Posts by Fred Burton
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…
Read MoreThe 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…
Read MoreProtective Intelligence 201: Mind the Gap Between Strategic and Tactical Intelligence
“The whole world is the arena of our conflict.” – Allen Dulles, The Craft of Intelligence In my experience in both the government and private sector, I’ve found that disaster looms in the gaps between strategic and tactical intelligence, but bridges can be built. Let me explain. The benefit of age is remembering strategic world…
Read MoreHow 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…
Read MoreThe 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,…
Read MoreImagining the Unimaginable: A Letter From Executive Director Fred Burton
As we think about the unique challenges that we have faced over the past few months, it’s a good time to scan the horizon for what lies ahead. The Omicron variant arrived during a holiday season when many, not including myself however, had anticipated a reemergence from the pandemic. Supply chain issues led to a…
Read MoreThinking 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…
Read MoreApplying Security Trainings in Real Life: How Preparing for Hostage Situations Saves Lives
One of the first lessons I learned as a young member of the rescue squad is that training saves lives. Stopping the bleeding, CPR, protection from smoke inhalation and other training we practiced saved lives every day. Later, as a police officer and special agent, that mindset was consistently reinforced in different situations, but especially…
Read MoreOne 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…
Read MoreCorporate 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…
Read MoreReflecting On Failures That Led To Jan. 6 — And Getting It Right For The Future
This article was originally featured in The Hill No matter how many times we see them, the images from Jan. 6, 2021, stun — even one year later. A violent mob, bent on disrupting official election proceedings in Congress, overwhelmed and outnumbered the police force to storm the U.S. Capitol. Inside, masked men with zip…
Read MoreThe Protective Intelligence Winter Podcast List
There’s something about winter that implies new beginnings with a new year ahead. It’s a time where I think about the information I am consuming and how my lifestyle has changed. With conference travel cautiously picking up, it has created the opportunity to listen more — specifically, listen to more podcasts. In addition to the…
Read MoreThe Protective Intelligence Winter Reading List
With 2021 coming to a close, and the first day of winter upon us, there’s no better time to hit pause and immerse yourself in a good book. Especially when you work in the world of security, safety and protection during a year where you’ve been pushed beyond your limits and faced with the unimaginable…
Read MoreStudy Finds Increase in Cybersecurity and Physical Security Attacks Against Executives
In the art of protective and tactical intelligence, trends and analytics matter. Information and intelligence feed “living” threat assessments and should drive your cybersecurity and physical security strategy, coverages, and resources. Protection resources cannot be logically allocated to protect executives and companies without first understanding the holistic threat landscape. In the executive protection security space,…
Read More3 Ways Retail Security Teams Can Better Protect Shoppers and Employees
Retail stores across the country, most recently in areas like San Francisco and Los Angeles, have been hit hard by a spree of ‘smash-and-grab‘ crimes. In one incident, up to 80 suspects were involved in a flash mob looting of a store. Some chains and storefronts in hot zones have chosen to close locations to…
Read MoreLeading a Global Intelligence and Threat Analysis Program for One of the World’s Most Well-Known Brands
Angela Lewis, Manager of Global Intelligence and Threat Analysis for The Walt Disney Company and Protective Intelligence Honors Thought Leader, is tasked with the massive job of understanding how geopolitical events and global security intelligence could impact The Walt Disney Company’s various lines of business. To do so she’s created one of the best protective…
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