Rya Manners, a Director of Solutions at Securitas Security Services, and Erwin Van de Weerd, an Area Physical Security Manager BeNeLux at SAP, talk about the future of the security industry and the role of upcoming professionals. The two also announce a big change – the ASIS Young Professionals Community will now be called NextGen. Watch their interview on SM Live with Security Management Editor-in-Chief Teresa Anderson below.
ASIS International
GSX Learnings: Applying Security Practices to the American Electoral Process
By Susan Friedberg
The security of the American electoral infrastructure is of critical national interest. Free, fair, and safe elections are a vital priority of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA), which supports the state and local election communities and the American public to ensure they have the necessary tools to manage risk and build resilience in the nation’s election infrastructure.
In the GSX presentation, “Combatting Insider Threats in Election Infrastructure,” Chris Piper,
(COO, Elections Group), Kim Wyman (Senior Election Security Lead at CISA), Amanda Grandjean (Director of Elections, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State at Ohio Secretary of State’s Office), and Matt Crane (ESI Subject Matter Expert Consultant at CISA) shared their collective experience implementing and advancing security tools and techniques for elections, to prevent any intentional or unintentional harm.
Understanding the Business of Elections
Departments of elections are continually assessing threats to their processes, conducting resilience training, and updating their standard operating procedures. The speakers discussed three primary security considerations: cybersecurity, physical security threats, and insider threats, including the spread of misinformation.
Grandjean said election security leaders are faced with the challenge of creating a comprehensive election infrastructure for a decentralized system. State and local elections may vary in the types of ballots, the voting timeframe, and the cadence of elections. Comprehensive election security cannot be focused on one single area, but rather must be a program with multiple layers.
Utilizing Federal Resources to Strengthen Elections
Regardless of the size of the election resources in a city or county, local election officials have the resources to investigate any threats to their election. Wyman shared information about the Help America Vote Act of 2002, which established the Election Assistance Commission (EAC). This organization is dedicated to assessing and improving voting systems and voter access and provides funding to help states meet mandatory minimum election administration and security standards.
CISA also works with local governments to quickly identify and mitigate any threats and provide year-round training for local election officials to identify common threats and harden their security posture.
Deploying a Layered Approach to Election Security through Standard Operating Procedures
Piper emphasized that multiple security techniques and processes need to be in place to help cover various security considerations at each election, starting with robust standard operating procedures, hardened access control, strict chain of custody, and zero-trust security.
With standard operating procedures, election officials recognize quickly when a task or role deviates from protocol. Piper shares that election officials can learn from the security community to create these SOPs and execute them.
Every community that holds elections must also have a policy in place for access control. CISA helps election officials create SOPs that document the chain of custody of election equipment and ballots. A zero-trust security approach eliminates implicit trust and continuously validates every stage of the voting – from ballot printing to post-election audits. For example, this end-to-end technique is applied to how a voting tabulator is stored, tested, transported, and deployed, and to securing, transporting, and counting ballots. Election officials strictly document this process to show that the chain of custody has been met perfectly.
Addressing Constantly Evolving Election Security Challenges
Security directives are continually updated, incorporating advancing cybersecurity techniques and reflecting the desire from voters for transparency. For example, security approaches include stress testing software, increasing physical on-site security with the latest surveillance technology, enforcing additional logging, deploying seals to voting equipment, and securing devices with double-locking keys.
Poll workers also undergo special training, reflecting new security directives, and are mandatory reporters should they observe any wrongdoing. Insider threats are continually monitored so that polling workers and their efforts can also stand under scrutiny.
Building Public Trust Through Transparency
According to CISA, “securing election infrastructure from new and evolving threats is a vital national interest that requires a whole-of-society approach.” American voters have many open avenues to connect and learn about election security practices. Grandjean shared an infographic from the Ohio Secretary of State that describes to voters the core tenets of the voting security process. CISA also has a public library of election security resources for the public.
Every speaker emphasized that boards of elections and election officials must also include public relations as a part of their role. Ultimately, whenever there is a public demand or question of election security, election officials will have the tools, checklists, and transparent processes to demonstrate their commitment and compliance with federal election standards.

Susan Friedberg is Marketing Communications Consultant based in San Francisco and an ASIS Member. Reach her on LinkedIn.
