Making security pay: good security measures help the bottom line, but shippers want standards.(Special report: supply chain security)

This may surprise some shippers, but security isn't about secrecy; it's about visibility.

The more "visible" a container is while it's in transit to a U.S. port, the more that's known about its contents, the less likely it is to pose a threat. "Visibility" not only helps make supply chains more efficient, it protects the nation from terrorist attack.

"High visibility is the key. You can't have good security without visibility," said Peter Regan, vice president of global visible commerce at Unisys.

Companies that view security solely as an added cost or "unfunded mandate" should approach it as an opportunity instead, said Regan. The technologies shippers must use to achieve greater visibility and secure supply chains initially may add costs, but eventually they will boost productivity as operations become leaner and more efficient.

"Leading companies we work with know that processes and technologies that enhance security will yield efficiencies that help the bottom line" he said.

Although many shippers may prefer to wait for the federal government to issue standards or mandates before acting, Regan believes companies that invest in security now will have a competitive advantage when those standards are in place.

Even if technology is rendered obsolete by new requirements, shippers will have moved up the learning curve by learning to better manage security-related data.

At the very least pilot programs should be initiated to understand security-related technologies and processes and leverage them to increase efficiency, he said.

"We see a positive ROI even on a standalone basis," said Regan. "Everyone uses bar codes today, but it is what you do with that information that separates competitors."

Shippers, of course, have more than competitors to worry about. A second major terrorist attack on the United States would prove fin more costly than any security measures currently…