Security Management

With brand new legislation out of the European Union shaking up artificial intelligence (AI) applications, what does this mean for security practitioners and companies? Mark Mullison, chief technology officer at Allied Universal, helps podcast host Brendan Howard wade through the new territory. Also in this episode, sponsored by BeamUP, David Harris outlines some of the opportunities that AI could present to physical security professionals—if it finally gets effectively leveraged. And lastly, Jennifer Hesterman shares how organizations can harden soft targets without turning off potential customers or patrons, with concentric rings of security out from the front door to the Internet. 

Additional Resources
Visit our episode sponsor, BeamUP, here: https://www.beamup.ai/ 
Learn more about current applications of AI within security in the April issue of Security Technology here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/april/ 
Want to explore the EU AI Act’s potential impact on the security industry? Read new analysis from Megan Gates: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/april/Understanding-the-EU-AI-Act/ 
More interested in soft targets and site hardening? Check out Security Management’s March topic: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/03/site-hardening/ 
Read about the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2024/february/kc-chiefs-superbowl-parade-shooting/ 
Get more guidance from Jennifer Hesterman in her 2021 article about layered facility security: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/online-exclusives/2021/developing-a-layered-defense/ 
Read Jennifer Hesterman’s book, Soft Target Hardening: Protecting People from Attack, here: https://www.routledge.com/Soft-Target-Hardening-Protecting-People-from-Attack/Hesterman/p/book/9781138391109 
Can security really be beautiful? Sure! Check out our summary from a 2020 GSX session for examples: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2020/gsx-show-daily-2020/Artwork-as-Security-Enhancement/ or check out CPTED examples around Washington, DC, in this 2019 SM article: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2019/10/improving-accessibility-and-security-through-cpted/

April 2024: Meeting the Moment with AI; Plus Fighting Complacency with Ongoing Security Hardening

What opportunities and risks does artificial intelligence (AI) present to the security profession? In this special episode of SM Highlights, Brendan Howard speaks with two researchers behind Artificial Intelligence and Security: Opportunities and Implications, a report published in 2021 by the ASIS Foundation. Join us to break down the differences between narrow, broad, and general AI, and explore what AI-enabled applications mean for security teams and technology. 

Additional Resources
Learn more about the ASIS Foundation here: https://www.asisonline.org/get-involved/asis-foundation/ 

Join the ASIS Foundation Fitness Challenge: https://www.charityfootprints.com/ASISFit/ 

Read the report, Artificial Intelligence and Security: Opportunities and Implications: https://store.asisonline.org/artificial-intelligence-in-security-opportunities-and-implications.html 

Read more about AI in security in the April 2024 issue of Security Technology: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2024/april/

Bonus: What AI Means for Security Professionals

Brandon Payne, executive director for the National Council on School Facilities, joins this month’s episode of Security Management Highlights to discuss how to integrate security and safety into school facility planning and funding during both retrofits and new builds. Then, Kevin Jones, CPP, PCI, addresses key considerations for arming security professionals, from legal liability to insurance to continuous training. 

Additional Resources
Read more from Brandon Payne about school facility management and where security and safety fit in here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/04/k12/school-facilities-managers/ 

Meet many of the other essential partners in school safety and security in this Security Management series: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/04/k12/ 

Want to help drive school security forward? Keep an eye out for the forthcoming ASIS International School Security Standard. Learn more here: https://www.asisonline.org/publications--resources/news/blog/2024/press-briefing-school-security-standard/ 

Read more about arming security teams in the June issue of Security Technology: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2025/june/ 

Hear more from Kevin Jones, CPP, PCI, in his latest article about considerations for selecting the right weapons for security: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/monthly-issues/security-technology/archive/2025/june/how-to-make-a-weapon-selection-when-arming-your-security-team/  


Is Security Well-Positioned to Influence Decisions Around School System Funding and Arming Guards?

Security professionals have to be integrated into operational resilience efforts and business continuity planning to prevent disruptions of all kinds, according to new research from the ASIS Foundation. In this episode of the SM Highlights podcast, report co-author and ResOrgs principal consultant Joanne Stevenson shares why security gets left out of resilience discussions and what they can do about it. Then, Don Aviv, CPP, PCI, PSP, CEO of Interfor International, discusses what happened during a shooting at a Manhattan office building in July and how proactive threat monitoring can change the nature of site security. 

