Chapter 1 - Concepts and Evolution of Asset Protection and Security

Abstract

Asset protection is the basis for everything that a protection officer does. It is the core function of the protection officer's job. Asset protection can have different meanings and functions depending on who is responsible for establishing the boundaries of that role and function. Ultimately, asset protection is a function of organizational management, and as such security professionals are often expected to provide technical expertise in efficient and effective security risk management activities. The quality of the overall protection effort will depend on the organizational environment, assets, threats, vulnerabilities, and the organizational leadership commitment to managing those risks. Asset protection has been practiced for millennia, from protecting an ancient settlement with night sentries patrolling the perimeter, to securing valuables into a modern vault. The most visible and easily recognizable historical form of asset protection was the medieval castle. The castle was built to protect an asset, be it a royal or noble, their economic means such as gold, from an attacking adversary. These fortifications passed through several phases of evolution, but evolve they did as the threat adjusted to circumvent each new design countermeasure. Furthermore, these designs offer a quick visual representation of layered defenses from outermost obstacles to the innermost chambers of the keep. This evolution is a meaningful analogy to the evolution of security countermeasures found today in physical design and those of policies and procedures.