Is training and accreditation the key to upskilling security personnel?
As the security landscape continues to change, skilled professionals are becoming essential.
A recent survey we took of the Australian Security Market found that when it came to challenges facing the industry many respondents identified keeping up-to-date with new technology as an ongoing challenge. Lack of qualified staff was also mentioned, as was educating customers on the benefits and value of security to their business. Upskilling
These findings suggest a need for better training and accreditation of personnel within the Australian security industry to ensure staff have the skills required to respond to an increasing number of threats and to apply their knowledge in a dynamic environment.
A changing security landscape – in which both digital and physical threats are commonplace and quite often integrated – presents a new challenge for security personnel that will require new knowledge across a range of different environments and platforms.
Some security professionals have called for better regulation of accreditation to meet the demands of a growing industry that will not only be better equipped to deal with a complex security environment now, but also to adapt to new threats in the future.
Better industry-wide collaboration is required to help counteract a growing threat of terrorism and to counteract the threat of international cyber-attack. This can only be achieved with a highly professional security workforce that is also keeping up to date with rapidly changing technology.
Consultation with key government departments involved in Australia’s national security is also vital to ensure the security industry is a key player in protecting the country’s interests and assets, industry experts say.
How best to integrate physical and electronic security is a topic of great importance as professionals grapple with the need to maintain a security presence across multiple operational fronts.
In the respondents’ answers, it was interesting to note that a number of suppliers also suggested the issue of automation replacing personnel as an issue that will present a growing challenge.
There is evidence to indicate that automation will result in fewer personnel. However, as this report will show, automation is also a potential area for growth within the Australian economy. Companies that have the foresight to adopt automated security technologies in coming years can leverage the financial gains this is likely to bring.
How companies will balance the operational advantages of using new technologies such as facial recognition with a need for privacy is still unclear and should also present a challenge to the industry in the next decade.
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