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Because each government installation could have several layers of security to evaluate, Stanley CSS views each project as an opportunity to customize the solutions based on the user’s unique needs.

“With the government security market growing at a strong pace and the need for convergence of the logical, physical and IT security, Stanley CSS is working with all partners to utilize as much of the customer’s current infrastructure with the new needed technology to create clear, efficient and effective solutions,” he says.

Another adage to remember about doing business in the government market is, “it’s not a sprint to the finish but a series of marathons.” If you are a security provider entering the market for the first time, training and pacing yourself are critical to your success. If you have been in the government market for a while, keeping current with legislation and pushing yourself to keep on top of new technology is important to staying competitive as well.

Whether you are working with new smart card technology or evolving biometric or leading edge wireless applications, developing customer solutions that meet current demands and account for possible long-term demands will enable you and your customer to be prepared for inevitable technical advances.

‘Closed Area’ Open to Opportunity
You cannot discuss changes and opportunities in the government market without talking about the high security market, better known as the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) market. The high security market is a unique subset of the government sector — although the customer is often not a government agency — that is driven by numerous requirements and standards.

Customers that require a SCIF, which can be defined as “an accredited area, room, group of rooms, building, or installation where sensitive compartmented information may be stored, used, discussed and or electronically processed,” are diverse in their makeup. They range from high-tech companies to R&D firms to universities to defense contractors to a wide variety of manufacturing and service companies where sensitive information must be stored/protected per the requirements of the government.

It’s estimated there are more than 100,000 classified areas in high security projects in the United States. Typically these would include intrusion protection, access control and video surveillance systems that are not tied to General Services Administration (GSA) requirements. These projects include installation, monitoring, maintenance, inspections and secure (encrypted and real-time) eManagement tools — all provided by a UL CRZH and UL 827-certifica
ted security contractor, thus making the market suitable for alarm companies with the depth to become experts in customer service and compliance.

As with all government markets and opportunities, keeping current on the latest mandate or legislative requirement is critical to your success and your client’s compliance. In the high security space, recent talk has centered on the pending updates to SCIFs, sometimes individually referred to as a Closed Area (CA).

UL 2050 is the specification that we most often refer to when talking about SCIFs or closed areas. Director of Central Intelligence Directive No. 6/9 (DCID 6/9) is the current guideline issued by the federal government. The Department of National Intelligence (DNI) now has responsibility for issuing guidelines for the protection of national secrets and has issued a number of updates to DCID 6/9. The updated requirements will be issued as an Intelligence Community Policy Guideline (ICPG).

Never lose sight, whether working directly with the government or with companies doing business with the government, a security provider will be measured by its knowledge of regulations, requirements and standards, both current and anticipated. In taking a lead from world-class governmental agencies, planning and preparation are the foundation for success.

Felix Gonzales is Vice President, Strategic Initiatives & Business Development, for Stanley Convergent Security Solutions Inc. He can be contacted at [email protected].

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