Matt has over 22 years experience in the fire safety industry, and now provides advice and solutions to help mitigate the fire risk with fire safety products for both commercial and residential building projects.

The first episode discussed the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, while the second covered regulation and standards, and in our final episode we cover action plans organisations can take to reduce, prevent and mitigate the fire risk.

Find out more here

• Lithium-ion battery fire risks – What you need to know (part one)
• Lithium-ion battery fire risks – What you need to know (part two)
• Webinar: Lithium-Ion Battery Fires – A burning issue in today’s world
• E-bike and e-scooter safety guidance issued
• Lithium-Ion battery fire safety – Your questions answered
• How to safely use and store lithium-ion batteries in the workplace
• Hot spots: fire hazards multiply to threaten construction sites

Matt has over 22 years experience in the fire safety industry, and now provides advice and solutions to help mitigate the fire risk with fire safety products for both commercial and residential building projects.

The first episode discussed the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, while this one will cover regulation and standards, and in the final episode we'll cover action plans organisations can take to reduce, prevent and mitigate the fire risk.

Find out more here

• Lithium-ion battery fire risks – What you need to know (part one)
• Webinar: Lithium-Ion Battery Fires – A burning issue in today’s world
• E-bike and e-scooter safety guidance issued
• Lithium-Ion battery fire safety – Your questions answered
• How to safely use and store lithium-ion batteries in the workplace
• Hot spots: fire hazards multiply to threaten construction sites

Matt has over 22 years experience in the fire safety industry, and now provides advice and solutions to help mitigate the fire risk with fire safety products for both commercial and residential building projects.

The first episode discusses the dangers of lithium-ion batteries, while the next will cover regulation and standards, and in the final episode we'll cover action plans organisations can take to reduce, prevent and mitigate the fire risk.

Find out more here

• Webinar: Lithium-Ion Battery Fires – A burning issue in today’s world
• E-bike and e-scooter safety guidance issued
• Lithium-Ion battery fire safety – Your questions answered
• How to safely use and store lithium-ion batteries in the workplace
• Hot spots: fire hazards multiply to threaten construction sites

Publishing weekly from Tuesday 12 March on Ifsec Insider and SHP.

This sponsored podcast aims to balance informative content about CSL's expertise within the IoT connectivity space while showcasing real-world applications like CCTV and Access Control with expert John Coleman, who is Head of Sales UK & Ireland at CSL.

We cover why connectivity is a key aspect within the security sector, current challenges and opportunities, real-world applications and its impact.

John also provides an overview of the 2024 security and access control sector, including the advancement of cyber attacks and why cyber solutions will be the next big focus for them.

Further reading:

• IFSEC Interviews: IoT in fire safety – What does the future hold?
• Streamlining the connectivity costs of local government CCTV
• The shift towards connectivity in the intrusion technology market
• 2024 trends in physical security and critical communications
• Research finds low level of trust for IoT device security

Our two guest experts explain the challenges CNI environments face today, and predict what’s ahead. We hear more about key developments in highly secure environments, with a particular focus on digitalisation and its impact on security professionals and the technology they are working with.

As this drive to a more digitised and connected security ecosystem develops, just what are the key requirements and obstacles security teams must consider? How do devices such as digital locks enable greater efficiencies and more secure sites? And how does a CNI operation achieve true integration and embrace convergence of technology?

All this, and more, is covered by Stephen Horner, a Security Advisor for Northern Gas Network, and Steve Wintle, Head of Critical Infrastructure at Abloy UK. Having worked on a range of projects across all areas of CNI, both provide fascinating insight into one of the most security conscious environments there is.

Links to talking points:

• Whitepaper: Return on Investment of Digital Access Management Solutions for Critical Infrastructure Protection
• More from IFSEC insider on security critical national infrastructure
• Batteries in keyless solutions – Threat or opportunity in critical infrastructure protection?
• More about the ALCEA and ASSA ABLOY Global Solutions merger
• News: UK expertise in security critical national infrastructure outlined in UK Defence Brochure
• Checklist for companies: Aspects to consider before moving to a digital access solution

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Insider Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Insider, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Our discussion took place in late September 2023, the night after the city of Odessa was hit by several missile strikes, as Risto shares his experiences of what it's been like to continue working in his role during an ongoing and active war. We hear what those first days of the conflict were like and how security professionals worked tirelessly to support and advise clients and businesses on evacuation procedures.

Risto also shares how the perception of risk has changed over the course of the war, the resilience of his fellow Ukrainian people, and the support he's received through ASIS and the global security community.