Sherrod DeGrippo | SM Live @ GSX 2022
Sherrod DeGrippo, the Vice President of Threat Research and Detection at Proofpoint, Inc., discusses how security professionals can become better at protecting their organizations from outsider threats. Watch her interview on SM Live with Security Management Editor-in-Chief Teresa Anderson below.
Jim Sawyer, CPP | SM Live @ GSX 2022
Jim Sawyer, CPP, discusses the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the security world. Watch his interview on SM Live with Security Management Editor-in-Chief Teresa Anderson below.
Lida Citroen | SM Live @ GSX 2022
Lida Citroen, CEO of Lida360, discusses personal branding and how you can build trust in your security brand. Watch her interview on SM Live with Security Management Editor-in-Chief Teresa Anderson below.
GSX Learnings: Preventing Societal and Retail Crime with Established Security Approaches and New Technologies
By Susan Friedberg
Communities around the world struggle with retail theft and crime, from petty theft to flash mobs, and retailers are increasingly shutting their doors in favor of protecting their operations and avoiding further losses. A greater challenge for retailers is that they are not always able to call upon law enforcement for support and defense. Under-resourced police departments are increasingly unable to respond and follow through with investigations, leaving retailers with the responsibility to build their own security programs and policies that provide a positive shopping experience for their customers and create a safe workplace for their employees, all while deterring and defending against theft and losses.
It’s a tall order to ask for, but not an impossible one; share the presenters of the GSX session, “Solving the Increase in Societal Crime Issues through Physical Security Design: Why the Current Wave of Crime is a Wake-Up Call for Security Professionals.”
Moderator Antoinette King, PSP (Founder, Credo Cyber Consulting) was joined by panelists Jeffrey Slotnick, CPP, PSP (Founder and President, Setracon, Inc.), Mike McGovern, PSP (Business Development Manager, North America, ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems), and Mark Folmer (President, Robotic Assistance Devices), to share their collective experience with integrating technologies and security strategies for their retail customers and clients, that support their business goals.
Retailers, the speakers agree, can integrate simple and effective deterrence architecture and technologies to prevent crime, stay open to serve their communities, and remain profitable.
The Costs of Staying Open
Today, retailers are closing at high rates, both due to a pivot to digital retail experiences as well as to prevent any further losses. According to MSNBC, “Year to date (as of March 2021), retailers in the U.S. have announced 3,199 store openings and 2,548 closures, according to a tracking by Coresight Research. The firm tracked a whopping 8,953 closures, along with just 3,298 openings, last year (in 2020), as the pandemic upended the retail industry and pushed dozens of businesses into bankruptcy.” Additionally, Insurance costs are rising, sales taxes are lost, brands are being devalued, and the cost of theft is raising the final price tag for customers. Retailers who have experienced petty theft, to organized crime are seeing more reason to call their losses and shut their doors.
However, this is the “defeatist attitude,” which the speakers emphasized can be avoided through smart security practices. Retailers must first assess the total cost of risk when they start by considering the loss of revenue as a part of their calculation, and from there, understand a reasonable spend for security.
Creating Safe Workspaces by Putting the Machine as the First Line of Defense
From internet sleuthing to AI-driving technologies, retailers can access a variety of technologies to monitor criminal activity before and during any event and to utilize the information for post-event investigation and prosecution.
The speakers spoke to the trend of flash mobs, where a group of individuals suddenly congregate, enter a store together, steal as much as they can as quickly as they can, and leave. Stores can experience profound losses through this quick and effective mode of theft. Many flash mob participants have even taken to filming and posting their theft on social media – adding further insult to injury. The speakers consider security practitioners to begin monitoring social media for signs of activity in the area through social listening tools.
Retail crime is not victimless, shared the speakers, as retailers must also consider employee safety and security and create a positive workplace environment. Stores today are beginning to integrate autonomous technology, such as self-checkout, to help employees focus on helping shoppers in-store rather than at the register – the speakers emphasize that “often time the interaction between machine and person is less conflictual.”
Additionally, high-end retailers are beginning to offer “shopping by appointment” experiences, where they can pre-register a customer and understand better who is entering and exiting their facilities with the intention to shop, or otherwise.
Depending on the store’s budget, cameras and camera screens can be placed at entry points of a store, so shoppers see themselves on camera as they enter the facility – which the speakers describe as a more psychological deterrence. More advanced retailers are deploying AI-driven cameras with facial recognition. With video analytics, security teams can detect certain behaviors, watch buyer behavior patterns and be able to observe behavior patterns exhibited by a thief. With consideration of the area’s laws, facial recognition has also been an effective tool to ensure repeat offenders do not re-enter a facility or to build evidence in cases where petty theft may not be prosecuted, but compounding theft of more than a certain amount will lead to more serious criminal charges.
