Find news and information for the executive corporate security director, CSO, facility manager and assets protection manager on issues of policy, products, incidents, risk management, threat assessments and preparedness.
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INSIDER INTELLIGENCE By Bill Bozeman, CPP The Extra Step Continuing education is one of the keys to your prosperity I t is not a coincidence that many of our most productive business leaders focus on education and improvement — both for themselves and for their direct reports and associates. Is your idea of personal improvement on-the-job training and school-of-hard-knocks education, or have you committed to a program worthy of a professional? Where do you fall in the education and career improvement equation? Do you currently know all you need to know to lead your company, your department and your direct reports? Are you in a position where you no longer need to study for technical certifications, attend trade shows, register for online education and take advantage specific industry knowledge and education? The most successful security leaders I have come to know over my three-plus decades in the physical security space all have one thing in common: they understand that today's world moves so fast that no one is smart enough or lucky enough to prosper on on-the-job alone. Good instinct, strong people skills, innate leadership characteristics and strong work ethic are all valuable assets, but they are still not enough if your objective is to prosper and make a positive difference. Fortunately, the process of continued improvement is not nearly as difficult as you may think. Step one is to simply commit to a continued, formal self-improvement education program — a combination of classes and certifications, informal web and text study, organized networking with your peers and industry professionals. Schedule dates for seminars, read the trade journals, take advantage of programs offered by SIA, PSA Security Network, ASIS, NSCA and others who provide vetted education and valuable information that will make you more valuable to your company and the customers your company serves. "I am too busy to improve" is a poor excuse. We are all busy and those who are "too busy" will soon have ample time on their hands as they may be unemployed or be forced into a menial position that has little impact and significance. It's not complicated, make it happen. Make the commitment. ❚ Bill Bozeman, CPP, is President & CEO of PSA Security Network. Request more information about PSA at www.securityinfowatch.com/10214742. 58 Tech Trends: ASIS (continued from page 18) devices are recognized and treated by the network. An intelligent and tight integration of IP surveillance camera and the network has profound implications for the speed, reliability and bandwidth provisioning for IP video. Its success in the security market may well be tied into decisions by camera vendors to incorporate the necessary agent into the camera. I also noticed a continuing interest in Building Information Management (BIM), known to some as Revit (AutoDesk's software package). Design technology can often be as impactful as a product, and security designers are increasingly being pulled by the A&E; community in the BIM direction. Axis, Assa Abloy, Sony, Samsung and others have already acted on this trend. ❚ Ray Coulombe is Founder and Managing Director of SecuritySpecifiers. com and RepsForSecurity.com; and Principal Consultant for Gilwell Technology Services. He can be reached at ray@SecuritySpecifiers.com, through LinkedIn, or on Twitter, @RayCoulombe. Protect your Accounts (continued from page 22) must not only be secret and provide a competitive advantage, but you also must take reasonable steps to protect it from disclosure — even within your office. Even without restrictive covenants, you still may be able to protect accounts or confidential information. Most state and some federal laws provide protection for "unfair competition." A written contract with customers who were inappropriately solicited may support a claim of tortious interference with contractual relations. Litigation to enforce restrictive covenants or unfair competition may be more costly than other lawsuits because you must generally seek an immediate injunction to stop former employees and their new employers from soliciting your accounts or using trade secrets. Lawsuits seeking injunctions must be filed immediately and are generally prosecuted on a fast track. It is like cramming a year's worth of litigation into a few weeks. Litigation is an expensive and inefficient way to protect your accounts. The question is: can you afford to ignore unfair competition? ❚ Eric Pritchard co-chairs the electronic security group of Kleinbard Bell & Brecker LLP. Pritchard focuses his practice on the electronic security industry with an emphasis on acquisitions. This column does not constitute legal advice; contact an attorney with specific questions. www.SecurityInfoWatch.com | SD&I; | November 2013