Corporate Stances, Potential Blowback and Security Strategies

This article was originally featured on Security Info Watch The drumbeat of bad news for corporate security and risk management seems to be endless: blowback from the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, the mass shooting in Uvalde, Russia’s war in Ukraine, the upcoming 2022 midterm elections, the ongoing investigation and hearings…

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Personal Observations on the Evolution of Protective Intelligence

“We memorized them and if they were in the crowd they were brought to everyone’s attention.”  – Former U.S. Secret Service agent Jerry Blaine, The LANCER (JFK) Detail (email exchange on January 29, 2021) Author’s Note: Special thanks to Scott Stewart and Mike Parks, protective intelligence professionals who were with me in the trenches from…

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Wildfires: Why GSOCs Need to Monitor This Ever-Present Threat

Wildfire season has begun in North America and is proving to be more active than normal, just as we’ve seen over the last few years. We’re seeing a combination of drought conditions, above-average temperatures, and multiple wind events in areas like New Mexico, California, and Washington, creating the ideal environment for wildfires. New Mexico alone…

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Taking Sides: Securing Executives and Operations Amid Unrest

The tempo of protective security concerns since the 2020 election have been relentless. Threats have been non-stop since the 2020 election, followed by the January 6th storming of the U.S. Capitol, the D.C. bomber on the run, compounded by protests related to the pandemic, social justice issues and economic unrest. The leaked Supreme Court memo…

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The Protective Intelligence Summer 2022 Podcast List

With Summer around the corner and travel picking back up, I’ve added a few series to my podcast rotation. While I always have a book or two nearby that I am reading (in addition to ones I’m writing), giving my eyes a break and listening to a good podcast is always a safe bet. If…

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The Protective Intelligence Summer 2022 Reading List

If you work in the field of protection, chances are you enjoy a good book. And when you write books, you frequently get asked for book recommendations — It comes with the territory. I tend to lean towards reading espionage thrillers and historical non-fiction when I take a break from my own research while putting…

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How Security Professionals Can Manage Threats From Extremism And Covid-19 Backlash

This article was originally featured on Forbes Count corporate security professionals among those wary of our country’s turbulent political landscape. The results of a recent survey my company, Ontic, conducted indicate that the rise in domestic extremism and political-related violence were among the highest concerns of security, compliance and legal professionals whose job it is to keep…

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The Global Focus, And Local Reality

The security environment that large companies face is book-ended right now by two momentous and historical events.  On one end is the rise of domestic extremism, on display most potently during the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. On the other is the human tragedy unfolding in Ukraine, along with the personnel, global security,…

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Thinking Strategically About Protective Intelligence Programs

Whether you’re establishing a protective intelligence program from scratch, or re-evaluating the way your team’s resources are currently allocated, it may be helpful to step back from the day-to-day issues within your programs and think more strategically. In many organizations, security leaders are too busy fighting literal and figurative fires to consider how they might…

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One Year Later, One Big Question Still Looms Around Jan. 6

This article was originally featured in Forbes Last year, in the aftermath of the Jan. 6 riots in the U.S. Capitol, I penned a column and did several media interviews on the failures of security and the lessons that companies can learn from these events. One year later, new details about the Jan. 6 riots continue to…

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Corporate Security Lessons from an Ex-CIA Operations Officer

Marc Polymeropoulos is a former CIA Operations Officer who gave 26 years of service where he learned a great deal from the pressure of making decisions in some of the most stressful situations. He retired from the CIA in July 2019 at the Senior Intelligence Service level as one of the CIA’s most highly decorated…

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