A three-tier system is used which is time efficient,
comprehensive and cost effective.
Tier one is an evaluation tool that enables a jurisdiction
or company to collect basic data, identify vulnerabilities
and set priorities. It is simple, basic and capable of
being used with minimal training.
Tier two is for assessment and takes into consideration
the threat, vulnerability and criticality facing a jurisdiction,
organization, company, facility or building.
Tier three is the CIS R4 System which addresses in detail,
the Risk an entity* faces, its Readiness to handle and/or
mitigate a hostile or Weapons of Mass Destruction incident,
its ability to Respond to an incident and its capability
to Recover from one.
All three tiers are automated to give a quantitative
value for better management, and rapidly and effectively
identify areas for improvement. They are also designed,
so an entity* can decide on what tier meets their requirements.
CIS is experienced in using other Assessment tools, such
as HLS-CAM (Homeland Security-Comprehensive Assessment
Model), CARVER, DSHARP and other government and industry
standards. CIS's experienced staff can also tailor assessment
tools for specific US Department of Homeland Security
requirements, grants, etc or to satisfy an industry's
or local jurisdiction's needs.
R4 (Risk-Readiness-Response-Recovery) is a Threat and
Vulnerability Assessment tool that is designed for in-depth
analysis of an organization, jurisdiction, company or
facility. It first analyzes the Risk faced by an entity.
It next looks at its Readiness to meet and mitigate an
incident and then its ability to Respond to threats and/or
an incident. The last segment is the ability to Recover
from an incident and return to an operating level within
the shortest period of time. At the end of the survey
each R factor receives a grade (A – F). The grades
are compared and management can quickly identify where
problems or inadequate areas exist. As conditions change
or improvements are made, the grades will change and
management has a tool in place for immediate reference
and decisions.
CARVER (Criticality-Accessibility-Recuperability-Vulnerability-Effect-Recognizability) is an assessment tool developed by US Special Operations
in targeting an adversary's installations. Non-military
users use it to evaluate installations from a terrorist
point of view. CARVER gives its various factors a numerical
value which is placed in a decision matrix to identify
the desirability of attacking a target. CARVER is a flexible
tool and can be modified to meet specific assessment
requirements.
DSHARP (Demographics-Symbology-Historical-Accessibility-Recuperability-Population) is a US Air Force tool for targeting an adversary's high
risk infrastructures. It is also used by US Special Operations
for planning the defense and targeting of high population
areas. Like CARVER it assigns a numerical value which
is placed in a matrix to determine the value of a target
and their vulnerability. It is modified by non-military
users to address terrorist and Weapons of Mass Destruction
situations.
HLS-CAM (Homeland Security-Comprehensive Assessment
Model) is the combination of a threat assessment tool and DSHARP.
It was developed by and for law enforcement. The threat
assessment is the first step in the HLS-CAM process and
gives a determination of risk which assists in the setting
of priorities for the conduct of the following steps
which involve vulnerabilities. A modified and expanded
DSHARP type matrix is used.
