Like many textbooks, this work is relatively well organized and easy to reference. My initial impression after my first reading of Mr. Broder's work is that this will be both an outstanding reference source amidst difficult projects and a good place to seek general guidance in previously unexplored facets of risk analysis, specifically risk analysis related to physical security.

Part I of the book addresses risk analysis including a relatively thorough explanation of what risk, vulnerability and threats are. It goes on to explain common risk measurements and offers example formulas/systems for prioritizing loss after quantifying its potential. He very briefly touches on how to conduct an audit, assuming that the reader has a thorough understanding of common Security needs and the audit process. He spends a fair amount of time (in comparison to other topics covered) on the Survey Report which is fine for a consultant but in the Corporate world this is not very useful. The company you work for, unless it is completely new or wants to overhaul and/or start over from scratch in regards to security, will have its own style of report. Still, this was a good chapter to include since some of the readers will be in a consultative role.

The second part of the book gives the reader an overview of emergency management and continuity planning. This is the real gem of the book. While I purchased this book with the hopes it would help me with conducting risk analysis surveys and reports for my employer, the reality is the author is expecting the reader to already have some experience (as I do) and does little to expand on common practices. That said, this second chapter launches right into very practical information for Security and Risk Managers.

Broder spends a great deal of time addressing mitigation and response planning, addresses business continuity and does a relatively thorough job of providing an overview of impact analysis. He again provides information more useful for a consultant than a corporate professional, including a small chapter on documentation of your plans. Even if you are a consultant, the majority of your clients will have their own emergency plans that they will want your work to mirror in terms of appearance and organization. Broder wraps up the book with a difficult area that has spawned at least a hundred books of its own, Executives and planning for kidnap, ransom and Extortion. This is the one area of the book where this is truly an introduction, rather than an overview, of the subject.

Appendices include a variety of worksheets to help you conduct surveys, signs of theft/fraud, communicating with the media, security system specifications and a few other very basic tools Broder hopes will help you utilize his concepts.

I am giving this book 4/5 stars as it is an excellent work, very useful and overall very difficult to criticize.

I bought the book to use as a reference while doing my very first risk analysis. It helped me a lot with my project. I found it easy to read and use as a reference. I used the format in the book as a guide when writing up the risk analysis I did.

If you haven't done one before and are looking for a good reference guide, this is a great resource.