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, “School Safety in 2023: Three Proven Concepts That Save Lives with Realistic, Affordable, and Modern Applications” presented by Greg Gerber, Director of Training at Safer Schools Together (SST) and John Callery, Vice President of Safer Schools Together (SST). Read on for what they had to say and don’t forget to register for GSX 2023! 

Q: How did you become interested in your topic? 

JC: While working for DEA an opportunity arose to speak at a school safety conference regarding terrorism in 2005. Shortly after that, I met Theresa Campbell from SST and decided that I needed to do more for school safety. My interactions with SST and other school safety experts showed me there was a need for my experience and I wanted to provide that as much as possible. Therefore, I conducted presentations on various topics of expertise and tried to lend my hand wherever needed to SST and the great work they do. Currently, as the Director of School Safety for Surefox North America Inc, we still collaborate on a weekly basis on issues, ideas and joint projects. 

Q: Tell us about your presentation and why should security professionals have this topic on their radar. 

JC: The presentation will provide the most realistic, proven, and attainable school safety methods available in 2023. We will discuss the need for the three required and attainable foundation pieces of school safety to build your infrastructure upon. The “good idea fairy” is too prevalent in school safety as this time, we need to examine what actually works and for the least expense for schools in these difficult budgeting years we have before us. This presentation is a step one on any road to mitigating school violence, teen suicide, and school attacks. 

Q: What advice would you give security professionals interested in this topic? 

GG: You cannot ignore the digital realm, period. Take any opportunity you have to engage with Digital Threat Assessment Training. Understanding how to find and preserve digital leakage combined with a heightened awareness of what to look for transforms your ability to intercept someone on the pathway to violence. Intervention is the best goal and pathway to safer schools and communities. 

Q: How do you see this issue evolving in the next 2-5 years 

GG: I think that we’ll see two major shifts. 1) a proliferation of social media platforms and their respective usage patterns. 2) the infiltration of AI within and across social media.  Communities and safety teams will need to adapt to the digital environment, remain abreast of emergent technologies, and find ways to harness AI tools advantageously. 

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 “Secure Your Drone Fleet Best Practices for Commercial Drone Cybersecurity,” presented by Michael Lees, Program Specialist at Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Read on for what he had to say and don’t forget to register for GSX 2023!

Q: Tell us about your presentation and why should security professionals have this topic on their radar. 

A: As Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), more commonly referred to as drones, are integrated into our everyday lives through technological, legal, and regulatory advancements, security planning must evolve to consider them as a permanent cyber threat vector to the nation’s critical infrastructure. Traditional security practices consider drones as physical systems, only capable of physical tactics. However, drones are connected devices, carrying the same vulnerability to bidirectional risk as laptops, smartphones, smart home systems, etc. Such risks include cyberattacks, information security compromise, and privacy violations. Organizations adopting, or planning to adopt, drones as part of their commercial operations can enhance their security posture and encourage organizational cyber hygiene through understanding vulnerable drone componentry, inherent risks, and security options. 

Q: What advice would you give security professionals interested in this topic? 

A: Organizations must understand that UAS are Information and Communication Technology (ICT) devices, and should be incorporated into risk management frameworks, cybersecurity resilience plans, and security education and training awareness plans accordingly. For further guidance, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s (CISA) Cybersecurity Best Practices for Operating Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Secure Your Drone: Privacy and Data Protection Guidance products can be found on the CISA UAS website – Unmanned Aircraft Systems | Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency CISA. 

CISA also strongly encourages organizations to consider procuring secure-by-design UAS manufactured, owned, and operated in the United States or by allied nations, due to security concerns regarding UAS manufactured by adversarial foreign powers. The Defense Innovation Unit’s Blue UAS program provides a routinely updated list of DoD approved UAS that are validated as cyber-secure and safe to fly. More information can be found at UAS solutions for the U.S. DoD. (diu.mil). 

Q: How do you see this issue evolving in the next 2-5 years? 

A: Due to their versatile nature, the applications for UAS are still being discovered. As UAS continue to proliferate across various industries, the potential for cyber threats will increase. CISA anticipates a growing emphasis on the development of robust security measures to protect UAS from unauthorized access, data breaches, and other malicious activities. Regulatory agencies and industry stakeholders are expecting to continue collaborating to establish comprehensive cybersecurity standards and guidelines to ensure the safe and secure operation of UAS. 

Q: Why do you attend GSX? 

A: Personally, September will be my first attendance at GSX. The purpose of this attendance is to help develop strategies to remain resilient against the evolving cyber and physical threats to UAS. Other goals include building or strengthening professional networks and connections, and to discover the most recent products, technologies, and services in the UAS and cybersecurity arenas. 

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 “Accommodating a Remote Workforce and Adapting Workplace Violence Strategies to Manage Company Risk Tolerances,” presented by Deb Andersen, PSP, Security Administrator, Physical and Cyber Security at MWI Direct, and Robert Achenbach, CSO and Senior Director, Corporate Security and Safety at First National Bank of Omaha. Read on for what they had to say and don’t forget to register for GSX 2023!

Q: How did you become interested in your topic? 

DA: The remote workforce paradigm once thought to be temporary has become the new and permanent norm. We were able to ensure employees had the necessary equipment to work remotely. We adapted procedures to accommodate training, communications and accessing data, but that’s only part of the equation when it comes to managing risk and keeping employees safe.  Over the last year, I’ve had countless conversations with my peers on this topic and they’ve all been wondering, including me – how do we provide support for our employees working remotely whether its workplace violence, securing the network or securing their work area/remote location? 

Q: Tell us about your presentation and why should security professionals have this topic on their radar. 

DA: Employees working from home do not have access to the same physical security protections or practices in place in the pre-pandemic workplace. We are heading into uncharted waters as we learn how to prepare for threats of violence to protect employees working from home or remotely. By understanding some of the challenges employees working from home face like working conditions, threats of violence, work life balance, and securely utilizing company resources like technology, we may learn how to support our remote employees. Through adapting to what’s already in place, having open communication and building trust, we can support employees without being too intrusive, but also provide adequate duty of care and ensuring employees have appropriate support and resources.  

Q: What advice would you give security professionals interested in this topic? 

RA: This topic has continued to evolve since the pandemic. The remote workforce is changing the way businesses operate. It is important for security professionals to evaluate their programs and ensure they have a risk-based strategy in place. Leverage Enterprise Security Risk Management (ESRM) to help identify key stakeholders to support the security program. There are a variety of resources that ASIS has that can be used to reference and help structure a security risk-based program. Likewise, take advantage of 3^rd party risk assessment professionals to help identify the key elements of a robust risk-based strategy. Therefore, my advice is to leverage ESRM to influence senior leadership and organizational collaboration, use ASIS networking and resources and finally partner with 3^rd party risk assessment professionals if possible.  

Q: How do you see this issue evolving in the next 2-5 years? 

RA: The new modern flexible workforce paradigm is progressing and altering the way businesses manage. In the next several years there will be numerous opportunities to share lessons learned and best practices. This model shifts more responsibility to the employer beyond the workplace and into the remote workspaces. As this environment changes, so will the risk associated with employee safety. Security practitioners now must think beyond onsite training and develop training curriculums that can reach the remote workforce. This includes developing and enhancing existing policies pertaining to workplace violence. There are great resources available that can provide a hybrid training program to introduce onsite hands-on training and deliver a robust e-learning curriculum to educate all employees regardless of their work location. Best practice is to understand the company’s risk tolerance, enhance existing policies or develop new ones, and develop a robust hybrid workplace violence training program that supports onsite and offsite employees.