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SSC Security Matters

World-Class Talent at the Local Level
An Interview with Amit Gavish, Managing Director, SSC Corporate intelligence and Investigation

Amit Gavish joined SSC as Managing Director position in March of 2007 after stints as Deputy Director of Security at the Office of the President of Israel and as a Senior counter-terrorism Consultant at a private, Boston-based security consulting firm. He has over 10 years of security and military training, including three years in the Israel Defense Force. Recently, Amit took on a new role as a Managing Director at SSC, overseeing an expanded Corporate Intelligence and Investigation Department.

Why has SSC expanded its Corporate Intelligence and Investigation Department?
In the post-911 era, companies face new security, regulatory and legal challenges. Our expanded services provide clients with the security tools and resources they need to succeed in today’s complicated and often unpredictable environment.

What do you personally bring to SSC’s Corporate Intelligence and Investigation Department?
My security work in Israel, for both the military and the President’s Office, and my private security consulting, have given me insight into how to develop successful security programs in high-risk environments. My experience, along with SSC’s world-class talent and resources, have allowed us to greatly enlarge the depth and focus of our services.

How have you expanded SSC Corporate Intelligence and Investigation?
Our department currently consists of 15 high-level, credentialed and experienced staff members who possess over 30 years experience in the security and investigations sector.  

In addition to providing white collar investigations and corporate fraud, the Corporate Intelligence and Investigation department provides a comprehensive range of risk-mitigation services:

Protection
Vulnerability and Risk assessments (VRA) to protect companies and institutions from the multi-billion dollar cost of security breaches and ensure compliance with new governmental regulations.
Procedures 
Policy and procedure development, ranging from counter-terrorism policies and procedures to information security.
Training
Special training, including training in counter-terrorism, behavior pattern recognition and countersurveillance.
Effective Management
Management of complex security engagements and implementations, such as vulnerability and risk assessment recommendations.

Our services together help ensure a company or organization’s security program is an investment, not a cost. 

How does a Vulnerability and Risk Assessment (VRA) help a business become more secure?
A typical VRA defines the risk-prevention measures that help secure an organization. Developed correctly, a comprehensive security program can improve the image of a company, limit liability, and curb the loss of tangible and intangible assets. 

How is SSC’s VRA different from a generic risk assessment?
Unlike the typical VRA, SSC’s VRA is multidimensional, encompassing:

Comprehensive Assessment
A comprehensive risk assessment, from the front gate to the hard drive, including five security controls: physical, technological (access control such as alarms), I/T, policy and procedures and human factor controls (such as background checks).  
Adversarial Approach 
Utilization of design-base threats and an Aggressor Method of Operations (AMO). What this means is that we look at security from an adversary’s perspective, developing methods of operations likely to be adopted by a foe. This adversarial approach has been perfected by Israel, and based on my work there, we’ve adopted this practice at SCC.

Implementation
Application of benchmark findings and best practices.
Actionable recommendations.

Far from a generic, off-the-shelf product, our VRA is based on the day-to-day security needs of a company. Modeled on real-life simulations, we make potential threats real and actionable. For example, our work doesn’t end at identifying possible threats; we also pinpoint particular tactics that can be used against a company so a business or organization can take the necessary defensive steps. At the same time, we prioritize the likelihood of a threat and tactic so a company is not defending itself against an improbable scenario. 

Are there any other special benefits to SSC’s VRA?
The problem with most VRAs is that they take too narrow an approach, leaving themselves exposed in certain areas. For example, a VRA might focus on physical security but ignore I/T safety or human behavior issues. To avoid those problems, we pay attention to both I/T and physical security, along with what we call the “human factor,” the individuals within a company who can compromise security. This includes focusing on often overlooked security-related areas, such as background checks and other human resources hiring practices.

What makes SSC’s VRA especially useful?
SSC’s final security recommendations consider a variety of factors, including financial limitations and operational efficiencies, to create truly actionable recommendations. At the end of the day we want our clients to be able to easily implement our recommendations. Otherwise, they will remain just that – recommendations without teeth.

© 2010 SSC, Inc.

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