Despite recent layoffs in the tech industry and general unease about the economy, there are still significant gaps in the job market. There are simply more open roles than there are workers available to fill them. According to the Labor Department, there are 5.5 million more job openings than workers available. The physical security industry is not immune, and security worker shortages are hitting security teams especially hard.
Last fall, Allied Universal reported being unable to fill thousands of open roles nationally. Other smaller security-related companies cited similar difficulties finding workers. Reported instances of burnout among security professionals is contributing to this. In one report, 84% of security pros and 80% of other workers felt burned out. The same report claims that burnout can lead to missteps. Employees experiencing burnout were three times as likely to think that security rules and policies “aren’t worth the hassle.”
As security leaders look to address these concerns for long-term gain, there’s a new discussion to be had. Can technology bridge the gap between worker shortages and the need for robust physical security programs? Implementing technology that streamlines decision-making is one way to address retention within a physical security department. But technology in general may contribute to solving this issue.
How virtualized GSOCs address security worker shortages
Mature businesses rely on a Global Security Operations Center, or GSOC, to collect and analyze information about threats. That includes threats to the organization, its people, and its assets. But the resources required to properly staff and maintain a GSOC are beyond the reach of many businesses, including startups.
This presents a challenge. The world is simultaneously more connected and dispersed than it’s ever been. That makes managing physical security risks more critical – and more difficult – than ever before. Add in the challenge of sourcing talent for operator and analyst positions. Many businesses simply can’t stand up a GSOC that adequately serves the organization.
Enter: Virtual GSOCs (vGSOCs).
Many established enterprises rely on a physical GSOC to serve as the command and control center for their security programs. These secure locations are where threats are identified and analyzed and the appropriate response is determined. A vGSOC performs the same functions without the need for a centralized physical location. This saves money, enables scalability, and is inherently more redundant. It also gets the security program up and running more quickly than bringing a physical GSOC online.
vGSOCs can also help organizations address security worker shortages by outsourcing the physical security function. They provide additional support that may not have been available previously.
Promoting more remote work options
We’re entering a period of remote work-centric operations. A recent report by Ladders puts a number on it. Nearly 25% of professional jobs in North America will be remote by the end of 2022. This means remote work is here to stay. When organizations don’t offer it, that alone may contribute to the worker shortage.
As such, technology contributes to enabling more remote work functionality. Organizations who want to retain workers by promoting remote and hybrid options have some planning to do. They have to make long-term investments in IT infrastructure that support these workers. They must account for security threats – both physical and cyber. And they need to foster a support environment that embraces remote workers.
False alarms make security worker shortages worse
In physical security, leaders are tasked with making split-second decisions using the information at their fingertips. Receiving hundreds of alarms each day can quickly lead to burnout. It also increases the risk of missing a true security event.
The “noise” generated by disparate systems within a GSOC can become debilitating. Security guards and analysts have to assess and respond to all of it. Think access control, video feeds, analytics alerts, intrusion and fire alarms, Dark Web monitoring, and much more. Together, these systems can create so much noise that the actual event might be missed.
Operators cannot digest all of these false alarms and noise long-term without experiencing the kind of burnout mentioned earlier. To handle the volume of alarms coming in at any given point, leaders have two options. They can add more bodies, or they can implement technology to address these challenges. And as we’ve mentioned, shortages are plaguing even the largest companies.
The good news? Many available technologies now implement artificial intelligence (AI) to help address this noise and reduce false alarms. It’s critical that physical security leaders start identifying and implementing this technology now. It helps retain operator talent and builds a scalable program for protecting people and assets.
The case for advanced technology
In a recent webinar, Travis May from Groove Jones made a related point. Innovative technology helps keep security operators working in GSOCs engaged. Technology now supports remote and hybrid workers and opens the door for operators to work virtually. With these advancements, physical security is taking a step forward. Solving security worker shortages starts with modernizing how we build the modern workforce.