Tactical vs. Traditional: Why Businesses Need Smarter Security in 2025

03 Feb 2025

For years, businesses have relied on a strong foundation of security measures, manned guarding, patrols, and CCTV surveillance, to deter crime and maintain safety. These remain critical components of any security strategy, but as organised crime syndicates evolve, so must the way we defend against them.

Today’s threats are no longer just opportunistic, they are calculated, coordinated, and increasingly sophisticated. Criminal networks study business operations, exploit weak points, and use advanced tactics to bypass standard security measures. To stay ahead, businesses must move beyond a single-layered approach and embrace a smarter, adaptive security model that integrates traditional methods with tactical response, intelligence, and proactive risk management.

Building a Multi-Layered Security Approach

According to Adriaan Otto, Managing Director at Excellerate Services, securing a business today requires more than just one line of defense.

"Manned guarding, patrols, and CCTV are essential, but they work best when combined with intelligence-driven strategies and rapid tactical response. Security today needs to be layered, adaptable, and proactive."

This is where the right expertise and approach make the difference, strengthening frontline security with additional layers that detect, prevent, and neutralise threats before they escalate.

1. Manned Guarding & Surveillance: The First Line of Defense

A visible security presence, guards, patrols, and monitored CCTV remains a key deterrent against criminal activity. But while these methods provide frontline protection, today’s syndicates know how to work around them. That’s why additional layers are needed.

2. Tactical Teams: Rapid, On-the-Ground Response

Unlike static security, Tactical Teams are highly mobile and trained for fast, coordinated interventions. Their ability to quickly deploy and neutralise threats gives businesses a critical advantage in high-risk situations.

3. Special Operations Unit: Handling Complex Security Threats

For more sophisticated security challenges, such as armed syndicates, targeted extortion, and violent unrest, a Special Operations Unit steps in with specialised training and advanced tactics.

4. Intelligence-Driven Security: Predicting & Preventing Crime

Intelligence plays a key role in modern crime prevention by shifting from reactive to proactive security. As criminal syndicates become more sophisticated, businesses must stay ahead with intelligence-driven strategies. By analysing crime patterns and emerging risks, businesses can identify potential threats before they escalate. Real-time risk assessments help decision-makers address vulnerabilities, while coordinated action with tactical teams ensures threats are dealt with quickly and preventively. 

"The key to effective security is intelligence," says Otto. "If you can predict criminal activity, you can prevent it from happening. That’s what sets adaptive security apart from traditional approaches." This is where technology enhances our capabilities. At Excellerate we leverage TopicWorx, which helps us gain deeper insights into crime patterns, emerging threats, and high-risk areas, allowing us to provide data-driven risk assessments. This advanced intelligence platform enables us to anticipate criminal activity with greater accuracy, ensuring that businesses are not just reacting to threats but actively staying ahead of them.”

There is no "one-size-fits-all" solution to security. A truly effective security strategy requires a layered approach, where traditional security measures are reinforced by tactical expertise, intelligence, and rapid response capabilities.

Is your security strategy built for the threats of 2025? If not, contact us here.