20 Years of Red5 Security

A Look Back So We Continue to Move Forward

‍

Red5 has a 20-year track record of providing security services to corporate enterprises and family offices. While we’ve never been the largest security company, Red5 has always stayed above the crowd with its high-end services, its amazing clientele, intelligent and creative employees, and ethical approach to business. 

‍

What began as a singleton consultancy in 2004 while I was still at CIA has evolved 20 years later into a successful business with subscription services, bespoke offerings, and a rich history of constructive long-term client and vendor relationships. Now in 2025, Red5 specializes in providing managed services focused on intelligence analysis, reducing the unnecessary information that executives have online, and providing best in class protective intelligence.

‍

We pride ourselves on our intelligent employees that are trained in-house on analytical tradecraft, and our ability to provide timely, tailored and actionable intelligence and consultative support for our clients.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Adaptability has been essential to Red5’s two decades of success. By 2009 the offerings had expanded to include executive protection / guard services and technical security countermeasures. Four years later Red5 added intelligence platforms as a bespoke enterprise offering, helping large enterprises manage risk more effectively.

‍

Post-Covid the company changed its focus to recurring revenue, landing on managed intelligence analysis as its core offering. At each inflection point Red5 foresaw the trends from its customers or the industry, adjusted its offerings and resold itself to key clients, managing to stay ahead of the risk environment for all its clientele. Looking back I wouldn’t have done it any differently.

‍

Challenges Faced

Like any small and growing business Red5 faced a number of challenges, but what has been key in overcoming them is the way we addressed all of the issues head-on. Whether it was finding the right talent for expansion, dealing with compliance challenges across various jurisdictions, or tackling the occasional unhappy client, Red5 stepped into the problem.

‍

It was important for me to lead from the top, and move swiftly to a solution. One of the best pieces of advice I received was - ‘get a good attorney, and a good accountant - don’t go cheap on either.’ That advice has been key to overcoming a number of issues.

‍

In two key instances the problem manifested in a decision between retaining revenue in a bad situation or taking care of our employees. In both of those instances I took Red5 on the high road, forgoing the revenue in protection of our employees, ensuring the employees continued to have employment even after Red5 resolved the issue.

‍

Those people that challenged us said, ‘you’ll never walk away from $x million dollars of revenue,’ but in the end I knew the people will be what make or break you in the industry. I felt it was important to choose the people over the revenue.

‍

Leadership is what keeps Red5 going in challenging times. During Covid I opted to retain as many employees as we could, keeping them busy, paying bonuses, and ensuring they all had jobs even when revenue slumped. Dedication to our employees is a continuing theme. In the end people will either follow you, or they won’t - and if you take care of them, and they trust it's coming from a genuine place, they will follow you despite the hardship. Red5 has always operated as a team.

‍

Achievements

People

We have had numerous achievements over the 20 years, all of them are testimonials to our employees and leaders. From Bill Hackenson, Carl Persons, and Bob Fabie at Sentinel; to Mike Trott as he took over the Nvidia guard force as well as a massive protection detail in California resulting in an epic success story.

‍

Heather Nickerson grew along with us, becoming a key strategist and partner, first establishing our analysis capability, and quickly becoming the Executive Director and ultimately our CFO. Toward the end of her time with us she helped define where Red5 is today by securing and launching the successful Jaeger Program.

‍

We are proud of this team and fortunate to have a current leadership team that is very talented and driving business in a new direction. We have also had numerous line employees who began their careers at Red5 and went on to join the FBI, CIA, DIA, Border Patrol, etc. (You know who you are!)

‍

I see our former employees out there in the security industry as well, and while Red5 wasn’t large enough to provide all of them headroom to grow, they know where they came from, as well as the invaluable experience they gained at Red5. Their continued success in the private sector as well as federal agencies supporting national security is a testament to the company’s amazing hiring process and track record of excellence. 

‍

Internships

At the beginning of my career I was a Cooperative Education Intern at CIA. This foundational experience taught me the fundamentals and introduced me into the professional workforce post college. Once I had my own company I knew that I wanted to offer internships which are mutually beneficial to the company and the employee.

‍

Since the early 2010s, we’ve had interns working substantive projects at Red5, sometimes even interfacing with clients to give them maximum experience during their time with the company. This intern program is successful and often leads to full-time employment at Red5, and serves as an entrance into their professional careers. It’s created a strong, trusted, and fully engaged workforce at R5.

‍

Giving back - RHH

‍

Red5’s founder and leaders over the years came from former CIA, US Military, FBI or US Secret Service. Red5’s culture was woven from decades of service from these leaders.

