In an uncertain world, it can be difficult to see past the next 48 hours. But future-proofing exercises can help security and business leaders get more strategic about what they want to achieve in the next few years and how to get there, says futurist Heather Vescent. She helps outline how to step back and take a different worldview to uncover emerging risks and opportunities. Then, Scott Fitzsimmons talks about how to chart a path forward from individual contributor to manager to leader in security—for yourself or your employees—and how to instill a culture of reflection and professional growth in your organization.
Additional Resources
Get to know our colleague and friend, Mariah Bartz, in the ASIS Blog here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-news/blog/2025/in-loving-memory-mariah-bartz/
Read more about how to incorporate future-proofing into security tabletops and thought exercises in Heather Vescent’s article for Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/01/tabletop-exercises/future-proofing/
Want to test out Vescent’s future-proofing Mad Libs exercise? Use this video for a walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4Yt6HYOyk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asisonline.org%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ
Worried about how artificial intelligence is changing the security industry? It’s worth thinking about with both discernment and an open mind, according to this Security Management article from August: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/guards-to-guardians/
In an AI age, human skills are increasingly valuable. Learn how to leverage core debate skills for critical thinking: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/debate-skills-for-ai/
Read more from Scott Fitzsimmons about security leadership and professional development here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/12/employee-retention/from_officer_to_leader_rethinking_leadership_development_in_security/
Interested in advancing your career in 2026? Don’t miss out on the ASIS International resources in our Career HQ: https://www.asisonline.org/professional-development/career-hq/
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In an uncertain world, it can be difficult to see past the next 48 hours. But future-proofing exercises can help security and business leaders get more strategic about what they want to achieve in the next few years and how to get there, says futurist Heather Vescent. She helps outline how to step back and take a different worldview to uncover emerging risks and opportunities. Then, Scott Fitzsimmons talks about how to chart a path forward from individual contributor to manager to leader in security—for yourself or your employees—and how to instill a culture of reflection and professional growth in your organization.
Additional Resources
Get to know our colleague and friend, Mariah Bartz, in the ASIS Blog here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-news/blog/2025/in-loving-memory-mariah-bartz/
Read more about how to incorporate future-proofing into security tabletops and thought exercises in Heather Vescent’s article for Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/01/tabletop-exercises/future-proofing/
Want to test out Vescent’s future-proofing Mad Libs exercise? Use this video for a walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4Yt6HYOyk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asisonline.org%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ
Worried about how artificial intelligence is changing the security industry? It’s worth thinking about with both discernment and an open mind, according to this Security Management article from August: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/guards-to-guardians/
In an AI age, human skills are increasingly valuable. Learn how to leverage core debate skills for critical thinking: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/debate-skills-for-ai/
Read more from Scott Fitzsimmons about security leadership and professional development here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/12/employee-retention/from_officer_to_leader_rethinking_leadership_development_in_security/
Interested in advancing your career in 2026? Don’t miss out on the ASIS International resources in our Career HQ: https://www.asisonline.org/professional-development/career-hq/
How Security Can Lead Operational Resilience, Plus Reimagining Office Security
Security Management Highlights
24 minutes 29 seconds
4 months ago
How Security Can Lead Operational Resilience, Plus Reimagining Office Security
Security professionals have to be integrated into operational resilience efforts and business continuity planning to prevent disruptions of all kinds, according to new research from the ASIS Foundation. In this episode of the SM Highlights podcast, report co-author and ResOrgs principal consultant Joanne Stevenson shares why security gets left out of resilience discussions and what they can do about it. Then, Don Aviv, CPP, PCI, PSP, CEO of Interfor International, discusses what happened during a shooting at a Manhattan office building in July and how proactive threat monitoring can change the nature of site security.
Additional Resources
Read the ASIS Foundation research, Operational Resilience: The Critical Contribution of Security to Operational Resilience, online here: https://store.asisonline.org/asis-foundation-operational-resilience.html?_gl=1*1l3liqy*_gcl_au*MTE5NTA5MjQzMC4xNzUxMzk3MDA3*_ga*NzQxNzQ1OTA0LjE3NTEzOTcwMDg.*_ga_0ZPVSP549B*czE3NTY4MTYwMjAkbzIwMiRnMSR0MTc1NjgxNjcxNCRqNjAkbDAkaDA ASIS members can access the report for free. Read the free executive summary here: https://www.asisonline.org/globalassets/foundation/research/asis-foundation-operational-resilience-executive-summary.pdf
For an overview and analysis of some of the key points of the research, read Security Management’s take here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2025/july/Security-Operational-Resilience-Planning/
For more on the cyberattack on the National Health Service in 2017, read the National Audit Office’s investigation report: https://www.nao.org.uk/reports/investigation-wannacry-cyber-attack-and-the-nhs/
Interested in using human-centric narratives to back up your metrics? Get some advice and examples here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/03/metrics/crafting-metrics-story/
Interested in how to build out a resilience function, including a crisis response team? Read this article from the SM archive: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2024/07/resilience/create-crisis-managment-team/
Get an overview of the shooting at 345 Park Avenue in Manhattan in Security Management’s coverage here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/latest-news/today-in-security/2025/july/345-park-ave-shooting/
Research past security incidents in high-rise buildings here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2021/03/mitigating-rising-risks-for-high-rises/
Learn more about digital threat monitoring and assessment on social media here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/threat-assessment/
Want to explore the changing nature of risk further with Don Aviv, CPP, PCI, PSP, and other security experts? Attend the Game Changer sessions at GSX: https://www.gsx.org/game-changers/
Security Management Highlights
In an uncertain world, it can be difficult to see past the next 48 hours. But future-proofing exercises can help security and business leaders get more strategic about what they want to achieve in the next few years and how to get there, says futurist Heather Vescent. She helps outline how to step back and take a different worldview to uncover emerging risks and opportunities. Then, Scott Fitzsimmons talks about how to chart a path forward from individual contributor to manager to leader in security—for yourself or your employees—and how to instill a culture of reflection and professional growth in your organization.
Additional Resources
Get to know our colleague and friend, Mariah Bartz, in the ASIS Blog here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-news/blog/2025/in-loving-memory-mariah-bartz/
Read more about how to incorporate future-proofing into security tabletops and thought exercises in Heather Vescent’s article for Security Management: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2026/01/tabletop-exercises/future-proofing/
Want to test out Vescent’s future-proofing Mad Libs exercise? Use this video for a walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_4Yt6HYOyk&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.asisonline.org%2F&source_ve_path=OTY3MTQ
Worried about how artificial intelligence is changing the security industry? It’s worth thinking about with both discernment and an open mind, according to this Security Management article from August: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/guards-to-guardians/
In an AI age, human skills are increasingly valuable. Learn how to leverage core debate skills for critical thinking: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/08/debate-skills-for-ai/
Read more from Scott Fitzsimmons about security leadership and professional development here: https://www.asisonline.org/security-management-magazine/articles/2025/12/employee-retention/from_officer_to_leader_rethinking_leadership_development_in_security/
Interested in advancing your career in 2026? Don’t miss out on the ASIS International resources in our Career HQ: https://www.asisonline.org/professional-development/career-hq/