With these technology-driven approaches, retail workers can then focus on deploying another smart, non-technological technique – welcoming visitors into the store. When shoppers enter, they are greeted, being recognized – and while many appreciate a warm welcome, it is also a tactic for security to see who is coming and going into and out of the store.
Hardening Physical Barriers and Creating Smart Architecture
Physical security measures, the speakers share, may be low tech but provide high value for the retailers. Some examples the speakers shared included installing roll-up screens to protect against overnight vandalism, placing bollard posts at entry points to prevent forced entry by large vehicles, hardening entry points by placing screens on windows and skylights, and developing landscape architecture that ensures a visual line of sight for the store to observe outside the movement.
Inside the store, retailers can design their layout to include turnstiles, create a circular flow, or one-way traffic that moves shoppers on a specific path. A common practice for retailers is to place high-value items at the furthest point away from the exit and invest in good lighting.
Adopting a Community-Driven Mindset and Approach
The speakers concluded by assuring us that retailers are an integral part of serving our communities, adding culture and economic improvement, and fulfilling essential needs. As retailers of all sizes focus on maintaining profits and protecting their operations, security professionals can come together to extend our understanding of crime prevention and advance the techniques and technologies which retailers can use to stay open.
It should also be noted that according to Mark Doyle, president, Jack L. Hayes International, which oversees a leading annual retail theft survey, “When it comes to shoplifting, the survey (released earlier in 2022) showed many retailers moved away from apprehensions in 2021 and focused more on recoveries. Our survey revealed shoplifting apprehensions were down 16.2% in 2021, while overall shoplifting recoveries (from apprehended and non-apprehended thieves) were up a staggering 30.8%. Survey respondents noted the pandemic environment, staff safety, lower police response, and higher risks as some of the reasons for less shoplifter apprehensions. There was an increase in 2021 in both dishonest employee apprehensions and recovery dollars, 6.0% and 29.8% respectively.”
From mom-and-pop pharmacies and grocery stores to larger retailers and local service providers, by protecting our communities and retailers, we create an environment for our neighbors and visitors to feel safe and respected, fulfill their needs, and better our economies.

Susan Friedberg is Marketing Communications Consultant based in San Francisco and an ASIS Member. Reach her on LinkedIn.
Jake Williams | SM Live @ GSX 2022
Jake Williams, a.k.a. “Malware Jake,” discusses cybersecurity and its integral role in physical security. Watch his interview on SM Live with Security Management Editor-in-Chief Teresa Anderson below.
Malcom Smith, + Peter J. O’Neil, FASAE, CAE | SM Live @ GSX 2022
ASIS President Malcom Smith, CPP, and ASIS Chief Executive Officer Peter J. O’Neil, FASAE, CAE, discuss upcoming trends in the security industry and what’s ahead for members of ASIS. Watch their interview on SM Live with Security Management Editor-in-Chief Teresa Anderson below.
Highlights of GSX 2022
GSX 2022 has officially ended in Atlanta. Hear from some attendees about their favorite parts of going to GSX this year!
The Metaverse, NFTs, and the Future of Security in a Virtual World
In anticipation of GSX, we sat down with presenters of upcoming sessions in order to get a better understanding of the topics at hand. This week we are featuring, “The Metaverse, NFTs, and the Future of Security in a Virtual World,” presented by Jon Harris, CPP, PSP, senior product manager at HiveWatch, Lee Oughton, COO and founder at Fortress – Risk Management, and Mary Gamble, an attorney at Gamble Legal, PLLC. Read on for what they had to say and don’t forget to register for GSX 2022!
Q: Tell us about your presentation and why should security professionals have this topic on their radar?
JH: The virtual world: once deemed the domain of video gamers, sci-fi movies, and chat-room enthusiasts, the Metaverse has evolved into a wide-ranging digital landscape that is changing the way we live, work, and play. In our session, we will discuss the projected impact on the security industry – from an assortment of different angles, such as security technology, personal protection, and compliance. Security professionals must have this topic on their radar, because those we serve definitely have it on theirs – we don’t need to be experts in NFTs, cryptocurrency, or digital twins, however we should have a basic understanding of topics and start to assess how it will impact what we do and how we do it. For example, I can see a world where we could pre-design facilities in the Metaverse and test how the security features impact the operations (throughput, processing time, etc.). From an operational intelligence perspective, it is another realm that will require some level of monitoring and evaluation for threat assessments. This is not something we can ignore in hopes that it is some passing trend.
