Security Management Highlights
Business & Finance
About
Security Management Highlights brings the security professional expert interviews and information on the most critical industry topics. Join host Brendan Howard as he interviews thought leaders and industry professionals, as well as editors from the magazine.
Episodes
- All About Agentic AI in Corporate Security
This episode examines agentic AI in corporate security, featuring discussions on how it can streamline operations and the potential risks associated with user habits and accountability. Experts explore its applications, the importance of c…
- Crafting Examples for Better Connection in Communication
Peter Rudge, CEO of HumanStory, explains how storytelling structures improve communication and presentations. Freelance journalist Rachel Muller-Heyndyk discusses the risks extremism researchers face and how organizations can support them.
- Staffing Shortfalls in Corrections, Intelligence, and Beyond
Gretta Goodwin from GAO highlights staffing shortages in U.S. correctional facilities, affecting safety and security. Shane Clymer notes challenges in hiring intelligence analysts for corporate security. Mohammed Atif Shehzad suggests holi…
- A Front-Row Seat to Sports Security
Security leaders Darcy Leutzinger and Larry Thompson discuss executive protection, crowd dynamics, and risk management in sports security. Ricardo Flores shares his experience with an executive protection threat.
- What Comes Next? Future-Proofing Exercises Can Unveil Your Path Forward
Futurist Heather Vescent explains how future-proofing exercises can help security and business leaders develop strategic long-term plans. Scott Fitzsimmons discusses career progression in security and building a culture of continuous learn…
- Catching Critical Security Blind Spots, From Biohazard Attacks to Investigation Resources
Chemical and biological attack attempts can be hard to detect, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t happening, including at major events and sports games, says Jeff Brodeur in this month’s Security Management Highlights podcast, sponsored by…
- How to Manage Manipulative and Disruptive Behavior at Work and in Public Spaces
Have you ever felt manipulated into doubting yourself and your abilities, even though your track record shows that you’re doing well? You might have encountered a gaslighter, says Michael Gips, CPP. These individuals’ manipulative shenanig…
- How to Proactively Manage Change in Security Technology Implementations
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, resistan…
- GSX Daily: How New Orleans Police Leverage Engagement and Communication to Secure Mardi Gras and More
With nearly a million people participating every year, Mardi Gras is a massive economic and cultural engine for the city of New Orleans, Louisiana. While the festivities—and the many other major events hosted in The Big Easy—can make secur…
- GSX Daily: Designing a Step-by-Step Guide to Holistic School 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 Sc…
- GSX Daily: Small Incivilities Pile Up in a Politically Polarized World
From snide remarks that set off office arguments to physical threats connected to a CEO’s social media post, political polarization has put workplace tensions on a hair trigger. Melissa Muir and Raymond Fleck of Pinkerton’s Comprehensive R…
- How Security Can Lead Operational Resilience, Plus Reimagining Office Security
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…
- A New Step on the Pathway to Violence, Plus Outdoor Security and Vendor Cybersecurity Management
This month’s Security Management Highlights episode features three compelling conversations with industry experts, starting with a chat with Ontic’s Cynthia Marble about a new step on the pathway to violence—step zero—and how it provides a…
- Executive Protection Evolves in Challenging Times
Does your EP program account for cultural sensitivities, legal shortcomings, and evolving conditions? In this episode of the SM Highlights podcast, Jessica Ansley explains how cultural awareness can make all the difference in harmonious lo…
- Is Security Well-Positioned to Influence Decisions Around School System Funding and Arming Guards?
