Unifying The Cops, The Geeks And The Bean Counters

Nov 1, 2004 12:00 PM, LARRY ANDERSON, Editor

That the CIA and the FBI didn't talk to each other enough in the weeks before the Sept. 11 attacks has been the focus of second-guessing about the reasons for the terrorist attacks and whether they could have been prevented. Knowledge that could have prevented the attacks was in existence at the time, the argument goes, but it was scattered in pieces among various bureaucratic silos. Nobody in the intelligence areas was talking to each other enough — or putting the pieces together.

Similar communications problems exist in the corporate security world, too, where a gap between the physical security department and the information security department has been widely documented.

The Conference Board, New York, suggests that corporate security efforts as a whole are being stymied by so-called culture clashes among a trio of corporate silos — physical security, information security, and risk management, a.k.a., the “cops,” the “geeks” and the “bean counters.” These groups have varied backgrounds, motivations and even personality types — and more often than not are located in different corners of the building. I'm sure few of our readers are surprised by the Conference Board's conclusion that companies need “to bridge this clash of cultures and create a common frame of reference for this function.” Easier said than done.

The Conference Board commentary drew a response from our old friend Timothy Giles, CPP, a former security professional at IBM who is now a consultant. “While everyone will eagerly admit that they want to contribute to functional success, they are still driven by personal achievement and success,” Giles says.

All three of these disciplines — the cops, the geeks and the bean counters — will need to be managed by a single professional in order for the groups to be brought together and given common success goals, Giles adds. “Only then will you see change.”

Clearly there is an opportunity for corporations to rethink their security strategies to encompass a broader, corporate-wide scope — and perhaps an opportunity for security professionals to expand their horizons, grow professionally and aspire to new positions higher up the corporate ladder. Is there any reason a cop shouldn't also be in charge of managing the geeks and the bean counters?

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