Gus Dietz, Global Security Director at Coherent Corp., looks at how the role of corporate security is evolving.
When I began my career in corporate security in 2001, the risks were tangible.
Having worked across several industries, each sector presented unique challenges but shared a common objective: protecting people, assets, operations and business continuity.
Before moving into the advanced technology sector, I spent nearly a decade in the tobacco industry with two of the world’s largest companies.
Security programs were heavily focused on protecting supply chains, safeguarding logistics operations, preventing cargo theft, combating illicit trade and ensuring products reached customers without disruption.
Success was measured through operational outcomes such as reducing losses, protecting inventory and maintaining continuity across complex distribution networks.
It was an environment that demanded strong investigative capabilities, effective partnerships with law enforcement and a deep understanding of organized criminal activity. The threats were visible, measurable and largely operational in nature.
When I transitioned into advanced technology manufacturing, I encountered a different set of business priorities and risk considerations.
I quickly realized that while the mission of corporate security remains unchanged, the business expectations of security have evolved significantly.
It was not that the threats were entirely new. It was that the organization’s most critical assets, and the business consequences of risk, were fundamentally different.
In innovation-driven industries, some of the most valuable assets are neither physical nor visible.
Intellectual property, proprietary manufacturing processes, engineering expertise, research investments and strategic partnerships often represent a company’s greatest source of competitive advantage.
That transition expanded my perspective on the role corporate security can play in helping organizations succeed.
Throughout much of my career, security programs were designed around clearly defined boundaries. Facilities, warehouses, transportation routes, inventory and physical assets represented some of the most critical areas requiring protection.
The objective was straightforward: identify threats, implement controls and minimize operational disruption. Even in those environments, effective security extended well beyond physical protection.
Understanding who had access to sensitive information, how operational details were shared and where vulnerabilities existed throughout the supply chain was often just as important as protecting a facility or shipment.
Those responsibilities remain essential. However, in technology-driven organizations, the scale and significance of information-based risk expand considerably.
Security leaders must understand how knowledge moves throughout the organization, where critical expertise resides, how strategic partnerships create both opportunities and vulnerabilities and how external developments may influence business risk.
The responsibility extends beyond protecting locations and physical assets. It includes protecting the capabilities, knowledge and innovation that drive enterprise success.
One of the most significant shifts I have observed is the growing connection between geopolitical developments and everyday business operations.
Organizations today operate within highly interconnected networks of suppliers, customers, technologies, talent and strategic partners.
As a result, events occurring thousands of miles away can create immediate consequences. Trade restrictions, export controls, regional conflicts, economic instability and supply chain disruptions increasingly influence business decisions.
These developments are no longer simply global news. They are enterprise risks.
During my first months in the technology sector, I found myself participating in discussions far beyond traditional security topics.
Intellectual property, technology transfer, supply chain resilience, research partnerships and strategic planning all carried direct security implications.
That experience reinforced an important lesson: organizations do not need security leaders who can simply identify threats. They need leaders who can translate uncertainty into actionable business intelligence.
This perspective also reinforces a principle that has become increasingly important throughout my career: security should not operate as a compliance engine. Compliance is a natural byproduct of a well-run, risk-based system, not the mission.
Compliance frameworks provide valuable structure and accountability. However, organizations that view compliance as the end goal may create a dangerous illusion of security.
Effective security requires understanding the threat environment, assessing business impact and allocating resources based on risk.
In an environment defined by uncertainty, adaptability and informed decision-making often provide more value than rigid adherence to process.
The changing threat landscape has also transformed the way organizations approach crisis management. Earlier in my career, crisis scenarios often centered on cargo theft, workplace incidents, natural disasters or operational disruptions.
Today, organizations must prepare for events capable of affecting entire regions, supply chains and business functions simultaneously.
Cyber incidents, geopolitical tensions, infrastructure failures, public health emergencies and civil unrest can quickly evolve into enterprise-wide challenges.
As a result, crisis management can no longer be viewed as a response function alone. It must be viewed as a strategic capability.
The organizations that manage crises most effectively are rarely those with the largest crisis manuals. They are the ones that invest in preparation, clear decision-making processes, cross-functional relationships and empowered leadership.
When leaders are aligned, communication channels are established, and responsibilities are understood, organizations can adapt quickly even when circumstances change unexpectedly.
Corporate security plays a unique role in this process. Positioned at the intersection of operations, human resources, legal, communications, information security and executive leadership, security often becomes the connective tissue that enables coordinated action during disruption.
Despite the differences between industries, technologies and threat landscapes, one lesson remained constant throughout my career: security is ultimately about people.
Technology, policies, procedures and physical controls are important, but organizational culture often determines whether those tools are successful.
A strong security culture exists when employees understand why security matters and how their actions help protect the organization and its future.
Building that culture begins with leadership. Employees pay close attention to the priorities leaders reinforce and the behaviors they demonstrate.
When executives visibly support security and accountability, those expectations cascade throughout the organization. It also requires trust. Risk is never uniform. What works in one country, facility or business unit may not be appropriate in another.
The strongest security organizations establish global standards while empowering local teams to apply professional judgment within their operating environments.
When employees view security as a business partner rather than an enforcement function, security becomes embedded in the organization’s identity.
My career journey has reinforced a simple truth: the purpose of corporate security has not changed, but the environment in which we operate has.
The challenges facing modern organizations are increasingly interconnected, global and dynamic. In response, security leaders must broaden their perspective.
We must understand business objectives and the risks that could prevent organizations from achieving them.
Throughout my career, I have come to view security through a simple lens: our responsibility is not merely to prevent bad things from happening.
Our responsibility is to help the business succeed despite uncertainty. The future of corporate security is not about guarding what a company owns. It is about enabling what a company can become.
This article was originally published in the September edition of Security Journal Americas. To read your FREE digital edition, click here.