Posts by Chesley Brown
Top 10 Security Lessons Businesses Learned in 2025
Written by: James Hart Companies face an ever-evolving series of security threats, making contingency planning and preparedness essential. One of the best ways to improve security is by learning from past incidents. The end of the year is a particularly good time to review the preceding 12 months for potential lessons and strategies that can…
Read MoreMaximizing Value and Resilience in Physical Security: A C-Suite Guide for Multi-Asset Organizations Facing Emerging Threats and Higher Costs
Written by: Max Briggs Physical security used to be a straightforward operational line item—gates, guards, cameras, and access control. Today, it’s a board-level function tied directly to risk, resilience, tenant satisfaction, and enterprise value. Organizations with complex footprints—commercial real estate portfolios, mixed-use developments, logistics hubs, healthcare campuses, and corporate offices—are experiencing threats that move faster,…
Read MoreEmployee Spotlight: Stacy Stockton
At Chesley Brown, we believe people are our greatest asset and that starts with bringing on team members who are passionate about protecting what matters most. We’re proud to welcome Stacy Stockton to the team as our new Director of Business Development. With a strong belief in integrity, follow-through, and authentic connection, Stacy brings not…
Read MoreBlack Friday Security Playbook: How Retailers Can Prevent Holiday Crime
Written By: James Hart The holiday shopping season isn’t just the most important time of year for retailers. It’s also when their risk of theft shoots up. In 2023, retailers saw a 93% jump in the average number of shoplifting incidents compared to pre-pandemic times. That’s according to a survey last year from the National…
Read MoreOutsourced, Exposed, and Out of Time: Why the Future of Security Requires a Different Playbook
For decades, organizations have leaned on traditional outsourced security models like uniformed officers, integrators, and legacy third-party vendors. But the world they were built for no longer exists. Cyber-physical convergence, foreign-owned suppliers, rapid threat evolution, and regulatory pressure are rewriting the rules in real time. Executives are asking harder questions, stakeholders expect transparency and resilience,…
Read MoreFrom Headlines to Early Warnings: How Real-Time Intelligence Shields Organizations From Tomorrow’s Crises
At 8:11 a.m., the regional COO’s phone lit up with a text from a site manager: “There’s a crowd forming outside the Atlanta distribution center – looks like a protest.” By the time the security director refreshed the local news, video from the scene was already circulating on social platforms. Trucks were rerouting themselves through…
Read MoreThe IoT Security Nightmare: Why Smart Buildings Are a Hacker’s Playground
Picture the Scene On a Tuesday morning in downtown Chicago, tenants in a new office tower swipe their badges at the glass entrance doors. Inside, the lobby lighting adjusts automatically to the growing crowd. Elevators, programmed with AI algorithms, optimize the flow of people to the upper floors. In the basement, the HVAC system quietly…
Read MoreWhy Rooftop Access Control Should Be Standard Practice at Outdoor Events
Lessons Unlearned, Countermeasures Unmeasured Written By: Max Briggs, Vice President, Chesley Brown International The first rule of open-air event security sounds simple: control what you can see, and see what you can’t control. In practice, many plans still concentrate almost entirely at ground level—perimeter fencing, magnetometers, bag checks, crowd management—while leaving rooftops, upper windows, and…
Read MoreWhite-Collar Crime: How to Detect and Prevent Fraud in Your Business
Fraud rarely announces itself with flashing lights. It works quietly, exploiting gaps in oversight, trust, and accountability until the numbers no longer add up. In 2023, a regional finance firm learned this lesson the hard way when an accounts payable clerk siphoned nearly $2 million through duplicate invoices and manipulated ledger entries. The scheme ran…
Read MoreFrom Ports to Warehouses: Securing the Supply Chain in 2025
Summary: The Human Side of a Global Problem It started with a call just before sunrise. A regional operations manager learned a high-value shipment never made it from the port to the warehouse. The truck was found hours later, empty. The thing that bothered him most was not the loss itself, but how it all…
Read MoreSpot the Signs: Preempting Workplace Violence Through Intelligence
Learn to recognize pre-threat behavioral indicators and prevent workplace violence with intelligence and proactive risk management strategies.
Read MoreUsing Security as a Strategic Growth Driver for Business
Written By: James Hart For a growing number of companies, security has become more than a line item in the budget. It’s evolving into a driver of strategic business growth. A consistent focus on security – ideally overseen by a Chief Security Officer (CSO) or similar role — allows these firms to enhance their operations…
Read MoreSecurity Audits for Compliance: How to Prepare for Internal and External Audits
Written By: James Hart Conducting a security audit of your business or property isn’t just a good idea. Sometimes, it’s required for compliance reasons. Organizations may have to complete a review as a condition of their insurance policies. Sometimes regulations or business partners demand it, especially if those audits are related to cybersecurity or data…
Read MoreStrategies for Securing Parking Lots and Parking Garages
Written By: James Hart Safeguarding a building’s parking garages and parking lots can be one of the more important – and more challenging – security tasks for property management. After all, those areas must be relatively open so employees, customers, vendors and other visitors can access them. However, that openness also makes it easier for…
Read MoreCreating a Culture of Safety: Building Trust and Accountability in the Workplace
Written by: James Hart Your team’s culture could be its best defense against threats to its safety and security. When organizations experience a fire, a product recall or other incidents, they often spend time reviewing what happened. They work to understand the causes so their team can prevent future occurrences. Often, the fault doesn’t belong…
Read MorePreventing Retail Theft: Strategies for Loss Prevention
Written by: James Hart Shoplifting is one of the most persistent threats to retail businesses — and one of the toughest to solve. Fortunately, you can substantially lower your company’s risks with two basic strategies: consistent training and more effective store design. “Shoplifting has always been a problem,” said Josh Noland, vice president at Chesley…
Read MoreSupply Chain Security: Protecting Logistics Operations
By: James Hart Recent years have provided almost constant reminders about the importance of supply chains — and just how fragile they can be. Pandemics, shutdowns and natural disasters have all interrupted the orderly flow of goods to the marketplace. Some of the biggest and most expensive disruptions have been caused by thieves, hackers, rivals…
Read MoreLast-Minute Security Tips for Election Season
Ensuring Safety and Reducing Disruptions With Election Day only a week away, businesses and community leaders are in the final sprint to prepare for any potential disruptions. While there may not be time for long-term strategies, impactful, practical steps can still help keep teams and property safe. And remember, political unrest can extend beyond Election…
Read MoreMail Room Theft and Fraud: Securing Your Business’s Mail Handling Processes
Your office building’s mail room could be an unexpectedly easy target for thieves looking to steal everything from banking information to brand-new electronics worth thousands of dollars. “In many properties, the mail room is usually out of the way and unsecured, making it incredibly easy for a criminal to steal something valuable,” said Max Briggs,…
Read MoreEnsuring Workplace Safety: Best Practices for Protecting Employees
Written by: James Hart In a world like ours, businesses can’t afford to take workplace safety for granted. There’s a long list of reasons why preparedness and planning must be a priority for companies of all sizes. “It should go without saying that just caring for your people — the human element — should be…
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