AUCSO is delighted to launch the AUCSO Benchmarking report.
The report was compiled in partnership with ISARR, a bespoke risk, resilience and security management provider with a long-standing relationship with AUCSO.
In an increasingly complex risk environment, universities face rising pressures to protect students, staff, research assets, and communities. Until now, security leaders have lacked comparative data to evaluate their operations effectively against their peers. The AUCSO Benchmarking Report fills that gap, providing robust sector-wide insights into structures, staffing, technology, and strategic approaches.
The report draws on contributions from institutions across the UK, Ireland, and international higher education, offering unprecedented visibility into how the sector is adapting to evolving challenges.
Critical trends
Key findings reveal seven critical trends shaping the future of higher education security:
- Rapid professionalisation of university security functions, with formal qualifications, structured career pathways, and specialist roles emerging.
- A shift “beyond guarding” towards integrated welfare and wellbeing responsibilities, with security teams often acting as frontline responders to mental health and safeguarding issues.
- Growing adoption and integration of advanced security technologies, from body-worn video and digital incident recording to enhanced CCTV.
- Persistent workforce challenges, including limited gender diversity (female representation averaging just 5%) and reliance on traditional security backgrounds.
- Strong focus on emergency preparedness, terrorism awareness, and proactive risk management.
- Clear correlation between institutional size and complexity of security operations.
- Widespread adoption of sector standards such as 24/7 provision, control rooms, and formal external partnerships.
For further information contact coo@aucso.org