Understanding the nature of modern threats isn’t just important, it’s essential. With terrorism and active shooter incidents on the rise, preparation and informed decision-making are critical to ensuring safety and resilience. Leaders across organizations, public spaces, and communities need reliable insights and strategies to identify risks, plan effectively, and mitigate potential harm. 

Building preparedness is about action. Trusted, up-to-date data, paired with practical checklists and clear guidance, empowers you to tackle today’s challenges with confidence. 

The alarming numbers you need to know 

Data tells a powerful story about the growing complexity of global risks. From terrorism to active shooter events, the statistics paint a sobering picture that no organization can afford to ignore: 

Active shooter incidents skyrocket  

The United States experienced a 70% increase in active shooter incidents between 2020 and 2024 compared to the previous five years. Even with a 50% drop in incidents reported in 2024 versus 2023, the underlying trends highlight the persistent threat that looms over workplaces, schools, and public spaces. 

Regions in crisis  

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to experience devastating impacts from terrorism, with significant fatalities among civilian populations in 2024. This region’s turbulent environment underscores the urgent need for global organizations to adapt security strategies for emerging regional risks. 

These numbers aren’t just statistics—they’re urgent calls to action. Understanding the trends behind these troubling figures is the first step toward resilience. 

Download our white paper, ‘Understanding the threat landscape: Trends in terrorism and active shooter incidents,’ to learn more. 

Insights and strategies to build resilience 

Today’s environment demands a thorough analysis of how threats have evolved. Digital platforms are transforming the landscape, enabling new methods of planning, recruitment, and hybrid attacks that blend physical and digital aggression. Awareness of these trends is indispensable for leaders who want to stay ahead of the curve. 

Preparedness relies on a proactive, practical approach. Actionable checklists help evaluate and improve current measures—whether updating emergency plans, conducting regular training, or integrating new technologies to enhance crisis response. Tailored recommendations ensure organizations of all sizes can safeguard people, assets, and reputation in an increasingly unpredictable world. 

Communication and coordination are critical. Leveraging technology to strengthen your response systems reduces risk and shortens crisis response time, ultimately supporting stronger outcomes. 

Don’t wait for the next incident 

Preparedness is a mindset, and resilience is built through decisive action. The risks are clear, but this doesn’t mean you’re powerless. Equip yourself—and your team—with the knowledge and resources that can make a real difference. 

Your safety starts here. Don’t leave it to chance. 

Everbridge 360 is a critical event management platform that strengthens resilience by helping you detect threats earlier, respond faster, and improve continuously. The Core version of Everbridge 360 helps organizations safeguard employees, maintain business continuity, and respond to emergencies with real-time insights, global reach, and reliable multi-channel messaging.

Everbridge 360 is a critical event management platform that strengthens resilience by equipping organizations to detect threats earlier, respond rapidly, and continuously improve. The Enterprise version of Everbridge 360 provides the most advanced features, such as cutting-edge analytics, enhanced automation, and exceptional scalability. It is designed to support large-scale operations, ensuring efficient responses and deeper insights into risks while maintaining seamless functionality for organizations with expansive needs.

Everbridge 360 is a critical event management platform that strengthens resilience by helping you detect threats earlier, respond faster, and improve continuously. The Professional version of Everbridge 360 provides advanced communication tools and mobile safety features to enhance capabilities, protect your workforce, and ensure smooth operations during emergencies.

This article originally appeared in International Security Journal

Ask any chief security officer how they protect their enterprise, and a security operations center (SOC) will often be one of the first things they mention. 

The SOC has long been viewed as a necessary fixture – the nerve center for threat monitoring and crisis response. But as our operating environments evolve, so should our strategies. For many organizations, especially those balancing complex risks and finite resources, it’s worth asking: Does the traditional SOC still make sense? 

Before anyone misunderstands – this is not about questioning the value of protecting people, data, and assets. It’s about being open to how we do it. Today, we have options. Options that offer the same, if not greater, levels of capability without the limitations of physical infrastructure.

The traditional SOC has its merits. Centralized operations, dedicated teams and real time situational awareness.  These have all served organizations well. I’ve worked in plenty of environments where a physical SOC was not only effective but necessary.

However, as someone who has spent a career assessing risk, I can tell you that static, brick-and-mortar solutions come with their own vulnerabilities – and, at times, may not be the best fit. Consider the challenges: 

• Cost – physical SOCs require significant capital – equipment, facilities, and staffing. For some organizations it’s simply not sustainable.  
• Resilience – a fixed location, by definition, is exposed to geographic and environmental risks.  
• Scalability – expanding capacity, adding capabilities or adapting to changing threats can be slow and expensive when you’re tied to a physical footprint. 

The case for a digital SOC 

A digital SOC addresses many of these limitations head-on. By leveraging cloud-native platforms and purpose-built technology, we can deliver the same – an often superior – level of security without being bound by four walls. Here’s where digital SOCs stand out: 

• Cost-effective without cutting corners – you don’t have to sacrifice quality for efficiency. Cloud-based platforms allow you to build scalable, full-featured security operations without investing heavily in physical infrastructure. 
• Operational continuity – a digital SOC is resilient by design. It is immune to localized disruptions. Your team can monitor and respond from wherever they are and if you structure it correctly, there is no single point of failure. 
• Integrated capabilities – today’s platforms do more than detect threats. They integrate crisis management, travel risk, communications and intelligence into a cohesive system. What once required multiple systems – and often multiple teams – can now be streamlined. 
• Speed and precision through AI – AI has real utility here. Not the buzzword variety, but targeted capabilities that help detect, analyze and respond to threats faster. AI doesn’t replace your team – it makes them better. It brings scale, speed and precision that would be impossible to replicate manually.  
• Future-ready – as threats evolve, so should your strategy. A digital SOC gives you the flexibility to adapt quickly, scale as needed and adjust your approach without waiting for the next capital investment cycle.   

A balanced view

Like any solution, digital SOCs aren’t perfect. Integration, team alignment and vendor selection all require careful attention. And some organizations – particularly those with highly sensitive operations – may still require a physical presence. This is not a one-size-fits-all proposition.

But what is clear, is that clinging to the traditional SOC model out of habit is no longer a viable strategy. security has always been about resilience, adaptability, and smart resource management. Digital SOCs allow us to embody those principles more effectively.

Rethinking the mission

At the end of the day, your SOC – physical, digital, or hybrid – is a means to an end. Its job is to ensure your people, assets, and operations are protected. How you do that should reflect the realities of the treat landscape you face today, not the one we faced 15 years ago.  

Security leaders need to be open to re-examining long-held assumptions. Not every organization needs to build a command center. But every organization does need the ability to know what’s happening, respond decisively, and keep improving. That’s what matters.