Hitachi
Data Systems is one of more than 900 subsidiaries that comprise the Hitachi
Limited conglomerate, but the only one with a security director. That's HDS
director of global protective services Michael Clements, who explained to Business Travel News how world events
"make believers" out of skeptics and impel refinements to the
company's traveler security program.
With
assistance from internal risk management and human resources departments, as
well as medical and security firm International SOS, risk management
consultancy Control Risks and BCD Travel, HDS' primary travel management
company, Clements helped to create that program about four years ago to ensure
employees are kept safe, especially when they travel to high-risk locations. Directed
by the HDS Global Security Operations Center in Santa Clara, Calif., the
program now serves 5,000 employees and contractors spread across 140 countries.
"We
go into some pretty unusual places" to service Hitachi products, Clements
said during a February webinar conducted by International SOS. "Business
development wants new markets, of course, and I have been in discussions with
them regarding Nigeria, Pakistan and even Iraq. Fifteen percent of our total
travel days are to high- or extreme-risk locations."
But
catastrophes recently have occurred in places not normally considered risky:
the ash cloud in Europe last year and Japan's earthquake/tsunami disaster this
year.
HDS
had seven employees in Japan when the earthquake struck. "Within about 10 minutes, GSOC
used [International SOS service] TravelTracker to determine who we had in the
country," Clements explained this week in a follow-up interview. "We
tracked them down and communicated with them via text and email and determined
their status." That was possible, Clements said, because data networks
remained operational while cell phone and land-line systems were disrupted.
But HDS within the first 24 hours could not find one traveling
employee, who happened to be a Japanese national. "Her phone battery had
died and she went to her parents' home," Clements explained. "She had
been on Facebook and we found her there. We also check Twitter. There are many
ways for people to communicate."
About a year earlier, when ash from an Icelandic volcano knocked
out the European air transport system, HDS did not require overseas travelers
to carry international-enabled cell phones. Now it does.
"That is one thing we learned from the
ash cloud last year," Clements said. "It became very clear that a lot
of people did not have the ability to be contacted. It was an interesting
takeaway that folks learned just from that incident."
Initially, GSOC's standard procedure was to test the phone numbers and/or SMS text message addresses of travelers to ensure connectivity.
"We recently modified the requirement," Clements said.
"Travelers are to call us when they arrive. They have a certain time limit
to do that, and if they don't, then of course we will begin to try to contact
them. We have only had that happen a few times."
Register First
The
HDS security program sorts trips into four types, according to Clements' webinar
presentation: "unclassified (no special precautions, briefings, etc.),
advisory (provided advice beforehand, etc.), registered (need to register with
Global Security Operations Center) and protected (normally have armed security,
either to and from airports, hotels, etc., maybe personal protection at all
times)."
All
travel to high- or extreme-risk locations is "voluntary" and
monitored by GSOC, which is staffed by contractors from Allied Barton Security Services. HDS may deem a country higher-risk than Control Risks'
assessment, "but we never go lower than Control Risks," Clements said.
For example, Hitachi lists India and Thailand as high-risk countries.
If
booked for travel to a high-risk location, the employee receives an emailed
request to register with GSOC. That email, according to Clements' presentation,
warns that failure to properly register by a specified time and date before
scheduled departure "will cause BCD Travel to suspend travel. Travel may
be reinstated when registration is complete, though the traveler may be
responsible for any costs incurred by HDS." Employees receive three
reminders before security managers attempt to make contact. Failing that,
travel is delayed. "We haven't had to do it yet," Clements noted.
Once
given the green light, a geography security manager would contact the traveler to
"run through what we have from Control Risks and other sources."
In
another program component, "HDS Life Line," a local colleague in a
high-risk area is assigned to the traveling employee. "It is someone who
can truly take them by the hand if needed to help them out, provide transportation, talk to the
local population, and someone we'd call if we can't find the traveler," Clements said.
From Doubted To Emulated
Clements
acknowledged that the program initially "was not too well received because people were reluctant
to take on various responsibilities," notably pre-trip registering. But in
2008, the Mumbai massacre and protests in Thailand that shuttered the main
airport "started making believers out of folks."
At the same time, there "was a bit of a learning curve"
as it related to a revised travel policy. "The travel policy had a little
too much flexibility, so we worked with the CFO—travel exists in finance—and
really firmed it up so it's very clear that people must use BCD," and
therefore can be found using the TMC's data and ISOS's TravelTracker. That
requirement is backed by potential non-reimbursement of travel expenses,
Clements said. "There is some teeth in the program."
Today, the HDS travel security program draws interest from other
Hitachi Limited divisions. "We have had some inquiries," Clements
said. "We could have, if other Hitachi companies would have wanted us to,
assisted them [in the aftermath of the Japan earthquake], but we don't have
those arrangements made yet. I expect that's going to happen. We have to report
to our executive committee next week about what transpired. That will to be
submitted up to Hitachi Ltd."