Given the sheer volume of threats and real-time crises that security professionals face on a daily basis, it is no surprise that it’s a profession that bears with it immense mental and physical stress. Working in security means one has to be constantly attuned to upsetting dangers that impact a workplace, government building, or public space. In many instances, the physical safety of the security professional is put at risk.
This affects people who fall along all parts of the greater security industry spectrum — physical to cyber.
The recent 2024 State of Cybersecurity ISACA survey revealed the overall realities of stress and pressure faced by cybersecurity professionals today. Out of the more than 1,800 professionals surveyed, 81% cited “an increasingly complex threat landscape” as the biggest stressor, reports Security Today. Other major sources of stress for cybersecurity professionals included low budgets, increasingly worse hiring and retention challenges in the field, the realities of “insufficiently trained staff,” and a “lack of prioritization of cybersecurity risks.”
Many of these concerns dovetail with issues that are front of mind for their physical security peers. SiteOwl highlights some key challenges those in the physical security industry face.
These include:
- Dependence on a few individuals: As a result of tightening budgets and staffing shortages, some firms might rely on a few key individuals to manage their physical security protocols, which can bring great strain on those individuals and the company as a whole. Those people might experience wide scale burnout. If institutional knowledge rests in one or two people, what happens when they leave or get fired?
- Low visibility of a company’s operations: While there is almost nothing more important than physical security, those who are tasked with managing it for a company might be left in the dark about the firm’s key operations. If a physical security manager or team isn’t given the complete information on a company’s operations, how can they best keep the business and its assets safe?
- Reactive instead of proactive approaches: SiteOwl points out that effective physical security strategies should involve creating holistic, targeted approaches to brace for threats instead of putting out fires in the moment without proper preparation ahead of time. This proactive approach is great in theory, but oftentimes isn’t feasible with lack of proper funding and training. Always being in that mindset of putting out fires as they happen can ramp up stress for the security professional.
- A company relies too heavily on external vendors: A clear reality for many companies is that, oftentimes, various external vendors are needed to outsource a company’s day-to-day operations. While this is necessary, it can create confusion and missed lines of communication for on-staff security teams if the vendors don’t deliver or if clearly delineated lines of communication aren’t set. Ironically, while outsourcing security talent is important for a robust security strategy, it can create major headaches for a firm’s in-house security teams if not implemented properly.
- Not being given the tools needed for the job: One searing stressor for many physical security managers is not being given the tools needed for success. Think dealing with a lack of support staff, faulty and outdated technology, an unwillingness of company leaders to offer concrete training, among others — all of these are challenges that can make a job that is already hard more difficult than it needs to be.
For the physical security professional, there should be nothing surprising about the reality that this is a profession that is immensely challenging and stressful. It’s incumbent upon companies and firms of all sizes to provide all necessary training, funding, tools, and support to lighten the load. The safety and security of the business, its personnel, and assets depend on it.
Peter Cavicchia II 