‍

Due to their focus on the private sector for the past 20 years, the leaders needed another channel to give back and serve their community.
‍

Since its origin, Red5 has always provided donations to charities, helped with community events in numerous states, and given our time to help children, elderly, animals, and veterans/first responders. Red Hands Helping was formed in 2014 to create a formal structure for this charitable service.

‍

Since its founding, RHH has also been a proving ground for new Red5 managers, letting them start learning their project management skills with our charitable efforts. RHH has allowed Red5 to organize its efforts more efficiently, and to share the successes and the charitable missions over social media.

‍

Over the past two decades Red5 and RHH have supported dozens of charities, having given almost $500,000 in cash donations, and provided thousands of hours of employee time to notable charities. Red Hands Helping continues to this day, and will evolve again in the coming year to focus its giving yet again.

‍

Gratitude

I was fortunate early on to have an amazing network of security professionals. As an instructor and small unit leader at both CIA and FBI, those individuals that I worked with and trained have gone on to become amazing allies in the industry. Many became clients, some became employees, and a number became trusted vendors.

‍

We could not do what we do today and have done so well without our trusted vendor network. Our relationship with them is based on trust and professionalism. Thank you to my intrepid peers Matt R. now at BlueHalo, Danny G. at OsenHunter, and Matt N. at Eagle Security Group. You guys keep me grounded. We have also benefited from informal relationships, in some cases formal teaming, and from groups like the Wartell Consortium. (Thank you, Andy & Patricia!)

‍

We rely on a number of relationships across disciplines - from security system assessment and design, to all our amazing TSCM technicians; and from the various regional executive protection partners across the country and around the world, to our advanced cyber and engineering teammates. I thank you! To all my colleagues and friends that enable Red5 to be what it is today, you have my enduring gratitude.

‍

Our Client list is amazing. Although we can mention many of them here, what we do / did for them will remain confidential. Trust has always been a key element between Red5 and its clients. I always say ‘trust is our currency’ - because it’s true. If a security company isn’t trusted, they are dead in the water.

‍

Early on we were fortunate enough to work for one of the largest corporations in the world, Walmart. From there we were able to begin courting other Fortune 100 through Fortune 1000 companies.

‍

Over the 20 years Red5 has supported clients like Google, Walmart, Microsoft, Nvidia, Facebook/Meta, BAE, SAIC, Booz Allen Hamilton, Blackberry, Bayer Material Science, Koch Industries, Discovery Land Company, Uber, Tesla, SpaceX to name a few.

‍

For my network professionals who continued their careers at other companies - thanks for taking us with you when you to your new jobs - one of the greatest testimonies to our value. Thank you to all our corporate enterprise clients. We look forward to continuing to provide the same excellence in our trusted services.

‍

In the less conventional client-space, Red5 has supported various universities like Texas A&M and various non-profits and pro bono efforts. In the sovereign nation client space Red5 has supported the Embassy of Norway and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. For more than 12 years Red5 was privileged to support the royal families of the UAE, and specifically the family of the Ambassador of the UAE to the United States. Thank you to these unique clients for your trust.

‍

On the family side, our approach is very discreet and nuanced. We have supported private individuals–over one hundred families–both large and small since our inception. Our family clients range from middle-upper income professionals; to members of multi-family family offices; and, to large, single family offices.

‍

Beyond these amazing efforts we have also supported in some way more than half of the Forbes 20 wealthiest families. From the more mundane yet important security tasks, to the more complex, emotionally charged, and international challenges - Red5 has been supporting families for 20 years. Thank you to our private family clients. 

‍

‍Employees & Board Members

As mentioned before, our employees are our strength, our superpower. Gail and I cannot begin to express all of the thanks that’s owed to our employees, both client facing and behind the scenes in support roles. You carry the day, everyday. You represent us publicly with your work, your content, and your interactions. In addition to the aforementioned leaders, a thank you to Jay Rooney and Scott Anderson for your unique expertise in executive protection and intelligence and your contributions to our advisory services. 

‍

To our (former) Sentinel team - thank you for the amazing work you did and for all your collaboration, teamwork, sacrifice and professionalism. It was a joy to have you all on the team!

‍

To our Jaeger and Tyton teams - thank you and let’s keep running - there are so many more great opportunities ahead of us. Thanks to each of you, past and present for your amazing contributions - we look forward to more of your great work, and participation in all aspects of Red5. 

‍

We have had a board of directors or an advisory board for more than 10 years at Red5. Over the years we have benefited greatly from the different perspectives we have had on the boards. From our original board members to our current advisory board members, I want to express my gratitude for your sage advice, diplomatic nudges, and most importantly your brutal honesty as Red5 has worked its way through various challenges in its lifetime.

