Personal security and vulnerability to risk isn’t something many of us enjoy thinking about, but it’s a reality we cannot afford to ignore–especially in an increasingly connected world. Whether it’s traveling on business to a foreign country or protecting a government operation from external risk factors, risk management is all about pattern identification and putting structures in place to ensure things go wrong less often–for those with a job to do, a comprehensive system like TigerSwan’s Guardian Angel platform can add a level of security and comfort which lets you focus on the task at hand.
At the cutting edge of this arena, TigerSwan is exploring new horizons in global risk management and personal security systems. Founded by retired US Delta Force leader, James Reese, TigerSwan and their spearhead platform, Guardian Angel, aim to make a range of personnel, intellectual and asset risk management simple for those who are eager to take on new opportunities; at home or overseas.
Travel Risk Management, Duty of Care, Personal Security
To take full advantage of global business opportunities, companies are quickly recognizing the benefits of being physically present in foreign markets.
When it comes to protecting one’s people, Travel Risk Management, Duty of Care and personal security are some of the more common (and important) terms you’re likely to hear–so much so that at times they can seem to blend together. As an employer, however, it’s important to understand some key distinctions:
- Duty of Care: DOC refers to one’s obligation to safeguard the welfare of someone under your care. Whether that’s a parent, a babysitter or an employer–when an individual’s safety or welfare is placed in your hands, it is your duty of care to see that no harm comes their way. Under this DOC umbrella are countless arenas of care: from ensuring that employees are not overly stressed in the workplace to putting plans in place which will safeguard their welfare when traveling on business. Duty of Care is the larger concept of an employer’s obligation to take precautions which will ensure the safety of their staff–the tactics used and precautions taken will vary across organizations and arenas of care.
- Travel Risk Management: This refers to the tactics an employer uses to deliver on their Duty of Care to an employee; specifically while they are traveling on business. Travel Risk Management refers not only to the actual plans put in place (say, organizing a chauffeur in a foreign country, choosing a hotel in a safe part of town, etc.), but also communicating these plans to staff–a TRM plan is no good if employees aren’t informed about it! Robust Travel Risk Management systems allow employees to understand which threats are present and what steps have been taken to mitigate those risks.
- Personal Security: This is the ultimate goal of such activities and tactics. With a sound Travel Risk Management plan and an employer who has taken steps to ensure their DOC obligations are being met–employees can enjoy a high level of personal security, no matter the foreignness of the business environment. Interestingly, the benefits of this go beyond the physical security of an employee. With research showing that the functional IQ of individuals under severe stress or fear of physical threat can decrease by 10-15 points (a full standard deviation), showing your employees that they are safe can actually improve job performance. That could be the difference between stumbling through an important presentation and nailing it to land a new client for the business.
Guardian Angel
Where does TigerSwan fit into this? While TigerSwan won’t build your employee travel schedule from scratch, they can provide you with a comprehensive tracking and risk assessment system to put your staff’s minds at ease.TigerSwan’s flagship platform, Guardian Angel, is an exclusive international-travel security program which leverages a combination of advanced software and lived military experience to help employees travel with confidence, satisfy employers’ Duty of Care and improve personal security. Here are some of the features of the Guardian Angel platform worth noting.
- Situational Awareness: Enhancing situational awareness is one of the best ways to make better decisions under uncertainty. When traveling to a foreign city or location, it’s impossible to expect your team to be fully aware of every risk they might be exposed to. Guardian Angel’s fully integrated, real-time tracking of a situation or full operation aims to reduce the time between incident and response–improving situational awareness so that teams and operations can optimize for efficiency.
- Asset Protection: It isn’t just people who are protected by TigerSwan’s advanced security platform–Guardian Angel also allows businesses to have a complete view of corporate assets and identifies potential risks early. Buildings, software, Intellectual Property, and worksites are all exposed to risk as they travel further around the globe; from internal errors to political instability in the surrounding area. Guardian Angel provides a 24/7 support line with Operational Specialists, trained to respond to both asset and personnel crises in real-time.
- Global Security Operations Center: TigerSwan’s Global Security Operations Center (GSOC) is the engine behind Guardian Angel analytics and insights. Designed with years of experience in global combat leadership, law enforcement, asymmetric threat mitigation, and military intelligence, the GSOC is truly a one-of-a-kind terminal that allows TigerSwan to analyze data that anticipates and mitigates risk globally. While Guardian Angel can also be pointed to alert one’s own internal operations security team, the GSOC is a built-in capability of the platform–giving your team and operations a world-class advantage in risk management.
- Mobile Application: The Guardian Angel platform is available on mobile, and runs on a clean and simple interface. Mobile integration allows members to directly access support staff, track real-time data and provide updates to improve situational awareness on the fly.
TigerSwan Company History
Founded in 2007 by retired members of the United States Delta Force–led by a military vet and current CEO, James Reese–TigerSwan is a modern consultancy for global risk management services. Combining advanced technologies and analytics with real-world and on-ground experience, TigerSwan delivers a range of personnel, intellectual and physical security solutions to operations in over 50 countries. With 120 diverse employees, many of whom come from a military or tactical background, TigerSwan prides itself on being one of the world’s most experienced support teams for real-world risk management and situational awareness solutions.
TigerSwan is based out of Apex, North Carolina, with additional regional offices in Latin America, India, North Africa, West Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
James Reese
In 2007, after 25 years of service, James Reese retired as a Lt. Colonel from what is most commonly referred to as the US Military’s ‘Delta Force’.
A decorated combat leader described as, ‘one of the finest special operators in the modern military, James Reese conceived of the idea for TigerSwan on a training mission in Colorado.
Reese has since grown TigerSwan into a global operation and a leader in risk management systems. His personal approach to leadership within the organization rests heavily on practices taken from his time in the military. He refers to his role as that of a ‘servant leader’. In a recent interview, the decorated military vet gave a commonplace example of how this might play out in an office environment: ‘We have a simple rule in the office–the person who takes the last drink from the coffee pot has to fill it back up. Myself included. If it’s my turn to fill the coffee pot, I’ll do it.’ For Reese, this is what true servant leadership is all about: each team member has a role to fill which strengthens the organization, and no one is above that arrangement.
Conclusion
As the world becomes more connected, new opportunities in the business and personal world are becoming ever more abundant–however, for every new foreign venture, vulnerability to risk rises with it. To take full advantage of opportunities in foreign or potentially risky environments, a sound and secure system for understanding the threats which you or your team may face is essential. With James Reese’s experienced team behind each design decision, TigerSwan’s Guardian Angel platform is leading the way for those looking to expand their horizons into foreign territories; so that businesses can feel confident no matter where their next opportunity takes them.
Dil Bole Oberoi
