The Critical Difference™
Since 1992, CIS physical security consultants have assisted a diverse range of clients in designing and improving physical security programs and facility infrastructure. Following is an overview of our services for managing physical security related risks.
In situations where clients are seeking general security improvement, compliance with best practices, or risk reduction against specific types of threats, our physical security experts assist by conducting physical security surveys to identify conditions potentially contributing to vulnerability and proposing solutions with consideration to our client’s objectives and priorities.
The scope and complexity of our physical security assessments varies according to the nature of the situation. In residential communities and public facilities where crime is a primary concern, our consultants often focus on Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and physical security measures with emphasis on deterrence and criminal apprehension. In facilities where other types of threats are a point of focus (such as active shooter risk), our assessments often encompass a broad spectrum of issues aimed at detecting, delaying, and responding to intrusions and mitigating the consequences of risk events.
Following is a list of some of the topics encompassed in our physical security assessments.
To support the needs of high-risk facilities, our consultants employ an advanced approach to physical security assessment involving modeling of the facility, asset identification, development of Design Basis Threats, systematic identification of possible adversary paths, and quantitative analysis using performance-based tools such as the Estimate of Adversary Sequence Interruption (EASI) model developed by Sandia National Laboratories.
When using a performance-based approach, physical security design aims to reconcile detection, delay, and response elements in a manner that mathematically reconciles key times and probabilities. The main performance metric of a performance-based Physical Protection System (PPS) is its Probability of Interruption, defined as the probability that an adversary will be detected and intercepted by a response force before he/she can complete their objective. The most important elements determining the Probability of Interruption are the Adversary Task Time (total time required for an adversary to enter a facility and accomplish their objective) and Response Force Time. If the total time for detection, assessment, communications, and response force intervention is longer than the adversary task time, the system will fail.
When employing an analytic and performance-based approach to physical security design, specific elements (such as having an access control system or CCTV cameras) have no value outside the context of the overarching system design. Individual physical security components (e.g., cameras, locks, fences, etc.) must be designed integrally as a system to reconcile these key times or the system will likely fail.
Examples of facilities where our consultants employ this type of advanced approach to assessment include critical infrastructure facilities, depositories for high valued assets (e.g., banks, art galleries, precious metals storage facilities, etc.), and high profile buildings at risk of terrorist attack (e.g., parliament buildings, government buildings, etc.).
One of the most common mistakes made in the design and construction of new facilities is failing to fully account for security and emergency response. Establishing security criteria and specifications in the earliest phases of architectural design maximizes return on construction investment and provides best opportunity to avoid mistakes that are often expensive and difficult, if not impossible to correct later.
When engaged as consultants in the early phases of new facility design, CIS assists architects and facility planners in designing effective physical security while simultaneously creating an aesthetic environment that promotes effective workforce activity, positive branding, and public image.
Contact us to discuss your unique needs by calling Tel. +01 (727) 461-9417 or by completing the following form:
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Toll-free: (800) 247-6055 | Tampa Bay Area: (727) 461-9417 | Hillsborough: (813) 910-4247 | Orlando: (407) 420-7945
Critical Intervention Services
The Critical Difference™
The staff of CIS is dedicated to providing each client with the finest quality of protective services available.
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