How to Identify Key Security Stakeholders

Today’s security environment demands agility. In order to keep pace with the needs of our external and internal clients, we must first understand them, and then evolve. The ability to change and improve comes from collecting, understanding and integrating stakeholder feedback. 

Developing the list of key stakeholders for a particular security project can be daunting. You want to be sure you are including both internal and external circles of significance, and ask yourself, what relationships matter most? You can identify these critical influencers and use their feedback to direct your organization’s resources:

1. Does the stakeholder have a fundamental impact on my organization’s security goals?

2. Can we clearly identify what we want from the stakeholder?

3. Is the relationship dynamic and evolving?

4. Can we exist without the stakeholder?

5. Has the stakeholder already been identified through another relationship?

Take these findings and work these groups or individuals into your security feedback plan. This helps support a consistent experience and fulfill your organization’s strategic vision. Remember, when stakeholders aren't regularly involved with a safety or security program, there is a chance that true issues will not be accurately addressed. 

There is no one-size-fits-all model, and as our industry evolves, and new solutions are developed, continuous stakeholder participation can help improve the overall success. Organizations that are not currently identifying stakeholders and reaching out to them for feedback are missing out on integral safety and security insight.

  About the Author
  Bob Wood is President, Southeast Region, for Allied Universal.