Links to talking points:

• ASIS Ukraine Chapter
• ASIS International
• Managing risk in and keeping employees safe during the Ukraine crisis
• Radiological threats in Ukraine: Time to worry? Or not?
• Ukraine War: A month-by-month timeline of the conflict so far

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Insider Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Insider, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Episode 15 of the IFSEC Insider Security in Focus podcast looks to answer exactly these questions. Well, specifically, Kevin Brownell and Darren Chalmers Stevens from smart consultancy firm, Nuxform, do.

Both have a background and expertise in physical security technology, and so are perfectly positioned to answer these questions. They explain why the security team and the assets it owns are fundamental to smart buildings, as well as how managers and directors can ensure their voices are heard in the matter.

We also hear from Mike Brooman, CEO at master systems integrator, Vanti. Mike speaks to us from IFSEC in May at the Smart Buildings Immersive Experience, where he discusses the benefits of an integrated environment, where connected data points can provide genuine and actionable insight to make buildings more sustainable and secure.

Links to talking points:

• The central role of access control to the transition to smart buildings
• Latest IFSEC Insider articles on Smart Buildings
• IFSEC Interviews: Vanti – Empowering smarter buildings with integrated systems
• The next evolution of smart buildings – “Security will have a central role to play”
• IFSEC Insider's Wireless Access Control Report 2023

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Insider Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Insider, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Beginning with an introduction to what we mean when we're talking about AI, Rajat explains how the technology has developed in the last 15 years and why its usage and applications have exploded in 2023.

The episode then moves on to discuss ethical AI, and the importance of human intervention in any decision making process. It's a topic that the security sector is already grappling with, as professionals work out how best to use technology such as facial recognition and ANPR in a proportionate and trusted way.

Links to talking points:

• IBM's Watson computer vs Jeopardy contestants in 2011
• Latest IFSEC Insider articles on AI
• How is AI changing the security sector?
• Tensions rise over France’s plan for AI video surveillance at Paris Olympics
• Is AI-based false alarm filtering the beginning of the end for remote CCTV monitoring as we know it?
• IFSEC Insider's Wireless Access Control Report 2023

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Insider Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Insider, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Across the series, we ask what the future looks like for the fire and security engineering sector. The well publicised skills gap, alongside ever-advancing technology and questions over competency are all discussed.

In this episode, we hear from Andy Reakes, Tom Brookes and Trevor Jenks. The trio spoke at FIREX in May 2023, presenting on how the industry is raising competency standards in fire and security - doing this through the development of the FESS apprenticeship and experienced worker assessment standards.

Andy Reakes of the Joint Industry Board and Electrotechnical Certification Scheme goes into more detail about all of this - covering everything from certifying individual competence, new standards frameworks, and career paths for engineers and technicians.

Links to talking points

• ‘Accessible to anyone’: How fire systems professionals can prove and expand competence
• Mind the gap – how FESS ECS cards are helping the push for improved competency standards across fire and security
• Electrotechnical Joint Industry Board
• All you need to know about the FESS apprenticeship standard in fire and security
• IFSEC Insider Security in Focus podcast
• Fire emergency and security systems technician apprenticeship standard

For more content from IFSEC Insider, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Across the series, we ask what the future looks like for the fire and security engineering sector. The well publicised skills gap, alongside ever-advancing technology and questions over competency are all discussed.

In this episode, we talk to Kevin Faulkner from Banham Academy, a fire and security apprenticeship provider based in South London, but that has also recently opened up a training centre in Derby.

Having been in the sector for over 20 years, Kevin has significant experience and expertise in the development of apprenticeship standards and the reasons behind the skills gap. He also covers why diversity and inclusivity must be embraced, and the development of the FESS apprenticeship and experienced worker assessment standards.

Links to talking points

• Banham Academy
• Banham Academy partners with NSI to tackle the industry’s gender gap with Apprenticeship Training Programme for Women
• Banham Academy expands with opening of Derby apprenticeship training centre
• All you need to know about the FESS apprenticeship standard in fire and security
• IFSEC Insider Security in Focus podcast
• Fire emergency and security systems technician apprenticeship standard

For more content from IFSEC Insider, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Across the series, we ask what the future looks like for the fire and security engineering sector. The well publicised skills gap, alongside ever-advancing technology and questions over competency are all discussed.

In this episode, we talk to David Scott and Simon Banks from Skills for Security about their vision for the next generation of fire and security installers, engineers and technicians. David and Simon expand on what they describe as the potential for 'super engineers' - expert and highly competent professionals working in a multi-disciplined environment.

Links to talking points

• Skills for Security
• Engineers of Tomorrow and WorldSkills UK 2023 competition
• All you need to know about the FESS apprenticeship standard in fire and security
• IFSEC Insider Security in Focus podcast
• Fire emergency and security systems technician apprenticeship standard

For more content from IFSEC Insider, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

The main focus of the episode then explores the latest research from Perpetuity Research, which Martin leads, into how much influence the security sector has over the budget. Ultimately, the research found that security is often lacking influence, despite this being a key factor in delivering good security.

