01/16/2024
Security, medicine, aerospace, and scientific research. Each profession requires a high level of quality and accuracy to keep people safe. Medicine has the Joint Commission which certifies hospitals and maintains Quality Assurance and Risk Management standards. Aerospace has stringent regulatory bodies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Europe, which enforce safety standards and regulate aircraft design, production, and operation. Similarly, in scientific research, quality and accuracy are upheld through the scientific method, peer review processes, and adherence to ethical standards set by organizations like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the World Health Organization (WHO). In all these fields, the commitment to quality and accuracy is not just a matter of professional duty; it is essential for protecting lives and advancing human knowledge.
But what about security? As security professionals, how do we ensure, and prove, that we are effective at protecting people and property? How do we identify quality issues and improve our craft?
The answer is to develop expertise through experience. Starting with training and building through experience by facing progressively more realistic exercises and tests, pausing each time to learn, improve, and test again. Training is a nice first step, the first of many to provide better protective services. Just as an athlete doesn’t go from doing pushups (training) to the boxing ring (facing a real adversary), you shouldn’t either. Watching tape (risk assessments), practicing specific defenses (pe*******on testing), and sparring with a practice opponent (red teaming), are all important steps for training, assurance, and quality improvement. Nothing helps you learn your own strengths and weaknesses like a good sparring partner.
This is PRM’s specialty. We train, test, and transform security teams to be industry leaders, and more importantly, to stay ahead of your opponents as you safeguard people, data, property, and reputation.
