More than ever, residences and personal properties must be treated as integral components of an executive security plan.
|
March 10, 2025 INSIDE THIS ARTICLE, YOU'LL FIND: |
For family offices and wealth managers, protecting the privacy and security of executives and high-net-worth individuals is a greater challenge than ever. The threats facing executives and their families now extend beyond traditional concerns—cybercrime, targeted home invasions, and the leaking of private information all pose real risks, as do brazen attacks such as the slaying of UHC CEO Brian Thompson.
More than ever, residences and personal properties must be treated as integral components of an executive security plan. Many executives and public figures assume their home security systems are sufficient—but in reality, even high-end, unmonitored systems can be easily circumvented. Personal information, including home addresses, is readily available online, increasing the likelihood of targeted attacks at home. With these growing risks, the need for elite, specially trained residential security teams (RSTs) is clearer than ever.
Opportunistic criminals target residences they believe to be unprotected, or under-protected, and recent trends—such as break-ins at professional athletes’ homes while they’re away—underscore how attackers exploit predictable patterns. When criminals can easily track a homeowner’s location, such as an athlete playing a game across the country, acting on that information becomes dangerously simple.
Even the most advanced home security systems can be outmaneuvered without expert oversight. True protection requires a layered approach, combining cutting-edge security technology and intelligence with an expertly trained residential security team that can assess, adapt, and respond in real time.
Beyond Alarms and Cameras: The Role of Residential Security Teams
A residential security team, bolstered by elite personnel and top-of-the-line technology, offers 24/7/365 protection centered around an individual’s safety and the security of their home. The combination of technology and personnel protect against threats, including theft, attacks, trespassing, or anything that may jeopardize the safety of the home’s residents.
Executives’ homes are higher-value targets than the typical residence. A residential security team can work in tandem with estate managers and family office leadership to integrate security seamlessly into daily life. From AI-supported cameras that provide proactive threat detection to discreet personnel ensuring privacy and access control, the right security measures provide peace of mind without disruption. As an example, Hollywood mogul Tyler Perry’s advanced system foiled a burglary attempt in late 2024.
Moreover, security personnel should be specifically trained to deter and mitigate threats while maintaining an unobtrusive presence. Top-tier RST agents know how to overlay their own experience and intelligence to augment advanced technologies like AI, giving your home more complete protection.
A residential security team acts as a discreet yet ever-present safeguard—ensuring privacy, controlling access to the property, and responding to threats before they materialize. For family offices, the goal is seamless integration: a team that enhances security without disrupting daily life.
What makes a great residential security detail so valuable is that it offers customized security programs. Agents receive rigorous training to respond to a wide variety of threats and are backed by a Global Security Operations Center (GSOC). These highly trained agents leverage intelligence and direct reports to protect clients and will serve as the first line of defense against any number of threats.
How Residential Security Teams Strengthen Protection and Response
An effective residential security team posture works on three pillars: physical security, technical security, and intelligence. Private security services work with local authorities and open sources to gather intelligence and increase vigilance, but they are not reliant on law enforcement to protect the family or property from both emerging and imminent threats.
Every residential security detail should be tailored to the needs of the principal and their family. After a security assessment of the home, place of work, and the details regarding patterns of life, residential security teams create a security plan that fits the comfort level and lifestyle of the principal. Not everybody wants to have a security guard in their shadow all day—especially young family members navigating school, extracurricular activities, and social lives. An experienced residential security team will design a comprehensive, non-invasive executive protection program that maximizes home security and optimizes mobile security when all family members are going about their lives.
Some of the primary benefits of a residential security team include:
- Preventing intrusions: The mere presence of a residential security detail can deter many home security threats.
- Proactive protection: A residential security team assesses potential risks and vulnerabilities, using expert analysis to put preventative measures in place.
- Incident response: In the event of an emergency, a residential security team can manage a crisis and protect the family.
- Staying ahead of the curve: Experienced residential security agents stay current with the latest security trends to develop response strategies to new threats.
- Supporting peace of mind: Having a residential security team in place can help give you peace of mind that your home is safe and privacy is assured.
Who Needs a Residential Security Team?
For family offices managing high-profile clients, a residential security team should be viewed as a critical part of long-term risk management. Even those with existing corporate security or close protection services can lack comprehensive, dedicated protection at home—where they and their families are most vulnerable
Many of these individuals may already have close protection services or security provided by their company or government. Nonetheless, those security details may not extend to the privacy of the home, and they’re never permanently guaranteed. As such, any individual who wants an increased level of protection and peace of mind while at home should consider a residential security team that can provide a detailed assessment of specific threats to an individual that informs the scope of security needs.
Today, it isn’t difficult to decipher someone’s pattern of life through their actions, affiliations, and social media. You don’t have to have a well-publicized NFL schedule to be vulnerable, and you don’t have to be famous to be seen as a high-value target. Whether an individual works long hours at the office, travels frequently for work, or spends most evenings at events, their home may enter the crosshairs of someone who knows when they are away.
A residential security team may be seen as a supplement to existing security services or may become the focal point of a family’s entire executive protection strategy. It’s up to your family office, the principal, and their family, other organizational security leaders, and other key stakeholders to decide how a residential security team will be constructed and managed.
Key Considerations When Selecting a Residential Security Provider
Upon executing a threat assessment and identifying that an RST may be required to meet your office’s specific spectrum of threats, you must be thorough when choosing a residential security provider.
Some key considerations to bear in mind include:
- Business case: A risk assessment uncovers potential threats and vulnerabilities, helping determine whether a residential security team is warranted. It also evaluates factors such as the need for continuous coverage, as well as security requirements across multiple residences. Understanding these risks ensures you select the right level of protection.
- Technology and innovation: Threat actors are leveraging more innovative technologies—from drones and RFID scanners to AI and online monitoring tools—so it’s imperative that your residential security team is armed with the best equipment, monitoring services, and expertise to stay ahead of enemies.
- Background and expertise: Every qualified provider can offer credentials of agents and case studies of successfully executed security strategies. Ask for specific examples of residential security, and inquire about the expertise of leadership and management, to understand a company’s experience and qualifications.
- Leadership experience: An experienced management team brings an important dimension to an RST, ensuring that security operations are effectively managed, seamlessly coordinated, and quickly adapted to evolving threats. This leadership enhances the quality, consistency, and responsiveness of protective services.
- Resources and management: Elite residential security teams benefit from the oversight and backing of a GSOC that can provide additional intelligence reports and backup when threats emerge.
- Customer testimonials: Ask other executives and high-net-worth individuals in your circle for recommendations. You should hire a residential security team you trust, and getting recommendations from individuals you trust is a good first step.
Strategic Next Steps
Residential security teams provide customized private security services and executive protection for high-net-worth individuals, government officials, C-suite executives, and those whose safety is a priority. As family offices and wealth managers, it’s crucial to recognize that the powerful and the wealthy are being targeted at higher rates, often in the sanctity of their homes. Ensuring your clients have a robust, comprehensive security strategy can help defend their homes from theft and their families from harm.
Whether you advise on security matters or manage the needs of a powerful family, it’s imperative to adapt to the evolution of today’s threat landscape. With recent incidents, now is an opportune time to evaluate risk and determine if a residential security team aligns with your clients’ needs.
Standing by to Support
The Global Guardian team is standing by to support your security requirements. To learn more about our comprehensive security solutions for families and family offices, complete the form below or call us at + 1 (703) 566-9463.