Martin explains why this isn't just about 'the money', but relates to the evolution of the security department towards being a critical business operation for continuity and organisational excellence.

Links to talking points:

• Latest SRI report indicates security managers “lack influence over the security budget”
• 84% of leading CSOs expect 2023 physical security budget to match or exceed 2022, Omdia reveals
• Perpetuity Research Report: Security managers lack influence over the security budget; and how to remedy that
• Latest survey from Perpetuity Research: Can security be excellent without the right culture?
• The Outstanding Security Performance Awards

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Insider Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Insider, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters to get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

First up, hear from Figen Murray all about her push for new security legislation in the UK following the tragic death of her son, Martyn Hett, in the Manchester Arena attack in 2017. Figen tells us all about the journey and story behind the campaign, how she's worked with the security industry during the process, and gives her thoughts on the public inquiry into the bombing and what it revealed.

You'll also hear from Sarah Meek, Managing Director of mental health charity, Mates in Mind. The charity specialises in providing mental health support and advice for those in the construction sector and in adjacent industries, with security and fire professionals included. Sarah explains how workplace communication can positively impact a colleague or employee's state of mind.

And, in the middle, you'll hear all about what went on at IFSEC 2023, which took place between 16-18 May at London's ExCeL, from Event Director, Gerry Dunphy!

Links to talking points:

• Register for the Martyn's Law Conference at IFSEC
• Find out more about Martyn's Law & the Protect Duty
• Manchester Arena Inquiry latest
• Read: Interview with Sarah Meek, MD of Mates in Mind
• Mates in Mind - mental health charity
• Mates in Mind calls on companies to start the conversation about mental health

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Global, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Lee explains the growth of 'proptech' solutions and why convenience is now just as important to end-users as security credentials. He takes us back to the early beginnings of access control technology, and how requirements have evolved as software has opened up new opportunities and use cases.

Lee also presented at IFSEC 2023 on the Tech Talks theatre.

Links to talking points:

• News story: National Protective Security Authority (NPSA) absorbs responsibilities of CPNI
• News story: Latest on the Manchester Arena Inquiry
• Lee Odess and the Access Control Executive Brief
• IFSEC Global's Physical Access Control Report 2022

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Global, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Bonnie has also been president of three major security associations during her career, leaving us with plenty to discuss. During the episode, we talk about the response of the security sector to the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States in 2001, the importance of associations and mentoring programmes, protecting healthcare sites during COVID-19, and what traits make for a successful career in security.

Links to talking points:

• News story: Training, pay rates and protection for UK security operatives in 2023 - Opportunities for change?
• News story: Laser detection challenges camera based analytics for surveillance and people tracking applications
• Global Security Influencer of the Year 2022: Bonnie Michelman
• IFSEC Global Podcast: Episode 8 – Securing healthcare facilities during a pandemic and beyond
• ASIS International

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Global, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Host, Charlotte Geoghegan, also hears about the development of the different women's networks, why they exist and their future goals. Thank you to Letitia Emeana, Fiona Perrin, Andrea White and Heather Beach for their insight.

Links to talking points:

• “We need to actively encourage diversity in the fire sector, and I believe that starts with encouraging diversity of thought"
• Women’s networks and experiences in fire, safety and security – Your questions answered
• “Why can’t we change the face of physical security?” – ASIS’ Letitia Emeana on diversifying the security culture
• Women's Security Society
• The Institution of Fire Engineers - Women's Networking Group
• The Women in Health and Safety Network

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Global, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Just how did the sector go about protecting staff, patients and the facilities they work and recover in, during this period? And what security challenges does healthcare face now?

These are questions we ask Roger Ringham from the National Association of Healthcare Security Professionals (NAHS) and Darren Chalmers Stevens from CriticalArc, in this episode. It's a fascinating chat, covering everything from the issue of the mental health crisis and the impact it has had on security professionals, to protecting pop-up vaccination centres and how technology is coming to the fore to support lone worker protection.

Links to talking points:

• Why the healthcare sector must focus on NHS staff safety and security amid rising workplace violence
• The obstacles to staff safety and wellbeing in the NHS
• Why healthcare security managers are keen to fix problems caused by de-regulation
• The Video Surveillance Report 2022
• Find out more about NAHS
• Campus gun threat: What’s the right response? Darren Chalmers Stevens

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Global, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

What Marisa and her team’s research has found, through a mixture of investigate evidence and direct interviews with 10 offenders, makes for fascinating listening. She notes how the patterns are actually similar to those the Secret Service had already uncovered about assassination attempts – now known in the field as a ‘pathway to violence’.

