Assessing the Scope of Corporate Security: Common Practices and Relationships with Other Business Functions

• NCJ Number: 196298
• Journal: Security Journal Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: 2002 Pages: 7-19
• Author(s): Mahesh Nalla; Merry Morash
• Date Published: 2002
• Length: 13 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This study examined the functions and goals of corporate security.

Abstract

Research on corporate security functions and goals is fairly limited. In addition to the functions and goals of corporate security, this study examined the organizational location of corporate security; security’s relationship to other business functions; and whether security departments functioned alone within organizations or if non-security executives and departments were associated with ensuring security in the company. Data were drawn from a survey of security directors of Fortune 1,000 companies in the United States. The goals and functions of security personnel include perimeter security, interior security, fire protection, technology/access control, architecture/security interface, personnel security, information security, computer crime, risk management/security survey, and disaster management. The findings suggest that there was uniformity in the distribution of security functions among various corporations. Corporate security undertook functions and processes identified with private security, which included physical security, executive and employee protection, premises security, investigations, and prediction of threats. Security tasks were administered by other departments or jointly shared with other departments within the organization. These functions included substance abuse programs, information security, patent enforcement, protecting trade secrets, protecting company goodwill and competitive data, and fraud detection. Some functions such as crisis management, disaster preparedness, emergency preparedness, fraud prevention, and due diligence were not a monopoly of corporate security. These tasks were being either administered exclusively by other departments or jointly shared with security. Corporate security was not only located very high in the organizational hierarchy but was well integrated into the business functions of the organization. In most organizations, executives and other departments were actively involved in ensuring the success of security. 5 tables, 26 notes