Protecting professionals near and far

For the Deloitte firm in Nigeria, the Boko Haram insurgency isn’t some grim situation in a faraway land. The 6-year-old conflict presents a threat to the security of the firm’s clients and professionals.

In response, the firm developed the Deloitte Beacon mobile app, a safety and emergency response solution that helps Deloitte security staff in Nigeria determine at a glance if its personnel are in danger and act immediately. It also lets Deloitte professionals report incidents to the security office in Nigeria and alert nearby peers with the touch of a button. The app functions in both internet and SMS mode, enabling it to work even when a user has no internet access.

Government and nongovernment agencies, as well as Deloitte clients, can purchase Deloitte Beacon from the Nigeria firm and use it to monitor the safety of their people anywhere in the world.

Security is a paramount concern for global organizations whose people work in or travel to areas where they may be at risk—not only from civil unrest, but also from natural disasters or other troubling events. The DTTL Global Security Office takes these risks and the protection of Deloitte professionals very seriously, and has a comprehensive program in place to work with member firms to address ever-present threats around the globe.

The bigger picture

The primary focus of the DTTL Global Security Office (GSO) is to work with member firms to keep Deloitte people safe, particularly during times of emergency or when they are called upon by clients to work in higher-risk areas. A comprehensive program has been put in place to address ever-present threats around the globe. "With Deloitte’s ever-increasing global footprint in more than 150 countries and a high volume of travelers, GSO team members stand ready to help keep our people safe," says Ted Almay, DTTL Global Security Officer.

During FY2015, the GSO continued efforts to further integrate its regional security managers through member firm visits, meetings with country leaders, and the formation of local security councils made up of member firm security officers in each region. During the past year, the GSO also added a business continuity senior manager to work with member firms to enhance their overall resiliency and formed global working groups composed of member firm security leaders to improve the consistency of member firm background screening and physical security measures.

The GSO team leverages the infrastructure and best practices of the largest member firms through the formation of a global steering committee. Security professionals from GSO and DTTL’s three largest member firms comprise the group, which serves in an advisory role to help build out the organization’s global security strategy. This committee supplements the existing Global Security Council, which is a network of Deloitte security and risk professionals and other leaders from the majority of Deloitte member firms.

Keeping Deloitte people safe

The GSO team tracks world events on a daily basis for potential impacts on Deloitte's people and member firms. Whenever a crisis occurs, the GSO, in conjunction with DTTL's Global Crisis Management Team, responds swiftly to help member firms account for the safety of their people, provide necessary relief, and resume normal business operations as soon as possible.

Threats come in many sizes and forms, including geopolitical instability, crime, and natural disasters. “We responded to a range of crisis events, from earthquakes in northern Chile to ongoing instability throughout the Middle East during the past year,” Almay says. Health emergencies also can affect Deloitte people while traveling or assigned overseas, so DTTL maintains 24-hour resources delivered by a leading emergency medical and security provider. “In FY2015 alone, the GSO team responded to more than 170 medical-assistance cases, several of which involved serious medical conditions or accidents necessitating emergency air evacuations,” notes Almay.

Risk awareness for travelers

On an average day, Deloitte member firms may have more than 20,000 people traveling to serve clients. The GSO provided guidance and security planning support in FY2015 to more than 912 member firm engagement teams considering work in potentially troublesome areas of the world. As part of DTTL's global travel security protocols, member firms are encouraged to incorporate security into their travel programs and consult with the GSO before undertaking travel to high-risk locations.

When member firm engagement teams cannot avoid traveling to high-risk locations, assistance provided to engagement teams can range from designing comprehensive security plans, including location-specific security briefings, hotel and transportation recommendations, on-the-ground project logistics, and direct security support, as needed. In doing so, a network of specialized security providers based in many high-risk locations is available to assist.

The GSO continues to work with member firms to raise the awareness of Deloitte people to ensure they are aware of particular risks before they travel. GSO offers a "Know Before You Go" series of general-travel and country-specific e-learning courses and videos. The GSO team is always looking for new approaches to inform Deloitte professionals, and there are plans to leverage technologies, such as online videos, to appeal to Deloitte’s mobile population.

Deloitte professionals have access to a comprehensive travel security website containing the latest security bulletins, assessments, country risk ratings and other resources for travelers. DTTL also uses a mobile application from its emergency services provider that allows Deloitte practitioners to receive the latest security and health alerts and to access other resources.

“Deloitte”, “we”, “us”, and “our” refer to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee (“DTTL”), its network of member firms, and their related entities. DTTL and each of its member firms are legally separate and independent entities. DTTL (also referred to as “Deloitte Global”) does not provide services to clients. See additional information.