Critical infrastructure is important to any business or organization. The more the risk management team understands what critical infrastructure is how important it is, the easier it becomes to implement standards that make a difference. Many businesses take their security protocols for granted – until something happens. Critical infrastructure is comprised of 16 sectors that work to secure the safety of employees and customers.
What Is Critical Infrastructure?
What exactly is critical infrastructure? Consider it everything businesses and organizations have that can be threatened by outside forces. That means computer networks, physical networks, internal systems, confidential company assets, and more. The need for critical infrastructure security is at an all-time high, with many data breaches and cyber thieves working hard to infiltrate risk management protocols.
When breached, critical infrastructure can take down entire corporations and even governments. While most conversations on critical infrastructure surround internal and cyber security, there are additional threats to consider like terrorists, thieves (internal and external), acts of nature, and nuclear, chemical, or biological weapons.
Who needs critical infrastructure protection? When considering the fabric that holds local, regional, and governmental systems together, these are areas that need high levels of protection:
* First responders
* Water pumping centers
* Water reservoirs
* Major computer networks
* High traffic roads and highways
* High traffic tunnels and bridges
Without these infrastructure pieces, certain things would not take place. Ensuring they are protected helps keep processes and systems running for the general public and greater good.
Threat Assessments and Target Hardening
In order to fully understand the risks that could take place in businesses, organizations, and government facilities, a threat and vulnerability assessment must take place. This helps recognize potential issues and helps create protocols that offer the most protection. This includes target hardening methods such as shrubbery, physical modifications like adding guard stations and screening methods, well-lit parking, fencing, and specific drop-off designs. Internally, target hardening can include using employee identification card scanners, secure passwords, and other techniques that can lessen the impact of being compromised.
Contact Kontek Industries
Having the right team in place that can handle threat assessments and pinpoint vulnerabilities is key in ensuring your business has a solid continuity plan. The team at Kontek Industries takes pride in providing critical infrastructure protection through its programs, services, and products. Taking infrastructure protection seriously is what they do, offering solutions for security and defense with customized enhancements.
The Kontek team understands the many challenges that occur daily all over the world. With knowledge and understanding of potential threats, they help create resources, design foundational materials, offer training to make sure your internal team is equipped to handle scenarios, and create equipment and other structural materials to offer the highest levels of protection.
One of the only companies in the country with a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Sandia National Laboratories, we work to develop and deliver critical infrastructure protocols that get the job done.
For more information on how we can assist your organization with critical infrastructure protection, contact an associate at Kontek Industries today.