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…
- Mission-Critical Partnerships in Protest Preparedness and Schools
Security benefits can come from unexpected sources, especially in community-centric organizations like schools and colleges. Melinda Heikkinen from Saint Louis University (SLU) explains how the college’s history of open dialogue and philos…
- Safer Travels: Wrongful Detention, Active Assailants, and Duty of Care
Business travel is back, and travel risk is back right with it. In this episode of the SM Highlights podcast, Robert Dodge outlines the growing threat of wrongful detention during business travel, his own experiences being detained abroad,…
- Bonus: Social Media Intelligence for Security
In 2021, the ASIS Foundation published research about how social media and artificial intelligence can be leveraged to proactively identify new security issues. Now, we check in with one of those researchers—Chelsea Binns from the John Jay…
- Corporate Security Career Advice: Pathways, Volunteerism, and Relationship-Building
Whether you’re considering a career change, debating how to get more involved in your industry, or want to connect more thoroughly with community stakeholders about your security program, this SM Highlights episode has something for you. S…
- When Considering Liability, Don’t Overlook Your Parking Lots and Incident Reports
Everybody enters facilities through parking lots or parking garages, but these areas are often an afterthought for security, says lawyer Michael Haggard. But considering crimes of opportunity as well as liability issues, that uneven focus…
- How a CEO’s Murder Changes Executive Protection, Plus Burnout Risks in Professional Security
When the UnitedHealthcare CEO was killed in New York City in early December 2024, executive protection and corporate security professionals worldwide had to grapple with increased fear, criticism, and demands. Chuck Tobin and Caleb Gilbert…
- Imagination Required: Red Teams, Better Lock Design, and Helicopter Security Technology
Are there holes in your security program? Quite likely. In this episode of SM Highlights, host Brendan Howard speaks with red team expert Gary DeMercurio about how to develop a testing program and scope that deliver actionable results and…
- Confronting Assumptions Around Investigations, Modern SOCs, and Security Culture
How does the tone from the top influence fraud investigations, organizational culture, security training, and technology upgrades? Scot Walker, PCI, Manish Mehta, and John Rodriguez join this episode of the SM Highlights podcast to talk th…
- How Intelligence Helps Manage the Growing Tempo of Tempests
Are you basing your emergency preparedness plans on outdated data and models? As the pace of natural disasters and critical events speeds up, security managers will need to readjust their procedures and succession plans to succeed, says Th…
- GSX Daily: Mapping a Path to Climate-Ready Resilience
Where do climate and security intersect today? Amanda McCarty, director of the Climate Ready Nation initiative at the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), joins the SM Highlights podcast to talk about how climate ch…
- GSX Daily: The Guest-Centric Strategy Behind the Security Team at Walt Disney World
Carlos Francisco, CPP, spent more than two decades climbing the ranks in security at Walt Disney World Resorts, learning how to balance situational awareness, de-escalation, and customer service. Now, he joins the GSX Daily edition of SM H…
- GSX Daily: Career Hunting? Know Your Self-Worth
In this special GSX 2024 edition of the SM Highlights podcast, sponsored by Sign In Solutions, Orange County Convention Center security administrator Earl Biggett, Jr., CPP, shares some career advice—especially for people changing from the…
- Times Are Changing: Bank Robberies, Career Transitions, and Security Lawsuits
It’s not quite like the movies—bank robberies are still a regular challenge for security professionals, but theft trends continue to change as robbers seek faster, more convenient ways to get cash, says Robert Ross, VP of security and offi…
- Bonus: What Advances in Autonomous Vehicles Mean for Security
From robots to drones to autonomous cars, AVs present threats, challenges, and opportunities for security professionals worldwide. In this special bonus podcast, sponsored by the ASIS Foundation, a trio of researchers shares their perspect…
- August 2024: Get Ahead of Crises with Teams, Derisking, and Robots
If your organization keeps getting blindsided with crises, it’s time to revise your crisis management program to get out in front of problems faster, improve your communication, and leverage more strategic viewpoints, says Erik Antons, CPP…
- July 2024: Fakes, Frauds, and How Preparedness Pays Off
If you were publicly depicted in a compromising position—even if the depiction is fake—it can result in emotional trauma. Bruce Blythe from R3 Continuum explains how to prepare to support victims of deepfakes. Glenn Schoen from Boardroom@C…
- Bonus: What AI Means for Security Professionals
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: Opportunit…
- June 2024: Preparing for Major Events, from Olympics to Active Assailant Events
Summer 2024 is a busy one for security professionals in Europe, with the Olympics kicking off next month in France. Harry Arruda joins this SM Highlights episode to explain how traditional concentric circles of protection around event venu…
