ISC West teaser: RAD President Mark Folmer on elevating security teams

LAS VEGAS – Mark Folmer, president of Robotic Assistance Devices (RAD), will moderate a panel at ISC West 2024 that will take a deep dive into how an innovative approach to physical security “truly changes how a service is obtained, delivered and measured.” 

Here’s a teaser for that panel, “The Economics of Risk and Technology: Making Security's Business Case for Innovation.” 

SSN: Can you tell me some more about what you’ll be discussing during your session? 

FOLMER: The goal is for the attendees to take advantage of the varied backgrounds of the panelists whose experience includes: technology, consultants, practitioners, and enterprise security risk specialists. We will share definitions, examples and real use cases throughout the session. 

Based on our experience and sharing various stakeholders’ point of view we will share a message on the possibilities of how security services are delivered, how to align that with organizational goals and more importantly how to internally sell innovation to their leadership. Gone are the days when security is an afterthought when it comes to overall organizational success. There is an opportunity to identify better ways to deliver security. 

It is critical to understand where digital transformation fits, where industry 5.0 can take security teams, and the economics related to technology when deploying mitigating measures.  

Finally, as security professionals, how and when do we chart the course and lead the changes. 

SSN: In the face of rising ransomware incidents, retail theft and other security concerns, what innovation makes the most economic sense for businesses? 

FOLMER: There are so many threats to consider and risks that impact an organization. In just 60 minutes we cannot touch on all and this is exactly why security’s alignment with the organization's objectives is paramount. Without clear alignment, understanding of risks and a clear vision of what mitigating measures are available, there is a significant risk of having ineffective, excessively expensive and inefficient security – which of course hampers greatly the efficacy of any security management program.  

We will use physical security examples as the backdrop to, first, define innovation and then continue with how being open to innovation can provide for so many opportunities for security practitioners to add to organizational value. As an example, mitigating measures that require interaction with the public were once reserved for security guards. Today, through video analytics, cloud-based technology and autonomous remote systems, a whole new way to deliver basic security services has opened.  

The key when looking at innovation is to differentiate between the evolution of a service to one that truly changes how the service is obtained, delivered, and measured. To do so properly there are clear planning steps to take and vision to share before embarking on the mission.  

SSN: If there was one thing you hope your audience takes away from this session, what would it be? 

FOLMER: The threat landscape is constantly changing therefore, and in short, appreciate the cost, the power and the potential of clear innovative thinking and messaging. Seize the opportunity to do something different (completely different!!) and add value to their organization by mitigating risks and adopting innovative service delivery options. To quote one of the panelists: “Inefficient security is expensive!” 

The details

Date: Tuesday, Apr 9th,10:00 AM - 11:00 AM, in Venetian 303 at the Venetian Expo

Panel: Moderated by Mark Folmer, president of Robotic Assistance Devices, panelists will consist of Jeffrey A. Slotnick, Setracon ESRMS; Rachelle Loyear, vice president of Integrated Security Solutions at Allied Universal; and Mark Hatcher, a physical security enterprise leader with the San Jose Water Company.