Why Your Security Provider Needs to be a Business Partner

Organizations that are serious about safety and security understand the need for a security provider that is more than simply a vendor. 

Organizations that are committed to creating value and achieving organizational success through their security program demand a security provider that is a true business partner – a partner with a vested interest in your success and aligned with your culture. Your security program demands a partner that shares your strategic vision. When your provider is a partner, only then can you maximize their resources and capabilities and fully leverage your security spend.

A business partnership is built primarily on communication. You may speak with your security team every day, but is the dialogue ever truly strategic? Are you discussing ways in which your partner can help add value to the organization? Are there candid exchanges about your shared challenges and the steps both organizations can take to create a more secure environment? Are budget impacts discussed in advance so that you can prepare?

Budget planning can be a true test for a partnership. Businesses are striving to achieve more while creating leaner, more cost-effective operations. When budgets are hit hard by changing employee benefits, rising taxes or energy costs, a healthy partnership is essential to successfully reaching effective solutions. 

When your security provider makes a commitment to understand your needs, the stage is set for candid and robust dialogue over the challenges – including costs. The conversation often leads beyond resolving challenges to realizing opportunities as new ideas are developed.

Healthcare reform is an example of where partnership is essential to success. As healthcare reform drives up the cost of employee benefits, it is critical that you and your security partner determine win-win solutions. These must not only address budget impacts, but also the vital role benefits play in security officer engagement and service delivery. Only a partner – not a vendor – can effectively help you find comprehensive solutions that further your goals.

Are you discussing business issues with your security partner? 

  About the Author
  David Buckman is the Executive Vice President and General Counsel at Allied Universal and has been a member of the American Corporate Counsel Association since 1997.