Security Sales & Integration September 2021 - 31

T
wenty years is quite a chunk of
time, capacious enough for some
life experiences to seem distant
as memories of them fade, blur.
Then there are those moments in time that
mark us forever, and two decades bygone still
feels like yesterday.
The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, are such a
moment.
Within the electronic security and fire/life-safety
industry, 9/11 is especially poignant given the
professionals who ply the trade endeavor to protect
lives and property day in and day out. Not to
mention their oftentimes close partnerships and
affiliations with members of the first responder
and law enforcement communities.
No, it does not feel like 20 years has passed
since that fateful day, one we all share in common.
Yet there is much to reflect upon in that
time to better understand the lasting impacts
of 9/11 that continue to reverberate across the
security ecosystem.
To that end, SSI spoke with several industry
professionals with particular subject matter
expertise to examine lessons learned, progress
made and the road yet to travel. The topics
highlight the federal government's expedient
work to create standards around the development
and deployment of technologies, adoption
challenges, opportunities, plus additional
material is available online, including personal
reflections from 9/11.
Change Arrived Swiftly
The blunt effect of the September 11 attacks
would forever alter the United States, its culture
and not the least of which, the nation's approach
to security.
By November 2002 the Bush administration
had already created the Department of Homeland
Security (DHS), and with the issuance
of Homeland Security Presidential Directives
such as HSPD-12, the security industry experienced
unprecedented growth with government
agencies' procurement of products and services.
Both industry and government recognized the
need for change in technology and processes
to facilitate the urgent needs of the nation, explains
Lynn de Seve, founder and president of
GSA Schedules, an Annapolis, Md.-based government
contract consulting firm.
" We immediately saw significant changes in
technology and government regulations meant
to tighten and secure public and government
securitysales.com
facilities through hardened physical security
and new specifications for identity management, "
she says.
The need to deploy secure and reliable forms
of identification for federal employees and contractors
resulted in Federal Information Processing
Standard Publication 201 (FIPS 201).
To harden port facilities, the Transportation
Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program
was created to provide a biometric credential
to maritime workers.
The pace of the nation's transformation in
creating new security infrastructure may have
been viewed as dizzying in the immediate years
following the attacks. There were many situations
of potential security concerns to address
related to air travel, transportation, schools,
military bases and other government centers in
this national crisis.
" There was a successful and growing partnership
that has continued between government
and industry to keep us safer as technology
was advanced and new regulations were implemented, "
de Seve says.
The General Services Administration (GSA)
utilizing NIST specifications created a program
for reviewing and approving identity management
systems to meet NIST standard FIPS201.
The GSA Approved Product List (GSA
APL) was established, and systems integrators
were offered a certification process to demonstrate
their qualifications for specifying and installing
the GSA FIPS-201-approved products.
The GSA Federal Acquisition Service (FAS)
created new categories of products and services
to help government agencies clearly identify
the new technology. In recent years GSA FAS
also created resources for the federal agencies to
assist them in creating a statement of work for
buying a physical access control system (PACS).
In a post-9/11 world, including other terrorist
attacks that followed, the security industry
underwent major changes, first in mindset
and threat assessment, then in technology, says
Ronald Hawkins, director of industry relations
for the Security Industry Association (SIA).
Security systems, it was quickly realized, had
to take on a broader role and defend not only
against criminals seeking money or property,
but also against well-trained and well-funded
nonstate actors pursuing political ends through
violent means.
Hawkins explains this produced a dramatic
upscaling of solutions, with perimeters hardSEPTEMBER
2021 Security Sales & Integration
31
I am
completely bullish
[FIPS 201] is the
right thing for
federal buildings
to really protect
them and protect
the people who
go in them, but
the reality is it's
been a long trip
and we're not
there yet.
- Mark Allen, Identiv
http://www.securitysales.com
Security Sales & Integration September 2021

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