisis of the Second World War. While controversial, his leadership brought many together in the fight against fascism and changed the world we live in today. What made him successful in the face of an overwhelming enemy and difficult geo-political terrain? The documentary did not provide enough detail in how Churchill organised himself to clearly state whether he was lucky or did he follow crisis management best practises to victory. What is clear, is that crisis defined his legacy as a leader. Today, crisis still defines how leaders and organisations are perceived.

If Covid taught us anything as a society, it is that crisis is inevitable, and it is highly likely we will not be offered the luxury of deciding when calamity strikes. After a 35+ year career in public and private sector roles, my current professional life has me focused on supporting organisations in preparing for and responding to crisis. The following keys to successful crisis management are a collection of what I have seen as best practises gleaned from working with my clients.

leadership

An exciting day for RCAS and the future of leadership training!!!!

I recently posted about our leadership offering BRIGHT FUTURE and more specifically, exciting new additions to team RCAS. James and I constantly preach that your crisis or executive management team needs to diverse in thought & action if you want to have any chance of successfully navigating today’s perma-crisis business environment.

James and I are very proud and excited to announce that Samantha Woolven and Kate Forrest have joined RCAS. To say they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in leadership and human performance would be a gross understatement. They have successfully transformed senior leaders and teams across the following industries: architecture, botanical gardens + science, automotive manufacturing, charities/NGO, construction, defence, energy, engineering, food & beverage, heavy metal refining, mining, mining rehabilitation, cultural institutions, nuclear, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, private equity, health care, rail transport, supermarkets and retail. Might have been easier to list what industries they haven’t supported (yet 😉).

We have had the pleasure of collaborating with these exceptional ladies over the last few years, learning a ton in the process about delivering curated professional leadership experiences. I wish I could share a “fly on the wall” video with you of our BRIGHT FUTURE program planning sessions. What I can say is they are exciting, vibrant and full of ideas on how to develop unique leadership experiences for our clients.

Very shortly, James, who spearheads our leadership practice, will be releasing more details about our BRIGHT FUTURE offering. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out directly to James at [email protected].

leadership

Next generation leadership development

RCAS has its roots in a successful crisis management and security consulting. This competency is based on our individual backgrounds of team and organizational leadership at various levels both in daily and crisis operations, primarily in the defence and security industry.

We have discovered and currently teach that crisis management is crisis leadership, change management is change leadership, team performance optimization is team leadership, I think you get the picture.

crisis management

Human Behaviour and Its Impact on Crisis

One constant through time is crisis, whether it be political, professional, or personal. While no one wants to experience a crisis, it is inevitable. That said, our responses are fully under our control. The examination of the history of crisis leaves us with many lessons learned based on the successes and failures of others.

crisis management

Managing video evidence – moving from cumbersome to easy!

There is a myriad of video surveillance solutions available to organizations seeking to protect their assets. Video management systems (VMS) have matured to a point where the collection of video and on-site storage is straight forward. Selecting and replaying video within a VMS is typically a standard feature with most offerings. Modern investigations, whether internal or external, increasingly require organizations to share digital evidence outside the VMS.
In a retail setting, a customer may become injured after a slip and fall. Was it a legitimate injury or a frivolous insurance claim? Archived video can typically reveal the true nature of the event. A Legal department may request the footage to share during court proceedings. Most corporate security departments or whoever is entrusted with managing the VMS must dedicate time and resources to extract the desired footage and place it on removable media such as a DVD or USB stick. This process is laborious, hard to monitor and slow. The process restarts any time there is a request for additional footage or a different video format to align with the end user’s technical requirements. It is common for large organisations to have dedicated personnel for the “DVD team”, sapping much needed resources from the security team.
Public sector agencies have a similar video management issue when conducting their own investigations. After a significant crime, law enforcement agencies are often required to send uniformed officers into the community to gather videos from nearby businesses, residences, or witnesses.
RCAS can provide consulting and implementation services for either of these operational scenarios. Systems such as Genetec Clearance address both sectors’ issues with a cloud-based service that makes sharing or collecting video in a time efficient manner feasible. All video is managed to an evidentiary standard should it be required in legal proceedings bolstered by a robust audit trail. Video format compatibility issues are no longer an issue as the system can provide the video in whatever format best suits the end user.

crisis management

Crisis Management: Where do I Start?

I recently took on the role of Chair for the Canadian Chapter of the Institute for Strategic Risk Management (ISRM). The first order of business was finding a great Vice-Chair. I was fortunate enough to have Andrea Chedas, the Head of Corporate Security at WealthSimple take on this important role. For our inaugural Chapter event, we partnered with the Threat Intelligence Exchange Roundtable (TIER), a Toronto-based, cross sector group of corporate security/intelligence professionals to host a webinar on crisis management fundamentals.

crisis management

New partnership with GENETEC!

We are exceptionally proud to announce our new partnership with Genetec, a global leader in security software. As newly minted Certified Platform & Design consultants, we are excited to be able to support Genetec’s current and future customers. Genetec’s channel and security consultant provides exceptional support throughout the entire platform lifecycle.

philanthropy

Supporting the communities we serve!

One of the greatest benefits of being part of ASIS is the amazing learning opportunities. As Chair of the ASIS Crisis Management and Business Continuity (CMBC) Community Steering Committee, I am fortunate enough to work with our Content Committee creating educational material. For the March podcast they knocked it out of the park again! I learned so much about AI and its potential impacts from everyone that participated.

The podcast delved into the potential risks and threats posed by the use of ChatGPT in various applications, and also discussed the ability of ChatGPT to generate human-like responses in order to be exploited by bad actors to deceive and manipulate individuals.

Andrew J Peden interviewed two experts in the field of AI, cybersecurity, and intelligence gathering, Tony J Ridley and Peter G. Warmka, to understand the current state of security measures and protocols in place to mitigate these risks.

Author: Rob CURRIE

Control room optimisation

Crisis leadership – seizing the golden hour!

An exciting day for RCAS and the future of leadership training!!!!

Next generation leadership development

Human Behaviour and Its Impact on Crisis

Managing video evidence – moving from cumbersome to easy!

Crisis Management: Where do I Start?

New partnership with GENETEC!

Supporting the communities we serve!

ASIS Crisis Management & Business Continuity Community’s Mar 2023 podcast

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