INDEPENDENT SECURITY CONSULTANT SOUTH AFRICA (ISCSA)
What are the goals of the Independent Security Consultant?
As an Independent Security Consultant (ISCSA, a division of Alwinco) – we focus on the “what, how, when, and where” of your property’s physical security risks.
The above can only be accomplished with an independent security risk assessment, and the key is that we are independent.
Independence is where the success lies which means that the consultants and the company are not part of a security company and will not form part of the security solution; the risk assessment will be independent.
In-house cannot do an independent security risk assessment. You can believe me when I say that it is not a good idea for an in-house consultant to assess their management team. I assure you that it would not end well for any of the parties involved.
Secondly, security companies can also not do independent security assessments. Their business model is to sell security hardware, software, and services. They can only do a product assessment.
A product assessment is when a security company comes to the client under the banner of security risk assessment and wants to convince the client to buy their products. In a nutshell, they become part of the solution and are not independent. Note that we said that an independent security consultant is not part of the solution.
One of the goals of such a Risk Advisor is to provide you with the best and most flexible security solutions specifically tailored to your unique situation. Due consideration is given to the possible integration of all existing hardware by the Independent Security Consultant to ensure that you have an optimally functioning security system that complements all the system components while still working together to form a cohesive whole.
We will ensure that you are in control of your security.
Independent Security Consultants.
Independence is the core of successful security, and the single most important entity that is of high importance is the client.
The purpose of Independent Security Consultants is to level the playing field when it comes to security information. Anyone can tell a lot of stories about security to someone who knows nothing about security, and you will make an impression.
The Independent Consultant is there to balance everything out, ensuring that the information shared is accurate.

This is achieved through an Independent Security Risk Assessment. With this document, the assessor guarantees that the client understands the security risk and he will make sure that the identified security risks have risk-specific solutions.
It is a deep and thorough investigation and when an independent consultant considers both types of crime: he focuses on inner crime as well as outer crime as they are equally important.
When an Independent security Consultant conducts a security risk assessment, the solutions are never predetermined. The solutions can only be considered after the risk has been identified.
When solutions are predetermined, it is no longer an independent security risk assessment, but rather a product assessment.
The most critical part is to conduct the security risk assessment. Everything else can only fall into place when the assessment finalised.
It is vital that the assessment is done professionally, and it is important to be able to distinguish between the different types of assessments.
There are three types of independent assessments:
- The first type of assessment is done as a preventative measure, and this is normally requested by a CEO or a property manager. This is where the business or property owner wants to fix everything to prevent a crime from occurring.
- The second type of assessment is done after something terrible has happened to establish who is to blame for negligence pertaining to the security aspect of the property. These types of assessments are usually requested by families and friends or lawyers of the victim and normally end up in court.
- The third type of assessment is referred to as a “personal assessment”. The purpose of this assessment is to obtain more information about the person in an employment capacity. Another example of such an assessment is when someone is employed in a financial management capacity, senior partners or the procurement department and management require more personal information about these people. This assessment is done in accordance with South African laws and regulations.
The independent consultant also ensures that where third parties are involved, the client gets the best advice possible, and he also ensures that all the vetting processes and any other processes are adhered to.
It is important to remember that the independent consultant does not work alone. He has a plethora of specialists and experts available to guide and assist where necessary.
The pillars of an Independent Risk Assessment consist of:
- The identification of security risks,
- Risk-specific solutions,
- Processes and procedures,
- Management.
How is the Independent Security Consultant unique?
At this stage, ISCSA is currently the ONLY Independent Security Consultant company addressing physical security risk and threats in the country and in the continent, although recently of late there has been a considerable spike in copycat operatives. We share our expertise and knowledge to empower you to take control of your security.
As an Independent Security Risk Advisor, there is no affiliation with any product, brand or security service. We have no financial interest in the implementation phase or upgrade of your security – no commission, kickbacks or payment for sales or installation of various products or services is received by the Independent Security Consultant at all. This means you can expect a full Security Risk & Threat Analysis and not a Product Assessment.
The only partnership we have is with YOU – the client. We can, therefore, afford to be objective, accurate and 100% honest throughout the entire assessment process. ISCSA will also provide you with tailored solutions customized to suit your unique and individual security situation.
We all are aware of the adage: “Money comes and money goes but reputations last forever”. Due to this we take pride in what we do and retain our independence no matter what to guarantee you with the best possible solutions and true status of your security.
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Written by Andre Mundell