Executive protection services ensure the safety of individuals in need in a world where nothing is secure. Threats will materialize from virtually anywhere, in different forms, and in varying directions.

However, there are additional considerations for VIPs, company execs, and other high-net-worth individuals. The types of risks they face are often tied to their professional status, wealth, and geographical location.

And while risk exposure may vary, implementing executive protection services allows clients to continue their everyday routine – safely and with minimal disruption. The reality for many clients in the spotlight is that executive protection is a necessity.

Take, for instance, political leaders who aim to travel safely and seamlessly while maintaining privacy and discretion. An elite security team is there to facilitate everything necessary that avoids placing the principal in a vulnerable or life-threatening situation.

According to Adam Taylor, Managing Partner at Kinetic Intelligence, a close protection agent will employ methods and actions that add to or take away from the efficiency of the business they protect. “Even if your principal is an individual and does not associate with a known company, they are still in effect a ‘brand’ and one that is likely worth preserving,” states Taylor.

The Need to Provide Good Continuity

Organizations employ executive protection services for the sole reason of mitigating any probable risks. However, the nature of these risks and the approach service providers take to achieve mitigation look different for every client.    

The risk of an adverse event may be at an all-time high for a specific client. For example, ongoing threats from a highly suspect individual. In such a case, security personnel will consider extra precautions to anticipate, prepare, and plan for the type of contingency that threatens the client.   

Consequently, a successful adversary threat on the exec and their company immediately impacts that individual and their family. Secondly, the interests of the company and its shareholders may be severely hit, creating a ripple effect.   

Moreover, a company’s perceived value – its reputation and competitive edge – is often tied to its high-profile members. Therefore, the sudden incapacitation or the untimely death of an organization’s CEO is an interruption that few businesses can afford. For one thing, share prices and employee productivity can plummet, leaving a state of disorder.    

And while such events are likely to cause knee-jerk reactions from disruptions, it calls for the absolute need for brands or organizations to utilize executive protective services and provide good continuity for themselves.   

Of course, the use of such protection assistance doesn’t guarantee that similar circumstances won’t occur. Yet, the combination of intelligence gathering, protective planning, armed drivers, and medically trained security personnel on the scene greatly reduces this likelihood.  

Considering Probable Risks and Type of Protection

A security risk assessment is a critical first step in designing any security program. Likewise, an organization will consider several factors before settling on and exerting special forms of protection. Likewise, these factors can affect the assessment of risk probability. 

Not to mention, assessing risk probability is more complex than one would expect, having to comply with demanding standards. At times, it involves intelligence to identify possible persons and groups of interest. 

Travel: A Smooth Experience or Physical Nightmare

For most C-suites, travel takes up a large proportion of their time. Now, depending on the level of planning and risk assessment executed, the experience will either be a smooth assignment or a horrendous ordeal.  

Should a crisis arise — especially in countries with disproportionate income, high crime rates, and hostile environments — a well-trained team equipped with the necessary skills and armaments will safely remove the client from the situation.  

Executive Protection Services – More Than Physical Prowess

A common misconception out there is that by hiring protective services you receive large, bulky bodyguards that exude nothing more than physical prowess. Yes, associates that have the relevant training and experience in high-threat situations are a big asset to the team.  

But, maintaining physical readiness is one aspect that helps EP agents perform their duties at the highest level. 

The Takeaway

Protective services are imperative in today’s world – an unfortunate but harsh reality of living and working in the 21st century. All the more so for people in high power positions.   

When it comes to protecting VIPs, executives, and high-net-worth individuals is not something to be taken lightly. The services implemented should complement and enable the business of the principal to grow while ensuring the security of assets at all times.  

The best executive protection teams have a solid security strategy in place and remain unobtrusive to help reduce the risk of any unwanted events. That way, the C-suite can concentrate on their work and not worry about what happens next around them. 

Original Post: https://epwired.com/the-importance-of-using-executive-protection-services/