For the first edition of “Intel in 5”, we spoke to Executive Director Mike Bluestone. With over three decades of experience in the security industry, including 15 years at Corps Intel, Mike discusses the academic and technological advancements he has witnessed, and helped shape.
What does a typical day look like for you?
It is always varied, never boring. My work often involves advising clients on their security and resilience issues, updating them on the implications of geopolitical events that may impact their business, and reporting on other known or perceived threats.
On other days, I might arrange security reviews, audits, or physical penetration tests, as well as support clients in drafting tailored security policies and strategies.
More recently, I’ve been speaking to clients about technical innovations such as robotics, drones, and AI, which we have been building into our offering over the last few years. Depending on their security awareness, some clients will require more data and information on certain risks and threats.
The threat landscape can vary depending on the nature of clients’ activities and areas of operation. For example, the risks and threats to an arms manufacturer will differ to those of a manufacturer producing less controversial products, so our advice is catered to each client’s sector, their technological requirements, and reflects their specific security needs.
What first drew you to intelligence or security work?
My first career was in the legal profession, where I spent 12 years, before moving to work in logistics in the Middle East. I had already served in the Reserve forces in the UK and gained some further military and policing experience when overseas. On my return to the UK, my training and experience meant that the move into security was a natural progression for me.
In the mid 1990’s, I decided to study for an MA in security management at Loughborough University. At that time, there weren’t many academic qualifications available for security leaders. There were maybe a few scores of security professionals with security-related degrees, but now we are in the thousands. The past 25 years have seen a massive growth in the number of universities and other institutions offering academic and vocational qualifications in security.
What’s the most misunderstood part of your job?
I think that there is still a gap in the perception of the security industry as being mainly focused on the provision of ‘guarding’ services, rather than security being a professional endeavour in its own right. There are thousands of security professionals in the UK who are delivering high-level advice on security and resilience across the spectrum of UK PLC.
These professionals have been supported by organisations like The Security Institute, which have promoted professional qualifications in the industry for many years. I was the 20th member of the Institute and went on to be its chair for the period 2008-12. Now there are over 5,000 members. I also helped develop and became one of the first Registrants on the Register of Chartered Security Professionals, a certification of high competencies in our sector.
The rise of academia and training standards in the security industry has had a big impact on me personally – it has helped earn me two lifetime achievement awards – but more importantly, it has also raised standards within the sector as a whole.
What’s a recent trend or technological development you’re watching closely?
Technical innovations are very high on our agenda, and we’re moving quickly to present our clients with practical solutions that are aligned with their sectors.
The development of technology has accelerated quite dramatically over the past few years – more than any other time I can remember. It has really triggered our thinking about how we can use technology to cover the more routine functions of security operations and thereby allow our colleagues to address the more challenging and complex issues which they face on a day-to-day basis.
It doesn’t matter how sophisticated the technology deployed may be, it will likely require a human to make a key or critical decision at some point. Our monitoring centre is an ideal example of that process. When the CCTV and alarm activations are received, our Corps Monitoring colleagues are seated behind huge screens and making the vital next steps and decisions to keep people and assets safe.
What is one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
I’ve always been heavily into music, and I’ve got four sons who have the same interest, so our home has always been full of music. Two of my sons are producers, one out in the States and the other here in the UK. Even my eldest and youngest sons, who are not professional musicians, are very passionate about it.
I like to stay active – I swim and walk, and I’ve got a lovely wife, a dog, four sons and four grandchildren, but music will always be a great source of inspiration for me. Different genres suit my activities throughout the day. When I’m driving, I listen to jazz and funk music, sometimes heavy reggae. In the evening, I might listen to classical or chill-out jazz.
I come from a generation that was fortunate to experience a major revolution in music with the Beatles and the Stones, then the Philadelphia soul movement, Motown and then reggae. I grew up in North London, and I remember fondly the huge sound speakers on the pavement in Ridley Road Market, where people would dance to ska and reggae. It got into my soul.
Security is a demanding and serious job because we are keeping people and valuable assets safe, but we like to relax too and it’s great to switch off from work, at least sometimes…
If you are interested in exploring security solutions, find out more about our services and get in touch with our team.
