Convergence of Enterprise Security Organizations

To gain a better understanding of the impact of security convergence on global enterprises, Booz Allen Hamilton examined this trend within enterprises throughout the United States at the request of the American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) International. ASIS defines convergence as, "the identification of security risks and interdependencies between business functions and processes within the enterprise and the development of managed business process solutions to address those risks and interdependence."

In the resulting white paper entitled, "Convergence of Enterprise Security Organizations," Booz Allen identified several internal and external drivers that are forcing convergence to emerge:

• Rapid expansion of the enterprise ecosystem



• Value migration from physical to information-based and intangible assets



• New protective technologies blurring functional boundaries



• New compliance and regulatory regimes



• Continuing pressure to reduce costs

These imperatives are fundamentally altering the security landscape by forcing a change in the role security practitioners play across the value chain of the business.

Booz Allen's research also reveals a shift from the current state in which security practitioners focus on their function to a new state in which activities are integrated to improve the value of the business. This new "business of security" requires security professionals to reexamine the key operating levers they have available to them. While these operating levers are not new, the opportunity to use them in innovative ways may be.

Booz Allen believes that convergence is a business trend with a great deal of momentum. Delivering on convergence is not just about organizational integration — it is about integrating the security disciplines with the business' mission to deliver shareholder value.