Q: What advice would you give security professionals interested in this topic?
LO: Well, my most important advice that I can share right now is to ensure that you attend our panel as we will be diving deep, virtually swimming through the Metaverse, so that our peers within the community can have a better grasp on this hot topic. We will take a look at the threats, risks, vulnerabilities, and associated consequences that individuals may encounter. Through this process, we will also identify how we can then be better equipped in our security roles to educate our teams, business units, executives, and organizations on a whole about this ever-advancing environment. Mary, Jon, and I want to shine a light on this area because of its rapid rate of growth. As security & risk practitioners, we should always be one step ahead of bad actors and criminal activists. For too long now, we’ve over focused our attention on the traditional routes, and methods of how, why, and what kinds of crimes take place in the physical domain. Our digital footprint keeps growing exponentially, which is leaving us all open and vulnerable to attacks from dark forces! Now is the time to peer into the future. Please be ready for your mind to be pushed into another dimension.
Q: How do you see this issue evolving in the next 2-5 years?
MG: Iterations of the Metaverse have been around for years, but I think we will continue to see a significant evolution of both the Metaverse and NFTs in the coming years. In particular, with regard to NFTs, I see them moving away from use as primarily collector or currency items and towards a mainstream commercial integration for things like events and commercial engagement. I anticipate the Metaverse to similarly expand its engagement scope to provide a comprehensive platform for virtual engagement – spanning uses such as virtual shopping, dynamic social engagement – something like a social media plus product testing and modeling, training, and entertainment.
As my colleagues have said, we as practitioners don’t need to be experts, but we do need to understand the foundations of how NFTs and the Metaverse are being used so that we can guide safe and secure use from both sides of the transaction. From the organizational side this means understanding how the creation and integration of virtual elements aligns with an organization’s existing operations, how the organization intends to execute their use and engagement, and potential security risks spanning creation, implementation, maintenance, and discontinuance. From the consumer side this means understanding ways in which consumers are able to engage and opportunities for exploitation.
Get That Résumé in Working Order at GSX
Career HQ at GSX is bringing back an incredible opportunity for attendees: a complementary résumé review and career coaching session.
Located adjacent to the ASIS Hub at Booth 717, Career HQ has 13 professional career coaches with experience in the security profession lined up to help answer your questions about what a job search in 2022 entails and how you can make the best presentation of you possible.
To ensure one of our coaches will be available when you can stop by the booth, we highly encourage you to schedule an appointment. What will be in store for you in your résumé review session? We asked Kathy Lavinder, founder and executive director of SI Placement, and one of the GSX coaches.
Q: What should someone expect heading into one of these sessions?
KL: You can expect that I will ask a lot of questions. I want to understand the context of their situation. Why are you looking? Why now? Where are you headed? What are your goals? All of those questions help unravel where this person is today, so that we can figure out how to move forward. We can help someone understand what the marketplace is looking for and how they can find alignment between it and their goals.
Q: How do people get résumés wrong?
KL: I’ve seen many, many résumés over 20-plus years of recruiting in this space. The biggest mistake people make is they view it as just a career history. They put down every place they’ve ever worked and include all the responsibilities they had at each stop. That thinking needs to be adjusted. Resumes need to be reframed as a marketing document, one that highlights the individual’s relevant skills, experience, and knowledge. Do that in a compelling and succinct way, then you are more than halfway home to getting someone to spend time reading your resume. My main advice is to knit together what it is you’ve done in a cohesive narrative that will quickly allow the reader to understand what you bring to the table.
Q: Is this only for people actively searching for a new position?
KL: I think this is a great opportunity for anybody at any point in their career. It’s always a good idea to get an opinion from a neutral party. I want to help them, but I won’t hold anything back. I’m going to give it to them straight. I believe it’s really important to be direct and honest in giving feedback. No matter how you feel about your current position, whether you’re happy or unhappy, whether you’re actively looking or just sort of keeping your antenna up, you need a résumé that’s ready to go. And you should always have your antenna up. Why wouldn’t you? You never know when a great opportunity is going to present itself.
