Every company of any size has a guard or two—they work the lobby, patrol the parking lot, and monitor video feeds while waiting for something to happen. It's a low-paying, entry-level position with a lot of turnover. Yet these folks are critical first responders to an emergency and are responsible for the safety and security of many employees. It all adds up to a major hiring challenge for chief security officers.
Grooming guards into security professionals was a recent major story in CSO Magazine and is the reason any executive in the security business might want to check out CSO's unusually rich online site.
Topics and subjects here are varied. A recent “Machine Shop” column on new technology, for example, articulated problems with mechanized “noses” for sniffing airborne threats. And a podcast with IBM's chief privacy officer, Harriet Pearson, discussed the company's decision to end genetic-based hiring practices.
As with most sites targeted at professionals, you will find a section on current news, a calendar of events, job listings, chat boards, white papers, and polls. We also liked the site's “Top 5 Most Popular CSO Articles Ever,” topped by “How a Bookmaker and a Whiz Kid Took on an Extortionist—and Won.” Now that's a story any security officer wants to learn from.