‍

As trusted support vendors go, we have benefited so much from our relationships with BDO Human Resources (thank you, Greg and Kristen!), BDO Tax (thank you, Meredith!), WeSolve and Howard Insurance, Rocha & Co., Team Blume, and our wide ranging legal support from Cooley LLP and Christi Parker at Parker Partners PLC. Thank you for keeping us out of trouble, on the high road, and compliant. While not everyone in the company knows your contribution, everyone at Red5 benefits, and Gail and I appreciate it very much.

‍

A few personal acknowledgements from the founders - Red5 would not be what it is today without:

‍

Glenn Aga - for helping me kick off this ride, and believing in the opportunity to grow Red5 beyond Virginia. Thank you!

‍

Richard A. Clarke and GoodHarbor - for the big push, advice, and partnering over the many years. Thank you!

‍

Bill Hackenson - for setting the standard for our largest and longest program with excellence in delivery of executive protection, everyday 24/7 and 365. Thank you!

‍

Legal Counsel

Kevin King - our Lead Counsel at Cooley, for always being there - taking five in the chest when first through the door and helping us get out of trouble (when it rarely happens) 

AND 

Christi Parker Fitzsimmons our outside corporate counsel - thank you for helping us stay out of trouble!

‍

Heather Nickerson - for your never-ending energy, loyalty, intelligence, and sophistication. Gail and I appreciate your strategic vision for all of Red5, particularly in intelligence analysis and privacy as services for Red5. Thanks for helping me form the Red5 way! And,

‍

Gail Ospedale - she is the power behind the quality standards, the support to the vision, the oracle of risk management for the company, and the Red5 standard bearer for class. There aren’t enough thank yous!

‍

5 Lessons Learned in the Past 20 Years

Over the years, I have learned a great deal. We have the scar tissue to prove it. As explained earlier, we have made mistakes - as individuals and as an entity - we all do. I’ve pulled together five things I have learned over the years:

‍

1. Always deliver excellence. Do not cut corners on delivery. If you make a mistake - fix it ASAP / make it right. Quality matters - always.
   ‍
2. Always take the high road, in both normal ops or in conflict. There is almost nothing to gain by dropping down to someone else’s level - be it a competitor, an angry client, a vendor with lower standards, or an uninformed customer. 
   ‍
3. Always choose people over money. Remember what it was like to be in their shoes. Even when they let you down, help them. The money will take care of itself. 
   ‍
4. Always lead by example - whether in industry or inside the business. If your leadership won’t get out and do the work, you can’t expect your employees to do the same.
   ‍
5. Always be ready to adapt. If you aren’t selling what people want, you won’t be in business very long. Never be afraid to change. Don’t let fear drive you or your business.

‍

People ask how Red5 is still standing, still vibrant, still growing after 20 years. I would point to these five things: happy clients, productive and happy employees, managed risk, less drama, and more opportunity. 

‍

What the Security Industry Needs

Our industry has always been siloed and a little disjointed, specifically in the areas of executive protection and guard forces, and cyber and physical security services. Three things our industry needs to do to improve over the coming years.

1. Set national standards in the executive protection and guard industries that ensure excellence by all who provide services; and, provide support for those protectors and guards that allow them to make a reasonable salary, with benefits, so they can thrive in their careers and with their families.
   ‍
2. Look for more holistic offerings that help reduce the fringe vulnerabilities for our clients. If we can create partnerships that eliminate underlaps between the physical and the digital we can more efficiently reduce risk that would not be addressed by a single provider. Let’s build solutions, not reinforce silos.
   ‍
3. Our industry needs a better way to commune and collaborate. Our industry conferences no longer serve the practitioners, but serve large conference organizers and marketing companies. I’ve seen some new solutions created in our space and I applaud their efforts to recreate the security industry conference space. Let’s find a way to make it work for us.

‍

The Future of Red5

Red5 is built for the future, not for the past. We have adapted over the years, and we are ready for what the future holds. We have invested in technology, people, and process to deliver the highest level of excellence possible to our clients.

‍

We are not everything to everyone; this is not possible. To our current employees - we are ready to run, thank you for leaning into this next phase. We will do everything we can to help our clients - always have, always will. This is the Red5 way.

‍

We have an exciting future ahead with opportunities to grow the business and for our employees to develop their careers. We are welcoming and inclusive.

‍

If you know someone who is looking for a great place to work, or if you know a client struggling with their current provider - please send them our way.

‍

We are a company looking for relationships that are mutually beneficial. Our network is our lifeblood; and trust is our currency. 

‍

Our future is in managed services, creating enhanced corporate security value for our clients one subscription at a time.

‍

Being a Red5 client means you will get the best we offer from our highly responsive team, even when your needs exceed your current level of support.

‍

Relationships and trust are what matters at Red5. 

‍

Here’s to the next 20 years!

‍

-Kris Coleman

CEO & Founder

‍

‍