Organizations these days move very quickly. The job process of hiring and bringing on people is moving at warp speed. If you spend any time on LinkedIn, you see the flood of people saying they’ve started a new position. I’ve never seen such robust hiring in more than 20 years of recruiting. Having the resume ready is like having a career insurance card ready. You want to be ready if an opportunity is there, and this session can be a great opportunity to help you be ready to plug and play.
Q: What do you get out of the sessions?
KL: Volunteering feels good. I love to volunteer with ASIS and with other groups. As a recruiter I help organizations find people, but when I’m working with an organization such as ASIS, I just have exposure to a broader swath of people—people who are at different stages of their career and with different backgrounds, and it’s really interesting to hear their stories. And there’s always a story involved when you’re talking with people who are trying to figure out what their next step is or who are running into obstacles or challenges in their careers. So it’s a learning opportunity for me, and it feels good to try to help someone.
Solving the Increase in Societal Crime Issues through Physical Security Design: Why the Current Wave of Crime is a Wake-Up Call for Security Professionals
In anticipation of GSX, we sat down with presenters of upcoming sessions in order to get a better understanding of the topics at hand. This week we are featuring, “Solving the Increase in Societal Crime Issues through Physical Security Design: Why the Current Wave of Crime is a Wake-Up Call for Security Professionals,” presented by Jeffrey Slotnick, CPP, PSP, the founder and president at Setacron Inc., Mark Folmer, CPP, the president at Robotic Assistance Devices, Mike McGovern, PSP, a business development manager, North America – Security Entrance Control at ASSA ABLOY Entrance Systems, and Antoinette King, PSP, the founder of Credo Cyber Consulting LLC. Read on for what they had to say and don’t forget to register for GSX 2022!
Q: How did you become interested in your topic?
MM: Civil unrest, retail theft and workplace crime (unauthorized entries) are occurring at an increasing rate and being met with less threat of police action/arrest. We have observed that offices, corporate campuses, and others need smarter technology and security design to address threats like these. In particular, retail establishments have been unfairly targeted for looting, vandalism, shoplifting, and other forms of violence. This is impactful on all businesses, but especially smaller retailers who may not have the resources to shore up their defenses. As industry professionals we want to share relevant information to help mitigate the impacts and costs of workplace crime, retail looting, vandalism, shoplifting, and other forms of violence.
Q: Tell us about your presentation and why security professionals should have this topic on their radar.
MF: It should be on all security professionals’ radar because it affects us all – either directly professionally because we are tasked with securing organizations that are being targeted or indirectly as consumers, shoppers, and citizens. There have been some significant changes in physical security technologies over the past several years giving security practitioners options when it comes to securing assets, providing services, and supporting internal stakeholders. The changes require an open mind and some consideration of digital transformation.
Q: What advice would you give security professionals interested in this topic?
JS: With the “The Great Resignation” occurring in law enforcement, response times are increasing. Especially in the retail environment where there is the perception that retail crime is covered by insurance. Deter, Detect, Delay, and Respond are still core fundamentals. If the response is delayed, we have to shore up the other three. As security professionals, it is incumbent upon us to stay informed not just of industry fundamentals but of recent and relevant changes that make us better practitioners. Retail crime touches us all, through losses in the supply chain, and increased operating expenses that are passed on to consumers, resulting in the increased cost of goods and services. Artificial intelligence, machine learning, improved technologies, and new technologies can all have a positive impact to mitigate retail crime. There are also proven methods and best practices that have been employed in other parts of the world and other retail industries that have relevance to our current conditions in the United States. Come join your peers for an informative and candid discussion of this critical topic.
Q: How do you see this issue evolving in the next 2-5 years?
AK: As the political landscape continues to trend towards lower incarceration rates for misdemeanor crimes, physical security industry professionals need to get more creative with the solutions we provide to our retail sector end users. We need to be considering not only the security of the merchandise, but also the safety of the employees and customers. Implementing solutions that provide multiple layers of security, as well as deterrence such as controlled entrances and egress technology, robotics, video analytics, and improved training for security officers, will help harden retailers as targets. There needs to be a stronger private/public partnership in protecting retailers in the regions that are being hit the hardest. If we do not take strong steps towards protecting these retailers so that they may remain open to support the communities they are in, we are going to see serious economic implications for these communities, as well as a reduction in availability of products and services for these communities.