Security decisions often connect to challenges that surface beyond the situation that a security team is managing. Whether that’s a supply chain disruption affecting a manufacturing operation, a pattern in campus incident data, or the security considerations that come with building and expanding data centers. These topics came up in many of the security conversations we shared throughout this month.
We explored the security risks facing manufacturing and logistics organizations, what leaders can do with the intelligence available to them, the importance of workforce development, and how security can support data center operations, with an exclusive client feature from Pure Data Center Group on our Security Connected webcast/podcast. We also covered how higher education institutions can make better use of information they’re already collecting to help inform security decisions.
Here’s a look at the security insights we shared throughout the month.
Three security risks affecting manufacturing and logistics
Manufacturing and logistics organizations have a lot to keep an eye on, ranging from cargo theft and workforce safety to supply chain disruptions that may come from a facility. In addition to aid, security teams also help protect people and operations without creating unnecessary conflicts between employees, contractors, or the business.
Our article on the top three manufacturing and logistics security risks examines how these issues can affect day-to-day operations and where security teams can help make a difference. The article also explores how different security services and resources can work together. On-site security officers can provide a visible presence to deter threats and respond proactively, while mobile patrols and remote guarding can extend coverage across operations.
The important part is knowing what a site needs. A security program built around the realities of a manufacturing or logistics operation can help leaders allocate resources better and respond when conditions change.
When manufacturers should consider a direct security partner
Another consideration for manufacturing and facilities leaders is the value a direct security partner can add to your facility. Combining security with other facility services can work for some organizations, and others may have specialized requirements that call for a dedicated security partner.
Our blog on when to choose a direct security partner explains how a direct security partner can enhance protection, reduce costs, and deliver more value from security investments.
A direct partnership can give leaders more visibility into how their security program operates and makes it easier to adjust resources as needs change. It can also create a more direct line between the people managing security and the people making decisions about its operations.
The right security programs depend on the facility’s risks and needs, and no two are the same. The right question is whether the security program gives an organization the expertise, communication, and coverage it needs.
How leaders can turn business intelligence into better decisions
Jorge Couto’s, Division President of Securitas North America’s Forbes Business Council article, “The leadership gap between insight and action” highlights how organizations can turn insights into action by building trust, accountability, and confident decision-making.
Jorge explores what happens when leaders have access to useful information but struggle to turn it into decisions that move the business forward. For security operations, security teams collect information from people, technology, and intelligence sources every day. Then leaders have to decide what deserves attention, what can wait, and where resources should go.
The value of intelligence usually depends on how well it connects to those decisions. A report sitting in an inbox doesn't do much on its own, so the person receiving it needs to understand what it could mean for the organization and be able to act on it.
What the 2026 mid-year intelligence review tells us about changing risks
Our annual intelligence estimate mid-year review gave us another reason to look at how security teams use information.
At the beginning of the year, the annual intelligence estimate identified 25 topics expected to shape the security environment in 2026. Of those risk assessment topics identified, 12 have worsened, 12 have remained stable, and one has improved.
Those numbers tell a more complicated story than a simple prediction of whether conditions would get better or worse. Different issues are moving in different directions, and developments that appear distant can still affect an organization's operations, people, or supply chain.
The mid-year review gives security and business leaders a chance to reconsider what they expected at the start of the year, understand how exposure spreads, and shape security strategies around it.
Security teams can't always predict what comes next, but they can see whether the information guiding their decisions still reflects what they're seeing.
How colleges and universities can use Clery data to improve security planning
In “Turning the Clery Act into a Campus GPS,” Chris Connolly, Area Vice President at Securitas USA, examines how colleges and universities can use Clery data for more than annual reporting.
Incident data can tell a story when institutions look at where and when events occur. In the example explored in the article, mapping incidents by location and time revealed patterns that challenged assumptions about when activity was most likely to occur.
That information can help campus leaders think differently about staffing and security coverage, while giving security teams something concrete to discuss when deciding where resources may be needed.
However, data can't tell the whole story. Security officers see things that don't always show up in a report, and their observations can add information about how a campus operates, where activity changes, and what concerns they hear from the people they interact with every day.
Bringing those observations together with incident data can give campus leaders a better picture of what's happening.
Why workforce development matters as security roles become more technical
Technology is an important part of the conversation, but the focus should be on the people using it.
In Chrissy Toskos’s Security Today feature, as Chief People and Experience Officer, she discusses the Education Benefit Program SecureU and the role that workforce development can play as security work becomes more technical. Security professionals increasingly work alongside technologies that can collect information, monitor activity, and support decision-making. Those tools can change the skills security officers need, making continued learning an important part of the conversation.
SecureU gives employees access to tuition-free education and professional development opportunities. The program reflects the idea that as work changes, people need opportunities to build new skills and prepare for what their roles may require next.
Technology may provide new capabilities, but people still interpret information, communicate with others, and make decisions when situations don't follow a predictable script.
Security lessons from Pure Data Centre for data center operators
Our latest Security Connected conversation with Ian Madgett, Director of Security, Compliance, and Health & Safety at Pure Data Centre, brought many of these ideas into the data center environment.
Data centers operate in an environment where security, technology, and business operations are closely connected. A decision about a new site, an expansion, or a change in infrastructure can have security implications before an incident occurs. Ian discusses the value of bringing security into those conversations early, rather than treating it as something to address once a project is already underway.
The discussion also examines the relationship between physical and cyber security, the role of testing, and the importance of ensuring technology works for the people responsible for using it. For data center operators, security can directly affect business continuity and growth, allowing security leaders to contribute beyond day-to-day protection.
What to expect from Securitas USA at GSX 2026
Many of these conversations will continue at GSX 2026, taking place September 14–16 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.
As the industry gathers, we'll be looking forward to conversations about the issues we've been exploring throughout August, including intelligence, technology, workforce development, and the changing needs of security teams.
The security insights shaping the conversations today
Each topic we explored this month covered very different environments. Still, each one showed how security decisions are influenced by what an organization knows about its operations, its people, and the risks it faces.
The people behind those decisions matter just as much. As technology changes security operations and the information available to security teams, experience, judgment, and ongoing learning continue to shape how organizations use those resources. Taken together, these conversations offer a look at some of the questions security leaders are asking today and the considerations that can help inform what they do next.
For more perspectives like these, follow our blog to stay up to date on the latest security insights.
