Intelligence Professionals vs ‘Computer Intelligence Professionals’
All of our analysts and intelligence personnel started as intelligence professionals, mostly government trained, including a badge and ID number. They were selected for this company because they demonstrated their ability to identify and track ‘bad guys’ in a number of different environments. They also have demonstrated a passion for looking after their clients.
Fusion vs geeks or Computer Security Analysts
If you think about the many criminal ‘procedural’ shows from the United States that include ‘crime scene investigation’, the investigators use data that comes from a wide variety of sources. There is no such thing as a ‘certain’ source that guarantees finding the bad guy. That process of collecting information from many sources to create a logical ‘story’ or explanation is called FUSION. Fusion is how we develop our products.
Our competition talk about their ‘security researchers’ or their ‘computer security analysts’. This is single source or single type analysis. If you think back to the CSI TV show analogy for a moment, bad guys can fake some data but rarely can they build an entire picture that fakes out the investigators. That is why we use data fusion as a cornerstone of our processes.
When we need specialists – we get specialists
Fusion is a great methodology but it does not always provide all the answers. CSCSS has access to all the technical specialists we could ever want. We have access to: criminal investigators, fraud investigators and computer scientists to name just a few specialties.
Our Products are Different
Yes they are! Our products originated in places where it was essential to quickly explain to an executive why their world was falling apart. We have kept that urgency, and that lack of marketing, as we built the templates for our products. This gives our products a very different ‘feel’.
What Do We Sell?
Our Intelligence products are designed to keep you informed about what is going on in your computer security environment. All of our intelligence products contain three key features:
- Situational Awareness: Products to keep you informed as to what is going on.
- Analysis: We look at who is behind attacks, will there be more, will the threat increase or decrease, and why?
- Forecasting: If you are going to the Olympics you are going into a high-rick cyber We can provide detailed information about the types of threats and the severity of the threats you WILL face.
Our Intelligence services have one goal: to prepare you for the next attacker who thinks they are going to break into your network, your secure environment. To get you ready we ASSESS the threat against you, we EVALUATE your current security and intelligence processes and we TRAIN your people how to prepare for the coming attacks.
Right Product for the Right Person
Our background has taught us that there are typically three ‘levels’ of people who use our products. Our experience has also taught us that these people have different requirements. One product definitely does NOT fit all.
- ‘Tactical Level’: This is the Security Operations Center (SOC) Staff, the consultant or the solo network administrator fighting to keep thing working and the bad guys out.
- ‘Operations Level’ or Management Level: This individual run the SOC or the security They are responsible for managing the security team and the security tools while also reporting to executive(s) network and security status.
- ‘Strategic Level’ or Executive Management: This includes members of Boards of Directors, CEO’s, COO’s, CFO’s, CIO’s, CISO’s, Presidents, Executive Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, etc.
Each of these levels typically has a different level of computer knowledge, different demands on their time and radically different background specialties. A senior executive who has a Masters in Business Administration does not want to hear why the firewall failed. Likewise the accounting specialist on the Board of Directors is almost certainly not interested in learning a new dialect so they can understand a report.
Its our job to deliver the right content for the right person at each of these levels. That is another critical skill that comes from our background.
Lean Form
We describe our organization as having a ‘lean form’. There are two reasons behind this:
- It is our experience that small or ‘lean’ intelligence teams are the most productive. This is especially true when the teams are working closely with clients. Large organizations, including large intelligence organizations tend to be come more bureaucratic, more fixated on processes and less responsive to clients.
- We are fans of Tom Peter’s and Robert Waterman’s “In Search of Excellence”.[1] The arguments for “simple form, lean staff – few administrative layers, few people at the upper levels” has held up well over time.
Where is our umbrella, our ‘all inclusive’ package
We don’t have one. That is another “In Search of Excellence” rule: Stick to your knitting, remain with what the company knows best.[2] When we can’t meet your requirements, we will tell you and we will work with you to define what you need and then draw the resources you need from CSCSS.
Please notice we are not offering ‘sure protection’ or ‘robust security’. We know better. A methodical opponent can almost always find a way to mess things up. We are part of a solution to make that a very challenging process for them.
[1] Rule Seven of the Eight Basic Principals from: “In Search of Excellence” Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr. Warner Books 1982 Published New York, New York, USA
[2] Rule Eight of the Eight Basic Principals from: “In Search of Excellence” Thomas J. Peters and Robert H. Waterman Jr. Warner Books 1982 Published New York, New York, USA