Physical Security Assessment Apps?

[Maverick]

Hey all, I was wondering if anyone knows of any security assessment apps out there in the ether. I'm thinking along the lines of something where you can build your own assessment checklist/sheet, access it from an app, be able to take pictures with your camera phone in the app itself, and then that data is then submitted to an in-house database somewhere? That data then needs to be accessible for some basic automation and tool sets to pull that data for various needs.

[usmc_3m]

I believe this is TFG's forte... don't know about the app, however,

[The Fat Guy]

Call me.

The problem with most security software is you often do not know what happens inside of the black box. In other words, the risk algorithm is not your own. You are better off building a tool with desktop software or another type of tool where you can manage the risk algorithm, mitigation strategies and still pull an API from it for other applications.

And yes, of course, I can show you how to do it.

[Maverick]

Originally Posted by The Fat Guy

Call me

Will do - I've got a called with a vendor that we apparently use that may be able to support something like this in a bit, but after that call I'll give you a shout!

[Hoepoe]

Originally Posted by The Fat Guy

Call me.

The problem with most security software is you often do not know what happens inside of the black box. In other words, the risk algorithm is not your own. You are better off building a tool with desktop software or another type of tool where you can manage the risk algorithm, mitigation strategies and still pull an API from it for other applications.

And yes, of course, I can show you how to do it.

100%! Moreover, most of the SW platforms are information collection systems and don't have the "assessment" capability at all.

[MixedLoad]

Originally Posted by Hoepoe

100%! Moreover, most of the SW platforms are information collection systems and don't have the "assessment" capability at all.

Add to that the fact that there's no "one size fits all" for that type of assessment.

Requirements between a Data Center, an Office Park, and a Shopping Mall would be drastically different.

[Tracy]

I don't think there's any effective application that can assess the threat for a given installation/infrastructure. Period.

Threat assessment is still a "human-in-the-loop" process. There are programs to store the data and do some math stuff, but there's no fairy dust for force protection, that creates an assessment.

[The Fat Guy]

Originally Posted by Tracy

I don't think there's any effective application that can assess the threat for a given installation/infrastructure. Period.

Threat assessment is still a "human-in-the-loop" process. There are programs to store the data and do some math stuff, but there's no fairy dust for force protection, that creates an assessment.

Thus my recommendation to build your own risk engine in excel. I have 2 different tools that I use, but both are highly flexible and adaptable to each organizations risk profile.

[Tracy]

Originally Posted by The Fat Guy

Thus my recommendation to build your own risk engine in excel. I have 2 different tools that I use, but both are highly flexible and adaptable to each organizations risk profile.

When I worked as a civilian ATO for PACOM and CENTCOM, I had two different tools as well: 18Cs for the infrastructure, and 18Fs for the threat analysis. When time allowed from my regular job, I went on the speaker circuit for training LEOs in infrastructure assessment and threat analysis.

100% of the questions were variations of "Is there a computer program that can do all of this stuff?" 100% of the time I answered "No". Although a 10-man team from BAH showed up once to try and sell the Marines at MARFORPAC a computer program for ATFP work. Didn't go as planned for them. I asked honest questions, and they tried to punk me. So, I went into SF Instructor mode and ripped them a new asshole. I'm still on their "do not hire list"...

There's nothing wrong with programs to help with checklists, and doing the simple math for whatever flavor of the CARVER process is popular these days. However, unless you can energize and get commitment from the customers to follow through on the processes, then it's all for nothing. I've done this kind of work, off and on, since 1978; and core the principles haven't changed. The laziness, however, is getting much more impressive.

[Maverick]

I may have miscommunicated what I was looking for :)

I don't believe in using a computer to assess risk, I was more looking for an app that could be used to aggregate and submit the data points to a centralized location. For example, running through a hotel checklist via an app with the ability to upload applicable pictures. I then want to be able to parse relevant information out of that data for things such as crisis management. Security Person A in foreign country X goes and does the "checklist." I want that person to be able to hit a submit button and that data goes to a centralized location. I want to then be able to build a tool that pulls relevant data such as emergency POCs, transportation routes, etc. should something bad occur in the city. Right now things are done via PDF, and I can try and use something like a PowerBI to scrape the form, but I figure there's probably a better way to do it.

[MixedLoad]

PM sent

[Hoepoe]

Originally Posted by Maverick

I may have miscommunicated what I was looking for :)

I don't believe in using a computer to assess risk, I was more looking for an app that could be used to aggregate and submit the data points to a centralized location. For example, running through a hotel checklist via an app with the ability to upload applicable pictures. I then want to be able to parse relevant information out of that data for things such as crisis management. Security Person A in foreign country X goes and does the "checklist." I want that person to be able to hit a submit button and that data goes to a centralized location. I want to then be able to build a tool that pulls relevant data such as emergency POCs, transportation routes, etc. should something bad occur in the city. Right now things are done via PDF, and I can try and use something like a PowerBI to scrape the form, but I figure there's probably a better way to do it.

For what your looking for, check out Asgard Protection Manager by AS Solution.

[The Fat Guy]

Originally Posted by Maverick

I may have miscommunicated what I was looking for :)

I don't believe in using a computer to assess risk, I was more looking for an app that could be used to aggregate and submit the data points to a centralized location. For example, running through a hotel checklist via an app with the ability to upload applicable pictures. I then want to be able to parse relevant information out of that data for things such as crisis management. Security Person A in foreign country X goes and does the "checklist." I want that person to be able to hit a submit button and that data goes to a centralized location. I want to then be able to build a tool that pulls relevant data such as emergency POCs, transportation routes, etc. should something bad occur in the city. Right now things are done via PDF, and I can try and use something like a PowerBI to scrape the form, but I figure there's probably a better way to do it.

We can build it in quickbase.