EVERYTHING IS FOUNDED ON THE BASIC, THAT INCLUDES SECURITY
All physical structures to stand up are built on a foundation. Every concept to take shape, materialize and applied is based on certain principles. Principle is a fundamental truth or natural law that serves as the foundation for reasoning, behavior, or how something works. Principles are the checklists that we use to determine if man’s creation would hold and be sustained
Security is the second need of man according to Abraham Maslow in his theory on the hierarchy of human needs. It is top of the physiological needs, followed by air, food, shelter, excretion among others. The basic human needs are the foundations for human to sustain life.
Just like any concept, security is based on specific fundamental principles that provide the rationale for all security modalities and measures. There is an influx of new security modalities and measures to address the every changing environment of any human endeavor. The word VUCA, which is an acronym that stands for volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, has become a by-word for many an organization, big or small, with a specific undertakings for specific goals.
But despite the magnitude and sophistication by which VUCA are addressed, the supposed security education, training programs, and conventions miss out on presenting the fundamentals of security. The authors and organizers seem to assume that all the participants know, understand and internalize the fundamentals of security. In the absence of security conventions on the fundamentals of security, practitioners and consumers of security were stuck into defining and providing security for protection from harm, danger or often, criminality.
It is in this context that I would like to start this series of articles in this magazine, Security Matters with the Fundamental of Security. This is because, ”Basic Matters.”
The book, “The Art and Science of Security” which I wrote and published in 2012 is one of the books that have a simple, comprehensive and understandable presentation of the fundamentals of security even to the common man in the street. It also elevated the tactical and operational definition of security that is, protection of “lives and properties” which has become the common and seemingly the only definition of security. It also provided new perspective and approaches to various conventions on the aspects of security. New aspects of security were also added to seamlessly interface and integrate with the commonly known aspects of security to satisfy and conform to the basic principles of security. The book for its simplicity in presenting security was given a five star rating by a notable book critic in the United States. The book will this be serialized in this feature column of the Security Matters. Thus, let me start with the relevant topics of Chapter 1.
What is Security?
Security in its broadest sense is a predictable environment where one can pursue his objectives without fear from the occurrence of mishaps and their effects when they occur. I am not setting aside, however that security at the operational level is the protection of lives and properties from harm or danger. Security is also defined differently in the different domains which are defined by the resources to be protected such as National Security, Cyber Security, Supply Chain Security, Bank Security, and Transport Security among many others. For example in Supply Chain Security, Security can be defined as being sure that the transported good arrived at their intended destination in time and intact.
Security at the strategic level is being certain that one’s goals are achieved. Every human endeavor and undertaking has a goal. There is no better sense of security than one being sure of attaining his goals. To attain one’s goals one must have the essential resources to achieve such goals. Under any condition, these resources are the same for everyone for every individual, a family which is the smallest unit of society, a community, township, province, country whose common objective is peace and contentment. The same resources are essential for small, medium or large businesses whose objective is to have money and be sustainable in making money
These resources are classified into eleven kinds. These resources are further into five classifications. The first classification of resources is called Base Resource. Base resources are those that include, the environment includes the natural resources which provides the minerals and other raw materials, information which include the recognition and knowledge of sciences and prevailing conditions in the environment and finances which can be sourced from one’s own money or from other sources. The second classification is the Acquired Resource which is procured from one capital or finances. These are the personnel to perform tasks, the facilities to house offices administration and factories for production and operations; the machines and equipment used for processing and the materials which are converted into the finished products. The third classification is Internally Acquired Derived Resource which includes the products or services which are the result of the operation of the Acquired Resources in the company. The fourth classification of resources is the Externally Derived Resource which are the markets which is constituted by the customers and suppliers and the good reputation that the market could attribute to the company for delivering the market’s expectations. The fifth and the last classification is time that is required of one’s presence and attention to the company.
These resources if destroyed or lost will prevent the company from achieving its goals. These resources are the basic ingredients in achieving company objective. Knowledge of these basic concepts of organizational objectives and the resources essential to achieve those objectives is the foundation for the proper learning of security. This knowledge is the reasons why “Basic Matters” in Security.
“Security is the bridge to every goal…. to every dream.”