Additional Resources
Read the ASIS Foundation research, Operational Resilience: The Critical Contribution of Security to Operational Resilience, online here: https://store.asisonline.org/asis-foundation-operational-resilience.html?_gl=1*1l3liqy*_gcl_au*MTE5NTA5MjQzMC4xNzUxMzk3MDA3*_ga*NzQxNzQ1OTA0LjE3NTEzOTcwMDg.*_ga_0ZPVSP549B*czE3NTY4MTYwMjAkbzIwMiRnMSR0MTc1NjgxNjcxNCRqNjAkbDAkaDA ASIS members can access the report for free. Read the free executive summary here: https://www.asisonline.org/globalassets/foundation/research/asis-foundation-operational-resilience-executive-summary.pdf 
For an overview and analysis of some of the key points of the research, read Security Management’s take here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2025/july/Security-Operational-Resilience-Planning/ 
For more on the cyberattack on the National Health Service in 2017, read the National Audit Office’s investigation report: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/investigation-wannacry-cyber-attack-and-the-nhs/ 
Interested in using human-centric narratives to back up your metrics? Get some advice and examples here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/03/metrics/crafting-metrics-story/ 
Interested in how to build out a resilience function, including a crisis response team? Read this article from the SM archive: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/07/resilience/create-crisis-managment-team/ 
Get an overview of the shooting at 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan in Security Management’s coverage here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2025/july/345-park-ave-shooting/ 
Research past security incidents in high-rise buildings here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2021/03/mitigating-rising-risks-for-high-rises/ 
Learn more about digital threat monitoring and assessment on social media here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/threat-assessment/ 
Want to explore the changing nature of risk further with Don Aviv, CPP, PCI, PSP, and other security experts? Attend the Game Changer sessions at GSX: https://www.gsx.org/game-changers/

How Security Can Lead Operational Resilience, Plus Reimagining Office Security

In the aftermath of school violence incidents, security professionals are often looking for ways to help. That turned into a three-year effort for Jeff Slotnick, CPP, PSP, who co-led the ASIS International effort to develop the new ASIS School Security Standard. By facilitating discussion across 50 multidisciplinary volunteers and collecting input from non-security professionals, the team was able to build a game-changing standard. Learn more about this project and ways security professionals can make a difference by volunteering in this GSX Daily episode of SM Highlights, sponsored by Titan Protection. 

Additional Resources
Learn more about this episode’s sponsor, Titan Protection, at https://www.tpcsecurity.com/

Interested in learning more about the new ASIS School Security Standard? Check out the overview session at GSX on 30 September at 11:00 a.m. CT: https://gsx25.mapyourshow.com/8_0/sessions/session-details.cfm?scheduleid=811 

Or visit the ASIS store—online or in-person at GSX at booth 1919—to purchase your copy. ASIS members can access the eBook edition of all ASIS International standards and guidelines for free. https://store.asisonline.org/school-security-standard-ebook.html 

Learn more about the ASIS President’s Award of Merit and other ASIS Awards of Excellence here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-news/press-room/asis-international-announces-its-2025-asis-awards-of-excellence-recipients/ 

Want to get involved volunteering with ASIS International? Learn about opportunities to contribute here: https://www.asisonline.org/about-asis/get-involved/ 

Read Jeff Slotnick’s latest Security Management article here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/guards-to-guardians/ 


GSX Daily: Designing a Step-by-Step Guide to Holistic School Security

Your mindset makes a huge difference in proactively managing change at work, rather than just reacting to it, says Mohammed Shehzad in the October 2025 episode of SM Highlights. When security technology and processes get involved, resistance and confusion can impact the overall progression and success of the change. Also in this episode, Rachel Briggs from The Clarity Factory outlines some of the essential findings from the 2025 Chief Security Officer Survey. Then, Erin McNally from Growing Resiliency for Aquarium and Zoo Employees (GRAZE) explains how traumatic critical incidents at zoos can offer lessons around crisis recovery, employee support, and grief. 


Additional Resources
Contemplating a security technology or process change? Read more from Mohammed Shehzad about managing that process here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/09/change-management/resistance-into-readiness/ 

Explore that 2023 study about change management and the reasons people resist change here: https://www.oak.com/media/c5llwb4v/oak-change-report-digital.pdf 

More resources and case studies on change management—including at the CIA—are available here from Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/09/change-management/ 

Explore research from The Clarity Factory about change management as an essential part of holistic security: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/09/change-management/holistic-security-change/ 

Dig deeper into issues of violent incident recovery, including trauma response and leadership, here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/09/violent-incident-recovery/ 


Security Management

Isaac Phillips