Action Steps To Meet Emerging Requirements
- Assess your vulnerability with subject matter experts such as those at IAN and its Affiliated Market Partners .
- Create a comprehensive infrastructure and information security plan that includes business continuity capabilities that can be extended for months not just 30 days.
- Create your own triage action plan that outlines what you can do now (in the next month or two) and what you can do over the course of the next year or two.
- Determine the critical infrastructure that you can shield with less expensive off-the-shelf systems such as those IAN intends to manufacture and what you will have to provide through custom construction and remodeling.
- If you are part of a federal agency or local public safety organization, then prepare to meet emerging NFP and COOP standards.
- Review your dependence on single sources of failure including the power grid and communications provider.
- Explore participation in a local power generation capability that can provide protection if the grid fails while saving money by avoiding peak demand charges. Determine ways that your microgrid can provide power from alternative energy sources.
- Work with IAN and its AMPs to create an EMP test program applicable to your equipment, facilities and infrastructure. Prove your viability to your customers, shareholders and insurance company.
Act now to avoid long waiting lines. There are so few people able to help you make custom solutions compared to those who need them, that when EMP protection becomes clearly mandatory, the waiting line might be very long. In addition, custom solutions can be expensive. http://wsc01.cm4all.aplus.net/app/static/html/ieedit/ieedit.html#_ednref1
To reduce those costs, IAN has come up with a number of mass-producible solutions that can reduce the amount of required custom work. These solutions range from methods, procedures and products for spare parts protection, small systems operations to room modules that can be used on vehicles or in data and call centers or disaster recovery centers.
IAN System Approach
IAN takes a systems approach that includes capabilities that monitor environmental factors such as EMP on the periphery of the system and within the system.
IAN also makes use of alternative electromagnetic protective shielding materials that are nearly 1/3 the weight of standard steel protection but still affordable. That is essential in all mobile applications and some fixed retrofit requirements.
This systematic approach makes it possible for public safety organizations to perform triage on this problem. Most will not be able to protect their entire critical infrastructure at once, but many can take initial steps, even if it is to establish a protected spare parts and systems program.
Different EMP scenarios will include some instances of smaller EMP attack that make it wise to take small precautionary steps such as keeping unused computer systems unplugged from a power source or LAN. This is because a smaller attack may have a geographically limited radiated pulse while a conducted pulse across long lines may travel outside of an effected area.
There are circumstances where any protection will be better than none. Also, anything we do to minimize day-to-day electromagnetic interference from various environmental sources will also be helpful. However, I think that you might agree that finding affordable solutions to the worst-case scenarios make the most sense.
Contact CManto(at)stop-emp.com or see www.safe9-1-1.com.