SIA New Member Profile: Business & Learning Resources (BLR)

New Security Industry Association (SIA) member Business & Learning Resources (BLR) provides education solutions designed to help businesses deliver consistent training, achieve compliance and maximize efficiencies in employee workflows and is the publisher of Total Security Advisor. BLR is headquartered in Brentwood, Tennesee, with additional offices in Massachusetts, Connecticut and Maryland and customers of all sizes and industries.

SIA spoke with Josh Zygmont, content director at BLR, about the company, the security industry and working with SIA.

Tell us the story of your company.

Josh Zygmont: As an industry-leading knowledge provider with more than 40 years of experience, BLR  provides over 30,000 businesses with the right knowledge at the right time in the right way to respond quickly in today’s continuously evolving business environment.

BLR is a division of parent company Simplify Compliance, and our portfolio consists of innovative multi-platform products and services that include newsletters, workflow solutions and tools, online courses, instructor-led training and more to meet the needs of executives and professionals and help you act more intentionally, deliberately and purposefully.  

What solutions/services does your business offer in the security industry? And what makes your offerings/company unique?

JZ: BLR is the publisher of an online magazine and newsletter dedicated to serving security professionals, Total Security Advisor, which keeps readers informed with the latest updates, trends and insight from around the security industry. We provide market-leading coverage and a diverse content offering that includes industry alerts, feature articles, contributed guest posts, webinars, research and infographics. We also provide an outlet for security-related advertisers to connect directly with our audience of professionals via custom content such as white papers, e-books and various engagement sessions (sponsored webinars, live presentations, etc.).

What is something we might not know about your company – or something new you are doing in security?

JZ: BLR’s portfolio of innovative products and services has an extended reach and engaged audience that covers a wide variety of markets and industries, including health care, human resources, environmental health and safety, security and facilities management. 

In addition to offering market-focused publications, we also provide a year-round series of live events and programs – both in-person and virtual – dedicated to serving professionals and leaders in each industry. We are especially excited for our upcoming security events for the fall, including the Total Security Advisor Exchange in Kissimmee, Florida (Oct. 17-19) and the Total Security Now Virtual Summit (Nov. 17).

What is your company’s vision, and what are your goals for the security industry?

JZ: At BLR, our overarching goal is to distill industry updates and best practices into actionable, personalized insight, integrated directly into customer workflows, applications and multimedia platforms.

As for our role in the security industry, we are always aiming to keep Total Security Advisor at the pulse of the security community, showcasing its leaders and game-changers of the industry, while being a destination for first-class knowledge and information to help security professionals succeed in the workplace.

What do you think are the biggest opportunities in the security industry right now?

JZ: The major opportunity that we are seeing within the security industry is positioning within the return-to-work strategies being had by businesses across the country. This has been the leading conversation across all our key industries – human resources, safety, facilities, security and health care. While some businesses are committed to making a complete return to their traditional office space, others are considering hybrid models or even moving to fully distributed workforces. So the big question is, how do companies execute these new plans safely and securely?

From the physical security standpoint, there is the challenge of accommodating workforces that will be fluidly moving throughout buildings at a more frequent and sporadic rate than ever before. You are also dealing with a workforce that has collectively been through an emotional rollercoaster over the past 18+ months, with some having not shared workspace with others during that entire time. Tensions could be high and lead to cases of workplace violence. Then obviously you have the cybersecurity challenges that come with businesses sharing massive amounts of vital information across countless remote locations.  

As business determine their plans for moving forward all at once, there is a ton of opportunity in the market for security professionals who can address the challenges quickly and effectively.

What does SIA offer that is most important to you/your company? And what do you most hope to get out of your membership with SIA?

JZ: As a publication looking to serve the security community and be a leading source for conversations within the industry, we think it’s important to be at the pulse of the market and building relationships with its key members.

As a member of SIA, BLR looks forward to connecting with members of the industry and staying in tune with prominent topics and trends of the security world, all while developing relationships with the figures who are the backbone of the industry and building the future of security.

The views and opinions expressed in guest posts and/or profiles are those of the authors or sources and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Security Industry Association.