TotalSecurity

TotalSecurity.US is a world leader in homeland security consulting, anti-terrorism training, threat assessment and infrastructure security. The company has advised and trained over 25,000 professional law enforcement, first responder and security personnel for clients including the World Trade Center, Pentagon, FBI, NFL Superbowl and AMTRAK, and has guided the training of over 250,000 members of the National DHS/ATA Highway Watch(R) Program.

TotalSecurity.US combines unmatched field experience with advanced analytical modeling to provide its clients with a comprehensive analysis of their security preparedness and vulnerability to man-made and natural emergencies.

A key innovation is the company's Threat Exposure Reduction Matrix (TERM(R)), which predicted the Atlanta Olympics bombing in 1996. TERM(R) is a framework for threat assessment and risk mitigation through a critical, quantitative examination of potential casualties, property loss and economic impact associated with specific emergency scenarios. The major components of the TERM(R) model are:

• Threat and Vulnerability Analysis
• Security and Emergency Planning
• Training Development and Delivery
• Drills and Exercises
• Lessons Learned

Having successfully utilized TERM(R) to protect the safety and property of its clients, TotalSecurity.US determined that the model could be expanded to provide a fully integrated capability to manage the security and emergency operations of an entire major metropolitan area, state or large organization. With the threat of terrorism a primary concern of the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and CIA and also under the purview of local government, Jeffrey Beatty recognized the need for a centralized security information system to facilitate the execution of this critical responsibility.

TSMS^TM is the realization of this vision. The scalable, customizable software application provides local officials and private companies with the capability to effectively coordinate emergency preparedness for thousands of public and private facilities in a major metropolitan area. With its centralized information system, TSMS^TM applies the TERM(R) model to multiple user levels. Many of the same tools and techniques available to senior public safety leaders are offered to private security personnel at hotels, office buildings and other facilities across the entire region's infrastructure. As private facilities are entered into the system, value metrics are estimated enabling public officials to prioritize the allocation of limited public resources.

A Leadership Module provides city mayors, department chiefs and public safety directors with real-time access to emergency planning status and decision support. Reports and status screens are standardized across all facilities for comparison and evaluation. The system dynamically adjusts to changes in specific threat levels over time.

Most importantly, TSMS^TM provides a structured process for the continuous improvement of emergency response effectiveness through an iterative feedback cycle. The results of training, drills and tests are analyzed to highlight areas in need of improvement, and emergency plans are refined by capturing and integrating lessons learned.

Key system features include:

• Secure access to a central data repository containing critical data for thousands of facilities including emergency plans, floor plans, procedural manuals and contacts
• Dynamic, variable ranking of strategic assets by threat level and the potential for casualties, property loss and economic impact
• Ranking algorithms that consider population estimates within variable radii around key locations adjusted by day part
• Advanced information design featuring pivot tables to define, view and manipulate large information sets on a single screen
• System-generated reports that fulfill state regulatory requirements for comprehensive disaster preparedness status reporting
• Highly fault-tolerant system with secure, Web-based user interface that can be hosted at multiple redundant sites
• Context-sensitive Help File System, dynamically orders items by user-relevance, system function and geographic location
• Multiple hierarchical administrative levels with selective access to features and tools
• Contingency security override for system administrators for a limited time period
• Training tools including Scenario Case Planning for multiple types of emergencies and threats
• First responder training with variable event simulations for wide-area emergencies
• Iterative process for integrating event simulation results and lessons learned into refined emergency plans
• Highly customizable user interface for each organization

As the initial project requirements were defined, TotalSecurity.US understood the need for a strong technology development partner to create this challenging application. In typical fashion, Amadeus Consulting completed this major software project on time and on budget. The resulting system fulfilled the original vision and exceeded expectations in terms of usability, reliability and functional requirements. A major success factor was effective collaboration with our client. Rick Czarnowsky, TotalSecurity.US's Director of Technology, worked on site with the Amadeus Consulting development team in Boulder for several months refining requirements and design.

Amadeus Consulting assisted TotalSecurity.US with the successful deployment of the new system for a major metropolitan area. We continue to support the implementation across a large user base and assist in planning future deployments to other major U.S. cities.