The spirit of collaboration is key for success in corporate security, says Diego Serpa, Head of Security Brazil, Colgate-Palmolive.

I have just over 18 years of experience in corporate security and want to share my thoughts on why corporate security is a crucial concern for industrial and distribution companies.

Increasingly interconnected, organizations continue to embrace digital transformation and culture.

However, this leads to challenges relating to the protection of confidential information, valuable assets and operational integrity, which can also make processes increasingly complex and sophisticated.

Therefore, having an effective corporate security strategy is not only a necessity, but a vital requirement to ensure business continuity, customer trust and the preservation of business reputation.

When planning to develop your technological and digital approach, the biggest challenge is to have a clear vision of what you want to do, what you can do, the limitations and support for users of the technology and finally, the choice of resource.

Most of the time, following the advice and example of the security community allows for more informed decision making.

However, each business is different and you need to understand its specific requirements.

Another consideration is that fraudsters are also focused on destabilizing what the security community is working on, so it is important to research alternatives even if it takes you out of your comfort zone.

Sometimes, it isn’t easy: “The only easy day was yesterday.”

I believe that the next few months of 2024 will be full of opportunities, allowing the security industry to reveal its full potential.

In the last four years, over the course of the pandemic, important government changes, conflicts and economic impacts were times to prove ourselves and test the processes and procedures we had in place.

Many were crucial to our survival although in other cases, it enabled us to understand where obsolescene lay.

Despite this, it proved how sophisticated the security community can be, seeking new approaches and reinforcing our capacity to support change.

It also emphasized how much we care about people, including other business areas in our organizations, as we needed to have the courage to think outside the box and look at everything holistically.

Intellectual diplomacy is what is essential to prosper.

Accepting that we must learn about new operations, from competing and non-competing companies, is something we must achieve.

Brands compete in sales and for the highest product quality, but corporate security always has the same objective: protect people and business.

So why not help each other?

Lastly, it is important that we participate in security communities, to we exchange and discuss what we have learnt in an open forum.

We must seek to learn from the experiences, mistakes and successes of others, as we recalculate the measures we put in place within our own work scenarios.

2024 awaits us, but it is extremely hard to agree on what we can expect from this year.

Let us be patient, strategic, flexible and agile to ensure the security of our businesses.

About Diego Serpa

Diego has worked within corporate security for over 18 years, working at companies such as Colgate-Palmolive, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola FEMSA, Pinkerton and more.

This article was originally published in the Special February Influencers Edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.