Issue #50
Last Update March 24, 2007
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Business Securing Global Transportation Networks by David Katz September 27, 2006 Although our economy and much of world trade depends on our ports, truck terminals and railroad lines, these facilities remain vulnerable to natural disasters, terrorist attacks and accident. In a 2004 article in this magazine, “Maritime Security”, it was noted that the federal government had left port security to the states and interstate port authorities. Not much has changed in the intervening two years, as a recent Maritime Security Expo at the Javits Center made clear. “Securing Global Transportation Networks: A Total Security Management Approach”, by Luke Ritter, J. Michael Barrett and Rosalyn Wilson (McGraw Hill, 2006) attempts to provide the transportation industry with a technique for building security into day-to-day operations and planning. This represents a private sector approach that can stand alone or complement government efforts.
The three authors have complementary experience: Mr. Ritter has a rich background in shipping, intermodal railroad and trucking operations; Mr. Barrett brings to bear experience in homeland security, counter-terrorism and intelligence; and Ms. Wilson provides information technology expertise, especially as applied to the transportation industry. The book they have created applies Total Quality Management techniques to the security field. In essence, they posit a business environment in which security considerations, planning and techniques are part of each business function. Moreover, they consider it imperative that these security considerations add value to the enterprise; that is, rather than considering security as a pure expense, which would tempt management to skimp on it and would make it difficult to acquire the resources needed to do it properly, the authors point to quantifiable benefits that add to the bottom line from incorporating security considerations at each business stage.
It is this concept, that enhancing security can produce a positive return on investment, that generates the most skepticism at the management level. Chapter 3 of the book is an attempt to locate added value, finding cost savings through reduced theft, greater safety and fewer governmental inspections, increased profitability through better inventory control due to a more secure and flexible supply chain, reduced losses during catastrophic events, lower insurance costs, and improved brand and market share protection through increased stability and lowered possibility of business disruption. This chapter gives good ammunition to a manager eager to enhance enterprise security, but is unlikely to be decisively convincing to skeptics.
The real benefit of this book is to be found in the chapters covering risk management, securing fixed assets, securing assets in transit, securing brand equity and goodwill, and securing human capital. These chapters provide an introduction to best practices in these areas and show how Total Security Management concepts can be implemented. In conjunction with the chapter on Business Continuity Planning, and the templates and procedures to be found in the appendices, this book can serve as a valuable guide to implementing a total security management program and strengthening the organization's ability to prevent, mitigate and recover from disruption.
There is a forward by Tom Ridge, the first Secretary of Homeland Security, which is incoherent and ungrammatical, as is to be expected from someone whose claim to fame rests largely on color-coded threat levels. The forward can be skipped without detriment to the reader.
Securing Global Transportation Networks, by Ritter, Barrett and Wilson. McGraw Hill Transportation Management series, 2006. ISBN-13:978-0-07-147751-2 ISBN-10:0-07-147751-9
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