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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

16 years ago, on July 22, 2004, the 9-11 Commission Report was released. Do you remember one of the most important revelations in the 9-11 Commission Report? National intelligence is still organized around the collection disciplines of the home agencies, not the joint mission. The importance of integrated, all source analysis cannot be overstated. Without it, it is not possible to “connect the dots”. No one component holds all the relevant information. The biggest impediment to all source analysis – to a greater likelihood of connecting the dots – is the human or systemic resistance to sharing information. The 9-11 Commission Report revealed there wereRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

Hackers and breaches create huge costs and unwanted consequences, but most were preventable. Hackers – cyber criminals, corporate espionage, state-backed countries, insiders, ex-employees, and others want your organization’s information or your money. Every day hackers are successfully breaching organizations, taking advantage of gaps, and then taking the organization’s proprietary information or holding the organization’s information for ransom. Hackers are like cockroaches; they will enter wherever gaps exist. Hackers are successful because PEOPLE (employees, contractors, third-party service providers, vendors, remote workers, etc.) lack ongoing awareness about the latest phishing, business email compromise, and ransomware attacks, creating a gap for hackers. It only takes one gap, oneRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, COVID-19

As organizations are reopening and returning to work, how are you managing all the new pains and liabilities related to COVID-19 challenges on top of all the existing challenges you were already dealing with? It’s time for reopening and returning to work, however, managing lots of new COVID-19 challenges on top of all the existing challenges can create lots of new pains and liabilities too. Some of the new challenges include new and different fears, stressors, confusion, phases, compliance, and safety.  For example: How will you manage fears of employees, students, and guests who fear they may be infected with COVID-19 at work? How willRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, COVID-19

Major events, like the Coronavirus (COVID-19), are major problems that can lead to more major problems beyond just the scope of health and health care. HACKERS (the Villains from the Dark Web) see major events (pandemic, sports, elections, natural disasters, etc.) as opportunities to take advantage of fears, emotions, confusion, and curiosity by sending phishing emails or fake emails to trick employees, perhaps even your employees. Recipients (your employees, staff, etc.) are tricked into clicking on web links, opening attachments, or taking actions that could lead to ransomware, viruses, business email compromises, and many other problems. With more of your employees are working from homeRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, COVID-19

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) is causing a lot of fear, stress, chaos, and confusion with so many different sources of tips, guidelines, apps, etc. While most leaders are currently involved in lots of meetings discussing the immediate actions (suspensions, cancellations, working remotely, online education, safety, health, etc.), it is just as critical to consider numerous other short-term and long-term problems and liablities that need actions and solutions to address: Awareness & Accountability Liabilities caused by quick short-term decisions (working remotely, online classes, etc.) Compliance with Privacy, Safety, OSHA, etc. Lawsuits from Students, Faculty, Vendors, others Awareness & Accountability With employees working remotely and students accessing onlineRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Warning Signs

May I Have Your Attention Please:  All CEOs, CISOs, CFOs, CROs, COOs, CDOs, Superintendents, Deans, Principals, Board Members, Trustees, Mayors, and other leaders too. A paradigm shift is taking place and leaders need to be aware because it involves a legal strategy that attorneys are using to win lawsuits and settlements. The legal strategy involves attorneys filing lawsuits that claim organizations are negligent because they “ignored red flags”. The legal strategy has been very successful and is being copied by private attorneys as well as multiple State Attorneys General and others who are winning lawsuits and settlements using this successfully proven legal strategy. In OpioidRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Connect the Dots, Risk Management, School Safety, Threat Assessment Team, Warning Signs

How many times have you read a headline or story about an incident or tragedy and it mentioned how warning signs and red flags were missed, ignored, or not acted on? How many times have you had an incident at your organization and found out afterward that others were aware of warning signs and red flags before, but you and your team were not aware of them? Even though more than enough warning signs and red flags were observed, leaked, reported, and available before most incidents and tragedies, prevention efforts still failed again and again. Are you asking yourself why and how you can makeRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, Campus Safety, Connect the Dots, Education, First Preventer, Legal, Prevention, Threat Assessment Team, Workplace Violence

Who oversees your Threat Assessment Team(s) and prevention – CFO, Risk Management, Legal, CEO, other? No doubt they understand the importance of insurance policies for specific needs (Workers’ Compensation, Property, Errors & Omissions, Directors and Officers, General Liability, etc.). They also know the tremendous value in having an “Umbrella Insurance Policy” to cover the gaps, silos, and disconnects specific insurance policies do not cover, so your organization isn’t open to liabilities, vulnerabilities, and being sued, any of which could destroy your organization’s reputation and bottom line. Investopedia states that the added coverage of an Umbrella Policy (extra liability insurance “is most useful to individuals whoRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*

Remember Ghostbusters (1984) the movie? The Ghostbusters became heroes when they waged a high-tech battle with the supernatural after they stumbled upon a gateway to another dimension that could release evil upon the city. The Ghostbusters saved the day by zapping the gateway with their high-tech proton packs, blowing up the Marshmallow Man, and eliminating the gateway so evil could no longer enter the city. Ghostbusters, of course, was a movie, however, in the real world today there are many parallels as organizations must zap the gaps that again and again allow acts of evil, incidents, and tragedies to enter their organizations and communities. MovieRead More →

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In: *Connecting the Dots Blog*, First Preventer, Incident Reporting, Prevention, Threat Assessment Team

Would you like to prevent (intervene, disrupt, stop) more incidents and tragedies BEFORE they occur? ✓ Have you ever experienced an incident or tragedy and found out afterward that people were aware of red flags and warning signs BEFORE the incident or tragedy occurred? ✓ Eliminate your gaps, silos, and disconnects. Here are the facts… Evidence, research, post-incident reports, lessons learned, headlines, and other data reveals again and again that more than enough red flags and warning signs were observed and reported BEFORE nearly EVERY incident and tragedy.  BUT common gaps, silos, and disconnects kept the red flags and warning signs from being collected, shared,Read More →