The Path Forward

A New Vision for Travel Risk Management

Executive Summary

This article, "The Path Forward: A New Vision for Travel Risk Management," advocates for a comprehensive overhaul of outdated travel risk management (TRM) practices in the year 2024.

It argues for moving beyond antiquated methodologies that rely heavily on obsolete technologies, inefficient expenditures, and a superficial compliance mentality.

Instead, the article champions a future in which travel risk management is transparent, pragmatic, and prepared, utilizing decentralized response management through widely used communication platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, SMS, and traditional voice calls to ensure all stakeholders can participate effectively.

This shift promises a more efficient, cost-effective approach that bills only for what is genuinely necessary, discarding the reliance on irrelevant alerts, underused special travel apps, and the myth of a single global provider.

Key Insights Include:

Redefining Travel Information and Advisory Services:

The article criticizes current service provision as largely redundant and ineffective, advocating for a switch to official resources that provide comparable insights at no cost.

Revamping Emergency Mass Communication:

It challenges the necessity of proprietary communication apps for mass emergency communication, highlighting the effectiveness of widely adopted platforms like WhatsApp, SMS, and voice calls.

Reassessing Global Security Operations Centers (GSOCs):

The traditional GSOC setup is deemed outdated, with a push towards leveraging recent, relevant expertise and adopting a decentralized approach to response operations.

Rethinking Marketing and Sales Narratives:

The article calls for a pragmatic approach towards selecting TRM providers, advocating for collaboration and integration among various services rather than dependence on a singular global provider.

I invite stakeholders to engage in further discussion on enhancing TRM programs, emphasizing a collective move towards a more effective, streamlined approach that aligns with modern technological capabilities and user behaviors.

This new vision for travel risk management underscores the importance of adaptability, efficiency, and the utilization of common digital communication tools to ensure safety and support over complex, underutilized, and expensive proprietary tools and facilities.

Background

In my previous article on Travel Risk Management (TRM), I highlighted how current practices mirror outdated methods, heavily reliant on obsolete technologies and approaches.

This article seeks to spark a conversation toward substantial change, moving away from the superficial "check-the-box" mentality, stagnation in thinking and innovation and the inefficient spending typical of traditional programs.

We must progress beyond the current norms, marked by cumbersome, repetitive processes and service expectations rooted in outdated realities that overlook human behavior and technological advancements.

Redefining Information and Advisory Services

Services once hailed as “intelligence” and “critical alerts” in the late 2000s and early 2010s have devolved into essentially open-source, rehashed media content processed by ChatGPT. Often, the information and advice provided are irrelevant and do not justify an alert. They can be complex to consume, featuring excessive colors, heat overlays, and unnecessary data. During crises, this information fails to accurately reflect real-time, on-the-ground situations, leading to more confusion than clarity and hindering informed decision-making.

The solution is clear: either vendors must improve these services, or clients must stop paying for them and direct travelers to free, official resources instead.

Revamping Emergency Mass Communication

The ability to communicate remains crucial in providing assistance. That said, the outdated belief that specialized applications are necessary for mass communication in emergencies fails to recognize advancements in technology that have made such applications superfluous for broad international communication.

The promotion of misleading information by mass communication software vendors, who exaggerate the importance of their products to retain clients, is a significant hurdle.

The reluctance of organizations to endorse widely-used messaging apps like WhatsApp, despite its widespread adoption among emergency responders and the general public, is misguided. In emergency scenarios, privacy concerns, while occasionally valid, are often overstated.

A combination of voice calls, SMS, and WhatsApp are what is commonly used, especially during crises.

With higher engagement rates coming from non-secure communications like regular SMS and voice calls, corporate reluctance to use encrypted platforms like WhatsApp for sharing information and location is unfounded.

This further highlights the importance of shifting our reliance from specialized apps to more accessible, universally adopted solutions.

Reassessing Global Security Operations Centers (GSOC)

The conventional setup of Global Security Operations Centers (GSOCs)—teams stationed in rooms featuring video walls and world clocks—is facing increasing scrutiny for its relevance and utility in 2024.

Naturally, some Chief Security Officer (CSO) harbors concerns about the implications of dismantling their GSOC, viewing its absence as not only a potential security risk but also a potential further risk to their role as a whole.

In contrast, the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), who often has a bigger voice and budget, considers the physical aspect of these centers obsolete, as his or her team's operations have often evolved beyond the need for a centralized, physical location.

Meanwhile, Chief Financial Officers (CFOs), near universally criticize the centers as financially burdensome and redundant to the core needs of the business.

What was once a symbol of an organization's crisis management and business continuity prowess now appears outdated. Examples of successful remote evacuations and business recovery evolutions highlight the efficacy of modern, decentralized approaches, suggesting that today's operational needs can be met without the physical trappings of the past.

A closer examination of GSOC personnel indicates a discrepancy between the skill sets employed in ‘client-facing’ roles, and those necessary for detailed, region-specific expertise aligned to the needs of the end-user – the business traveler.

The move towards decentralized response management is both inevitable and essential. It allows us to tap into organization-wide expertise and utilize inclusive tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WhatsApp, and basic SMS and voice calls that are already part of our daily lives.

This strategy simplifies communication, includes everyone capable of contributing meaningfully regardless of their familiarity with specialized applications, and ensures cost-effectiveness by paying only for what we truly need. It cuts through unnecessary information to deliver actionable and timely support during crises.

Rethinking Marketing and Sales Narratives in Travel Risk Management

Companies with significant marketing budgets often advertise themselves as the one-stop solution for travel assistance. This might lead organizations to view them as the “one global provider” ideal for travel risk management.

However, a closer look reveals shortcomings in their offerings and challenges in integration.

This article advocates for a pragmatic approach, recognizing each provider’s strengths and strategically leveraging their services. By moving away from the outdated dependence on a singular provider, this strategy promotes integration, collaboration, and coordination among providers to better serve the real stakeholders—the clients.

Engage with Us

I welcome your thoughts and experiences. If you’re open, I’d like to discuss how we’re helping to improve TRM programs, one step at a time. Please contact me at sw@sicurogroup.com to arrange a time to discuss your specific concerns with my team. We’re eager to share our insights and, where appropriate, highlight effective practices, with no obligation on your part.

About the Author

Scott Wilcox, founder of Sicuro Group, combines entrepreneurialism with deep expertise in security and logistics. With over 20 years experience in challenging regions, he is driven by a passion for solving complex problems through technology, critical thinking, and collaboration