As always, we ask Marisa to comment on some of the key trends she’s witnessing in the wider security industry in her role as Executive Director of Threat Management for Ontic, too.

Links to talking points:

• Why the insider threat will motivate cyber and physical teams to collaborate more than ever in 2022, article for IFSEC Global by Dr Marissa Randazzo
• Dr. Marisa Randazzo, Ontic biography
• US Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC)
• Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America, by Mark Follman
• The Ontic Protective Intelligence Podcast

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Global, make sure to check our website: www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

Why do humans make bad decisions? And, how can security teams integrate risk and resilience to put the emphasis on the individuals managing it themselves? Have a listen to this episode to find out!

As always, Dr Gav also gives us his view on some of the key trends in the security sector at present - touching upon the growth of the cyber threat, how to manage integrated risk, and the impact of lockdowns around the world.

Links to talking points:

• The move towards Presilience - Dr Gavriel Schneider & Tony Mcguirk
• Presilience info and resources
• The IFSEC Global Influencers in Security 2022

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Global, make sure to check our website:  www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

As an open industry forum that provides and promotes standardised interfaces for effective interoperability of IP-based physical security products, ONVIF's profiles cover everything from access control and door control management, to edge storage, video and analytics applications. So in other words, Leo is perfect guest to discuss this all with!

We also touch upon how the security industry has evolved from proprietary-based tech to open standards over the years. And, in the final few minutes, Leo offers his thoughts on the key trends ahead for security professionals.

Links to talking points:

• Latest news and updates regarding ONVIF on IFSEC Global
• Whitepaper: The growth of integrated solutions in the access control sector
• Find out more about ONVIF

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Global, make sure to check our website:  www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

We also explore the duo's involvement in the IoT Security Foundation. CCTV, access control and alarm devices are increasingly connected to the internet and third party applications and software, so Sarb and James explain where physical security professionals can start understanding IoT risks and how to mitigate them.

Links to talking points:

• Watch our interview with James & Sarb at IFSEC International 2022
• “There’s a hole in the bucket, dear Liza” – IFSEC’s converged security centre
• Is your home or small business built on secure foundations? Think again…
• Find out more about the IoT Security Foundation

If you like the show, make sure to subscribe and follow the IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast. And, feel free to recommend the show to a friend or colleague!

For more content from IFSEC Global, make sure to check our website:  www.ifsecglobal.com and sign up to our weekly e-newsletters and get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox.

We chat about how the pandemic has changed the face of the sector, and why it has helped professionals get a ‘seat at the C-suite table’, as organisations recognise the value security personnel and technology can bring. The second half of the episode explores the new challenges physical security professionals face from the growing divisive societal ‘factions’ that social media has helped to cement, to blockchain, to the development of the insider threat as a major disrupter and risk factor in businesses of all sizes. 

We finish on a fascinating story regarding an ex-US intelligence agent, so keep listening to find out more!

Links to talking points:

• IFSEC Global’s top influencers in security 2022
• The 2022 State of Physical Access Control Report
• GIPS Insights
• IFSEC Global Security in Focus podcast hub – all episodes!

The Secure Futures programme, lead by Paul and in collaboration with the EY Foundation, has seen widespread support from the industry since its launch in 2020. It’s an initiative designed to introduce 16-18 year-olds from low income backgrounds to the wide array of opportunities and roles within the physical, personnel and cyber security sectors. We also hear from two graduates who were on the programme, to understand what their experiences were and why they’d encourage others to get involved.

Throughout the discussion, we examine the importance of developing the next generation of security leaders, and in particular engaging those from diverse backgrounds that haven’t traditionally entered the sector.

• Read more about the Secure Futures programme here
• Read more about the Security Institute's Next Gen initiatives
• Read more about the EY Foundation

Letitia Emeana has been active in security since 2001 and is the Chair of the ASIS UK Chapter. She qualified with her ASIS PSP in December 2007, IT Governance CISMP 2014 and ASIS CPP in 2017. Letitia is a multi-disciplinary security professional and leader with significant experience in Security Design, Security Technology and Security Implementation. She is currently the Global Security Capability Manager at Unilever and held previous Leadership positions at Tesla, Amazon and Lloyds Banking Group. She is a passionate advocate for Diversity in its broadest sense and was core to the establishment of Women’s Security groups in Amazon, Tesla and Unilever.

• Read IFSEC Global’s exclusive article write up with Letitia, here.
• Read more exclusive interviews with security and fire professionals, here.
• Find out more about the IFSEC Converged Security Centre, mentioned in the podcast, here.
• Find out about IFSEC International, Europe’s leading physical security event, here.
• Find out more about ASIS International, here.