How Intelligence Supports Informed Security Decision-Making

Like many other ubiquitous terms in the modern security-risk-defense lexicon, where usage is often deeply contextual and driven by organizational design, intelligence is not easily defined. At the U.S. Federal level, for example, even though the U.S. Director of National Intelligence acts as a “forcing function” that drives policies and standards within the intelligence community, the definition of intelligence still varies between departments, agencies, and bureaus.

Finding a singular, all-encompassing definition for private-sector intelligence applications is just as difficult. In the private sector, where there are no real definitional or functional guardrails, determining what constitutes intelligence can resemble Justice Potter Stewart’s ‘I know it when I see it.’”

Still, whether in the private or government sector, there are some common themes and ideas that help us better understand what intelligence is and does:

• Intelligence consists of collecting, processing, analyzing, and disseminating information, according to the U.S. Director of National Intelligence.

• The practice of intelligence is heavily influenced by “bureaucratic and political circumstances, and the personal whims of decision-makers,” as notable scholars Mark Stout and Michael Warner explain in their article “Intelligence is as Intelligence Does.”

• At its core, intelligence is designed to support informed decision-making and help decision-makers achieve their version of success in any endeavor.

• For intelligence to be truly helpful, it must be timely, relevant, accurate, and objective, as the e Air Force Doctrine Publication 2-0 on Intelligence outlines.

Decision-makers make better choices when supported by timely, relevant, accurate, and objective information from trained and experienced intelligence analysts. Intelligence, or the non-linear activity of collecting, processing, analyzing, and disseminating information – ultimately enables more informed and confident decision-making.

How Intelligence Aids Security Decision-Making For Corporations, Places of Worship, Law Firms & Private Equity

Intelligence serves many sectors, from private equity firms seeking strategic acquisitions to attorneys identifying connections between people and events. It also supports executive protection teams whose purpose is safeguarding principals and helps corporations with geopolitical forecasting, micro-level threat and hazard updates – and everything in between.

Here are a few examples of how intelligence supports different types of organizations and industries:

• Intelligence for Corporate Security: Corporations can utilize micro-level, or tactical, intelligence in the form of established Priority Intelligence Requirements, which reduces the risk to Principals by providing unambiguous decision-making criteria during executive protection details. Corporations also benefit from longer-term, or strategic, geopolitical analysis that reduces uncertainty when planning expansions into foreign markets. At the facility or regional level, intelligence can mitigate the risks related to workplace violence or specific hostile employee terminations through enhanced background investigations and person of interest monitoring.

• Intelligence for Places of Worship and Schools: Places of worship and schools benefit from monitoring activities, such as protests. Additionally, when intelligence services are integrated with internal or third-party guard forces, the fog and friction inherent during a crisis is reduced substantially. Professionally managed intelligence services will proactively develop indications and warning criteria to help identify possible threat courses of action before they materialize.

• Intelligence for Law Firms: While attorneys benefit from physical surveillance services, the real value of intelligence for attorneys and law firms lies in the collecting, processing, and analyzing phase of the intelligence cycle. Intelligence can illuminate otherwise impossible-to-find connections between people, places, and events through advanced techniques like link analysis. With the help of powerful analytic tools combined with experienced analysts who possess the training and intuition to understand their client’s needs, attorneys can gain incredible leverage for negotiated settlements, depositions, and even jury selection.

• Intelligence and Private Equity: Private equity firms often take substantial risks when acquiring companies. Intelligence, in the form of enhanced background and due diligence checks, helps reduce these risks by identifying potential red flags in individuals or companies. Digging deeper into potentially risky second and third-level connections can provide even greater insight, enabling private equity firms to better understand both the costs and benefits of a potential acquisition.

A Final Note on Intelligence and Security in the Private Sector

There is no overarching intelligence authority for the private sector, nor is there an “industry-wide consensus on [intelligence] best practices.”  Because of this, adherence to tradecraft and analytic standards – such as those articulated in Intelligence Community Directive 203, as well as individual qualifications and knowledge of professional ethics, can vary widely. In the case of intelligence service providers like Convoy Group, adherence less to the Iron Chancellor’s views on lawmaking and more to the principle of “trust, but verify” goes a long way when it comes to informing better decisions.