- May 2024: Friendlier Security, Nastier Workplaces, and Surprising Zoo Security
What if museum security personnel were also approachable, friendly, and able to answer questions about the art? Doug Beaver, CPP, from the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C., walks SM Highlights host Brendan Howard th…
- April 2024: Meeting the Moment with AI; Plus Fighting Complacency with Ongoing Security Hardening
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 pod…
- March 2024: The Next Evolution of Cyber Guidance, Plus How COVID Changed K-12 Behavioral Assessments
Wondering where to start with cybersecurity management? For the past 10 years, the NIST Cybersecurity Framework has been an essential guiding document. Now, NIST released a revamped version of the CSF. Security Management Senior Editor Meg…
- February 2024: Ready for Naloxone? Plus, Protest Prep and Big Picture Risks to the Electric Grid
The United States has been affected by hundreds of thousands of opioid-related overdose deaths in recent decades, with profound effects on communities. Now, first responders and civilians have access to a simple medication that can help re…
- January 2024: Ethics in Intelligence; Global Terrorism Threats; Comfort from K9s
As the New Year kicks off, the volume and complexity of global threats and geopolitics can feel daunting. RC Miles, CPP, offers some guidance on how to gather more actionable, efficient, and ethical intelligence. Victoria Ogbuehi, CPP, PCI…
- December 2023: China, Coupons, and Cannabis—Emerging Risks and Resources
National security policy researcher Peter Raymond shares how China’s global technology influence—especially on social media—is changing risk equations for private organizations and governments worldwide. Also in this month’s SM Highlights…
- November 2023: Soft Skills and Technical Threats, From Communication to Drones
Is the balance between soft skills and technical skills right in security? Kevin Jones, CPP, shares his perspective about how practicing soft skills like effective communication can reap rewards for security managers and early career profe…
- October 2023: From Ex-Employee to Alumni; Cyber vs. IT; How Retail Crime Gets Organized
Have you ever gotten that 11th hour phone call, where security is brought into a challenging firing at the last second? Melissa Muir would like to change that, both by improving relationships between HR and security and by boosting the dig…
- GSX Daily: Where Security and Guest Services Cross-Pollinate
Security and guest services teams might have different priorities in major events and tradeshows, but it’s invaluable to train each group in the other’s competencies to leverage the best of both worlds. In this special GSX Daily episode of…
- GSX Daily: How the JFK Assassination Changed the World of Close Protection
From hand signals and index cards to earpieces and threat databases, the world of close protection has changed dramatically since the assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy on 22 November 1963. In this special bonus episode of the…
- GSX Daily: Does Authenticity Outweigh Technical Knowledge During a Crisis?
Is it time to listen to respond or listen to learn? It depends on the situation, says Sylvia Long-Tolbert, PhD, founder of Know More Marketing and a speaker at the GSX Game Changer panel on navigating global mistrust. In this bonus GSX Dai…
- September 2023: Better Mentoring, Better Planning, Better Ethics
Alan Greggo, CPP, explains how situational leadership principles can help shape your workforce development and mentoring approach for each individual in your organization. Also in this episode of SM Highlights, learn about how to establish…
- August 2023: Politically Motivated Detentions, ESG, and Mobile Device Security Training Tips
What is the difference between an arrest, a kidnapping, and a wrongful detention, and what does this mean for security professionals working with business travelers? Dave Benson from the Center for Personal Protection and Safety breaks it…
- July 2023: How the Human Connection Can Make Security Fair, Forthright, and Fun
Do you often feel like you’re fighting an uphill battle alone at work? You might need to reconnect with the people around you to find allies, new strategies, and reinvigorated purpose. In this episode of the SM Highlights podcast, we talk…
- Bonus: How Far Does Corporate Security’s Influence Reach?
What barriers do security professionals meet in their organizations, and how can they overcome those roadblocks? Two of the researchers behind a new ASIS Foundation report, The Influence of Security Risk Management, join this bonus episode…
- June 2023: Batteries that Burn, Culture that Protects, and Continuing Education that Rocks
Watch out for thermal runaways! Lithium-ion batteries present a revolution in rechargeable energy, but they can overheat—and possibly combust—when they overcharge or short out. In this episode of SM Highlights, Adam Barowy from the Fire Sa…
- May 2023: How Does Climate Change Affect Workplace Violence Risks?
Ramifications from climate change are already affecting extremism risks and physical security worldwide, in addition to behavioral changes, says Steven Crimando. Rising heat, for example, can diminish a person’s ability to regulate their e…