Commentary: A proactive, hybrid approach to security

Terroristic threats are no long purely physical or cyber. Today, businesses and the government must contend with our physical infrastructure being at risk of electronic attacks. It has become essential that organizations pay attention to any piece of infrastructure connected to the Internet, without discounting the physical aspects of a space.

Organizations should embrace a proactive security model based on advanced event correlation capabilities. In this proactive approach, hybrid (physical and cyber) security operations models will employ dedicated analysts coupled with advanced data analytics gathered from an array of sensors to predict and remediate emerging threats before they cause significant damage.

The key aspects of this proactive enterprise security intelligence methodology are the integration of an array of sensors such as intrusion detection, malware and antivirus detection, and data loss prevention. These sensors are coupled with continuous compliance capabilities, forensics and situational awareness all built into the operational model. ?The focus will be on proactive techniques and intelligent analytics in order to reduce the cycle time between threat detection and remediation.

Organizations should also consider investing in surveillance- and biometrics-based security to provide insight into who is gaining access to their facilities and data. For example, the deployment of alerting technologies and layers of security can support solid emergency policies and procedures for staff and security personnel. These spaces should not just have alerting systems, but also different sets of physical barriers that will deter and slow down an attack.

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Steve Vinsik is vice president of global security solutions for Unisys. Blue Bell, Pa.-based Unisys is a worldwide information technology company. It provides a portfolio of IT services, software, and technology. The company brings together offerings and capabilities in outsourcing services, systems integration and consulting services, infrastructure services, maintenance services, and high-end server technology. With approximately 23,000 employees, Unisys serves commercial organizations and government agencies throughout the world.

The company’s work in government is discussed here. Some of Unisys’ offerings in the federal government space include:

• IT security for government systems,
• Data center transformation,
• End-user support services, and
• Application modernization to boost productivity