A security provider can supply well-trained people, robust systems and experienced supervision — but effective security delivery also depends on something more fundamental: a clear understanding between the provider and the client about what the security service is expected to achieve.
That may sound obvious. In practice, security services can be required to meet a surprisingly wide range of expectations.
For one client, visible presence and deterrence may be the priority. For another, customer interaction and access management may be central. Other environments may place greater emphasis on incident response, asset protection, crowd management, monitoring or detailed reporting.
Often, several of these expectations exist at the same time.
Defining the purpose of the service
Good security arrangements cover more than just deciding how many security officers are required and when they should be on site.
There needs to be a shared understanding of the purpose of the service.
What risks is the security function intended to address? What does the client expect security personnel to do? How should they interact with employees, customers or members of the public? What matters most when competing priorities arise?
These questions help establish the environment in which the security provider is expected to operate.
Without that clarity, a provider can technically deliver the contracted service while still falling short of what the client expected to be delivered.
Expectations can change
The challenge does not necessarily end once a contract begins.
Sites change. Businesses change. Customer behaviour changes. New risks emerge and operational priorities evolve.
Over time, additional tasks can also find their way into a security role. Individually, these may appear relatively minor, but collectively they can alter the nature of the service originally established.
Regular communication between provider and client provides an opportunity to identify those changes and ask an important question:
Does the security service we are delivering today still match the security outcome the client needs?
That conversation can be valuable for both sides.
A share responsibility
Effective security is not created by the provider in isolation.
Clients have an important role in establishing clear expectations and communicating changing requirements. Providers, in turn, need to understand those expectations, identify practical issues and provide professional advice where requirements may need clarification or reconsideration.
This does not mean the provider and client will always see an issue in exactly the same way.
A professional relationship should allow those differences to be discussed openly, particularly where operational experience suggests that an expectation may be difficult to achieve or could have unintended consequences.
Looking beyond the contract
Contracts, procedures and instructions are clearly important. But strong security relationships also depend on ensuring of what both parties understand what is to be accomplished.
For security providers, that means looking beyond simply filling shifts or completing specified tasks.
For clients, it means viewing the provider as more than a source of personnel.
When both sides understand the purpose of the security service, communicate openly and remain focused on the outcome they are trying to achieve, the foundations for effective security become considerably stronger.
Clear expectations do not guarantee that every security challenge will be avoided.
They do, however, give providers and clients a much better basis on which to address those challenges together.