Thousands of contract security officers in California are preparing for a possible strike this week, potentially affecting some of the largest technology companies in the country. The situation raises a broader question for any organization that relies on contract security: what happens when a critical security function suddenly becomes unavailable, and how prepared is the company to operate without it?

A company selects a new facility. Real estate looks at location, price per square foot, access to transportation and whether the building meets the operational needs of the customer. The lease gets signed…..and then somebody calls security. The problem is that by then, most of the security decisions have already been made.