Problem:  How does a company adequately provide protection for its critical assets without hindering the operations which make it successful?

Answer:  By consistently conducting a performance-based vulnerability assessment process which defines the assets, defines the threats, and applies a balanced, layered and holistic security plan.

NextGen is proud to serve the security needs of a broad range of clients spanning several business sectors. Each face their own unique set of security challenges and vulnerabilities. However, they all have one thing in common. They cannot afford to secure their businesses to the point of sacrificing their operations. Applying the right amount of security measures is a challenge in and of itself.  One way to ensure your security measures are appropriate is to work with a trusted SME to conduct ongoing performance-based vulnerability assessments. Much like what is a best practice in the cybersecurity world, protecting assets with physical security is an ongoing process that requires consistent questions about threats and applying appropriate layered measure to protect against those threats.

Of all the business sectors Nextgen provides protection services for, Critical Infrastructure is one of the best to illustrate this point. By definition, critical infrastructure is a term used by governments to describe assets that are essential for the functioning of a society and it’s economy. In fact, many times the government deems it so important to society’s functionality, that they enforce regulations to help ensure it is protected and uninterrupted.  Examples of Critical Infrastructure sectors are: Utilities, Healthcare, Transportation, Food and necessary Manufacturing.

As a trusted security systems integrator who has Subject Matter Experts in protecting these sectors, NextGen has a deep understanding of the particular security issues and sensitivities that critical infrastructure operations are vulnerable to. Many times, the threats are more extreme than other industries, however, these businesses still have to operate.  They cannot be so hardened that they become efficient to run. Applying a performance-based vulnerability assessment strategy helps to ensure that their security measure are balanced and that operations run as smoothly as possible. Understanding the business operations you are protecting is essential to the success of an appropriate protective strategy.  Our team has years of experience partnering with operations managers, engineers and business stakeholders in these industries to help balance security and operations. That is exactly why NextGen is the security solutions provider of choice for a multitude of critical infrastructure clients.

In addition to serving as the design-build contractor on myriad enterprise level projects that extend well beyond security system installation, we excel at assisting our clients as part of their Vulnerability Assessment team. Our comprehensive scope of services include collaborating with our clients’ security managers, environmental health and safety professionals, and plant and facility managers to: identify vital assets, define realistic threats for that facility, characterize the facility, identify adversarial pathways, and develop the exact internal standards and security measures to meet their site’s specific needs. One unique tool that can be applied to this process is 3D site Modeling and Scenario pathway probability calculation, using software to determine pathways and timeline probability for a specific threat scenario.  This data can be used to assist the Security Manager with the business justification for a security project.

We bring to the table the crucial core competencies needed to work successfully with critical infrastructure stakeholders. We maximize budgets to deliver the most optimum results and ensure their people and their mission-critical assets are safe and secure.  Educating our end user partners on the technology capabilities and best practices available to them is part of what we do at NextGen. And, because many critical infrastructure sites operate within a large command and control center environment, we provide a totally integrated solution that enables our client’s Security team to manage it as efficiently as possible.

Because of the sensitivity of critical infrastructure sites, we apply our expertise to integrate the appropriate access control measures, gates, fences, video surveillance, wide area intrusion detection, turnstiles, visitor management and enterprise class systems – (Security Layers) – to ensure a balanced an effective system to detect, delay and neutralize the threat in the fastest way possible.

Sensitive sites are always looking for increased situational awareness. We provide a solid return on their investment with integrated technologies that enable them to not only effectively manage an incident or emergency, but also to enhance day-to-day operations. We take the time to fully understand the end user’s organizational drivers and the challenges they’re trying to overcome and deploy technologies accordingly to meet those challenges.

NextGen is proud to work with a diverse range of clients, from healthcare to education, manufacturing, commercial, industrial, critical infrastructure and more. We are a trusted security integration partner and are dedicated to delivering best-in-class knowledge, engineering design, implementation, management, and ongoing maintenance services to meet each clients’ individual requirements.  Call on us to learn more about how we can assist you with a performance-based vulnerability assessment.