What makes an excellent security supplier?

The latest findings from the Security Research Initiative (SRI) revealed that the most highly valued characteristic of a security supplier is a strong focus on customer needs. While it is also important to have innovative and adaptive senior management more emphasis should be placed on achieving excellent management on the frontline.

489 corporate security personnel and security suppliers from around the world were asked to rate various characteristics of outstanding performance. Generally suppliers and clients did share similar views but there were some striking differences.

Suppliers placed higher importance than clients on having new philosophies, a focus on training and learning and visionary leadership. This may suggest that suppliers are trying to do too much and would benefit from a greater focus.

Similarly 47% of clients and 59% of suppliers strongly agreed that suppliers can only be excellent if clients fully support them, suggesting that clients may underestimate the crucial role they play.

While suppliers were particularly likely to agree strongly that price trumps quality there was agreement that security is often not valued highly by companies, that they accord security suppliers less status than other suppliers.

What is clear is that a reputation for being an outstanding performer is only temporary. There is evidence that security suppliers undersell themselves to their clients. However security is moving from being seen as a protector of assets to a facilitator of good business, and an essential one at that. But it is moving slowly and the sector needs to change from keeping its potential secret.

Click here to access the full Aspiring to Excellence Report.

Click here to read more about the Security Research Initiative (SRI) and access other SRI publications.

Check back next month for the most important characteristics of an excellence corporate security department.