Unearth the puzzle pieces in choosing a proficient security and risk mitigation company to ensure your safety.

Think of Executive Protection as an art; you’re the customer gunning for a first-class piece of it from an artist. As a high-profile individual, the world to you can be a dangerous place, especially in the age of the internet — threats of assault, stalking, kidnapping, and even assassination may be problems you and your loved ones would have to deal with, like the tough nut of coping with your needs was not enough. 

Suppose you are a political figure, executive or CEO, dignitary, celebrity, wealthy individual, or a Very Important People (VIP) status holder. In that case, your buddy might have suggested getting a bodyguard at least once — ‘no complications’ as they say. But what if professional opinion says you need a higher level of protection and security beyond the services of a bodyguard? This is where the art of Executive Protection comes in.

What is Executive Protection?

Executive Protection is also known as Close Protection. It is a high level of risk mitigation services offered to ensure the safety of individuals and their families who may be exposed to escalated danger because of their employment, status, net worth, affiliations, or geographical location.

What is an Executive Protection Company?

An Executive Protection Company provides first-rate security and protection — plain and simple. These companies provide threat, risk, and vulnerability assessments to their clients and furnish you with Executive Protection Agents that plan and execute your safety, keeping you out of harm’s way.

Now, you’re wondering — ‘what is the difference between an Executive Protection Company and a Bodyguard?’ Simply put, it’s the exact difference between Prevention and Cure.

While an Executive Protection Company provides the same service as a Bodyguard, the manner of approach is different. The Bodyguard reacts when danger occurs, but an Executive Protection Company takes action in advance of expected hazard. A Bodyguard is reactive to danger; an Executive Protection Company goes ahead of any such possibility to prevent it — we’re talking advance tactics, route reconnaissance, embus and debus plans, area surveillance, movement safety, the whole nine yards.

Qualities of a Top-notch Executive Protection Company

Now to the core, choosing the right Executive Protection Company. Choosing the right company that can optimally ascertain your safety and security is no little deal, but it can always be a walk in the park with the proper guidelines, and that is what you’re given here. 

The following are the attributes and qualities you should examine an Executive Protection Company for before selecting which will protect you and your family:

1.Risk Assessment Experience

The first step an Executive Protection Company takes after consultation is risk assessment. Here, the company examines your vulnerability level based on the industry you’re in, the kind of people you encounter daily, and the extent of your popularity, among other parameters. 

Only a firm with a professional VIP risk assessment experience can handle this type of preliminary research well, and companies with risk assessment experience are the best choice because with the right set of information, they can lay out a well-structured program for your security. Without that correct information, the operation’s toast.

2. High Level of Situational Awareness

Being an excellent Executive Protection Company requires more than having agents with the most extended security experience and chiseled physiques. An excellent Executive Protection Company should prove that its agents can intelligently adapt to your needs seamlessly while maintaining a high level of integrity and focus at all times, as each task can require a different mind and skill set. 

You want to be sure that upon hiring this company, you’re in safe hands at all times and won’t have to keep looking over your shoulder like you have no security.

The company’s agents must also be proven to be skilled in significant respects — emergency response, evasive driving, firearms handling, self-defense, interpersonal communication, adaptability, and technology usage.

3. Good Customer Service

Right from the get-go, do not ignore any red flags that pop up during your preliminary discussions with an Executive Protection Company. During the consultation, ask as many questions as possible based on your concerns and see that these questions are answered in simple terms that you fully understand.

If you find that the company had difficulty addressing your concerns, refused to simplify the details and kept spewing technical industry jargon at you, or could not assure your comfortableness with their ability to handle your security problems, those should tell you they’re not the right pick.

An assured good customer service at the preliminary stages matters because if you can’t get that during the consultation stage, there is no guarantee it’ll come when the operation goes full-scale.

4. Data Security

Contrary to the layman’s belief, Executive Protection is more than just physical protection; your personal information is also at stake. You want a company that can handle that information safely and securely — an Executive Protection company that cannot guarantee the safety of your data cannot be referred to as a company that takes its security business seriously. 

An adequate Executive Protection Company should provide you with a legal framework for the security of your information through a Non-Disclosure Agreement, proven compliance with data protection laws, or identified contract terms on how your data will be treated for the duration of your protection.

They should also have a digital framework for your data protection — a robust cyber and IT protection including Endpoint detection and two-factor authentication (2FA), across all of their systems to help protect them from unauthorized access.

5. Liability Insurance

An essential factor to consider in selecting an Executive Protection Company is their insurance coverage.  You have to be confident that the company has the appropriate amount of insurance coverage for your caliber of circumstance. 

The type of insurance that applies primarily in Executive Protection arrangements is Liability Insurance. Find out if the company has both professional and commercial general liability coverage.  Do they also have excess umbrella coverage and workers’ compensation, etc? Also, confirm that the company’s insurance coverage is active and not expired.

6. Reputational Management

You don’t want a company that’s a reputational risk close to your brand; it could tarnish your image, which is why you should always conduct due diligence before selecting an Executive Protection Company. 

Now, it’s easy to look up the history of a company online and see any recent updates on the company or its key employees or any recent incidents the company may have been involved in.

This helps you make an informed decision as to whether you would like to be associated with the company or not, and in the same light, whether you can trust the company to be reliable if you choose to do business with them.

 

These tips and tricks can make finding the right Executive Protection Company easy for you, but if you’d like it more manageable, then voila! 

At Security Pro, we do the work, research, and due diligence and present you with the best options based on what you’re looking for — Executive Protection, Private Investigations, or Security Service, you name it. We connect you with the best professionals in the field that can guarantee you that first-class service you desire. 

So why not book a free (yes, you read that right) consultation with us now? We’re waiting on you.