The recent assassination of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO has ignited conversations across industries about executive protection plans. While some organizations are already spending millions on personnel security, others are just beginning to draw up plans to protect their executives both in and out of the office. 

Every organization’s approach to executive protection will be unique, but one thing we know for sure is that all employees deserve a strategy that prioritizes their safety. CEOs and other C-suite positions serve as the faces of their organizations and are directly linked to decisions made, successes, and failures. Unfortunately, this can also make them targets for those with harmful intentions. In today’s environment, where information is only a click away, executives face increased cyber and physical risks. Luckily, the more we know about the risks at large the better we can prepare for them.

Executive Risk Landscape
Many factors need to be considered when assessing the risk of threats. As the faces of their brands, C-level executives are critical to a business’s success, growth, and stability. Depending on the industry, there may be more people rooting against them. Location, lifestyle, company history, travel habits, and an executive’s overall accessibility can affect how businesses approach security. But what protection methods should organizations consider for high-level team members?

Following this month’s incident, high-profile organizations nationwide have put executive security on their radar and are re-evaluating their security posture. Many are scrubbing their executive team’s information from the web to protect their privacy and increasing spending to protect their leadership. When it comes to an executive team’s physical security, businesses have a wide variety of options to choose from. 

• Guard Services: Whether a personal bodyguard or a team of professionals watching over an office environment, guards can assess vulnerabilities, identify suspicious behaviors, and respond quickly to potential threats, ensuring that executives can operate safely in the office or public spaces.
• Threat Intelligence: Knowing is half the battle. Security teams can implement solutions that allow them to identify suspicious or threatening behaviors before they escalate into dangerous incidents, empowering them to take preventative action.
• Personnel and Team Safety: Keeping executive, management, and frontline team members in contact with Security Operations Center (SOC) teams enhances personnel safety in office environments. Crimes, accidents, and other health and safety hazards can happen at any level of an enterprise, so it’s essential that team members can report security concerns or emergencies to SOCs for a swift response. 
• Risk Assessment: You can have all of the tools at your disposal, but without conducting a thorough risk assessment, there’s no way of knowing which programs and strategies are most impactful. Conducting regular risk assessments will keep you ahead of risks as they change. 

Now more than ever, organizations need to have conversations about the best executive protection solutions for their team. While there is no one-size-fits-all solution, looking at security holistically and assessing the risk surrounding your team and operations is a strong step forward. 
Ready to take the next steps to improve security for your team? Continue reading here.