NEW YORK -- The Financial Times will publish its worldwide annual special report, Corporate Security, on September 27, 2005. This year's report is especially timely and will focus on the importance of corporate security procedures and the questions that arise in an effort to secure those procedures.
After the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, the 2004 Madrid train bombings, and 2005 London terror bombings, corporations have become increasingly aware of the need for preparedness. In its report, the FT plans to include eight distinct features focusing on the following topics:
- The lessons companies learned in the most recent London attacks and an assessment of the progress the corporate sector has made in establishing emergency planning, employee screening and physical security measures over the past several years -- as well as a look at those areas in which the corporate sector remains weakest. This overview will also address the management side of security, examining the changing role of the chief security officer in the corporate hierarchy.
- How multinational companies should shape their overall security policies to account for these different risks, whether to expatriate staff, business travelers or outsource suppliers.
- The measures that need to be taken to ensure a breach of corporate data does not occur remotely. With employees increasingly on the road, using PCs, mobile phones and other handheld devices to access the company's network information, it is crucial that sufficient attention is being paid to securing these devices.
- The growing awareness that insurance alone will not rescue a business, should the worst happen. This feature will examine how to achieve a balance between establishing one's own security and crisis measures and buying insurance coverage.
- The growing importance for crisis management plans and the number of security consultants on-hand to arrange extensive crisis management exercises. This feature will assess whether these plans represent good value for their exorbitant amount of money.
- A look at how physical security has become part of the corporate landscape and whether architects and designers are coming up with both more attractive machines and better ways to integrate them into the design and layout of corporate offices.
- The extent to which the business travel industry's profits are vulnerable to terrorist attacks. This feature will look at ways to encourage business executives to continue traveling, and what hotels, airlines and other travel industry suppliers have been doing to assure their clients of their safety.
- What lower cost options, such as resource pooling, are open to small and medium sized businesses that want to shore up the security of their operations.
