In the age of terrorism, corporate security has become a growth industry. It takes more than bodyguards and metal detectors to put employees at ease. Security consultants today offer a range of services few executives would’ve thought about in 2000, including real-time intelligence briefings and in-depth “self-protection” seminars. Prudential and the World Bank go so far as to track every employee on the road.
iJet Travel Risk Management, in Annapolis, Md., is one firm that’s grown dramatically. It has more than 400 customers, up from barely a dozen in 2001. In addition to providing employee-tracking services, iJet furnishes companies with intelligence on everything from hurricanes to impending coups. Up-to-date information was also helpful during the SARS outbreak, allowing iJet clients to steer clear of new hot spots.
Michael Cherkasky, the CEO of Kroll Inc.–a large, global risk-consulting group–expects his security business to double in the next year, in part because of all the companies operating in Iraq. “It used to be this business was driven by Colombian type of kidnapping,” he says. “It’s being driven by terrorism now.” That’s why Kroll is expanding its secluded 88-acre Crucible training center in northern Virginia. Crucible’s seminars aim to teach business executives how to stay safe on the road, including such skills as detecting surveillance and blending in while away from home. “If you wait until an attack has begun, you’re too late,” notes Jack Stradley, a former Marine who runs the Crucible site. All the planning in the world won’t help a traveler in the event of another intelligence and security catastrophe like 9/11. But in the more common scenarios abroad, a little preparation can go a long way.
