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Changing the face of OPSEC

Posted By Chris.Cox On 14. August 2008 @ 12:43 In OPSEC at home, schools, domestic violence | 1 Comment

There was a time when Operations Security, or OPSEC, was a military tool used to secure Military functions. This is rapidly no longer becoming the case.

 

OPSEC is the process used to deny an adversary (an enemy in the Military, a competitor in the corporate world and a “bad guy” in the public eye) access to the information that they would need to accomplish their goals against you or your organization. For example, having a friend collect your mail and newspapers to hide the fact that you’re on vacation or keeping information out of the public press release that would allow a competitor to release a comparable product before your organization does.

 

In other words, every piece of information is like a “piece of the puzzle”, and should be protected whenever possible to avoid the completion of the puzzle.

 

More Corporations are realizing the role that OPSEC can play in their operations, and their bottom line. Corporate espionage is a repeated threat, and OPSEC has proven to be a low-cost addition to their existing security programs. All Federal contractors are required to integrate OPSEC into their business proposals, but many organizations are doing so voluntarily in other interactions. Examples include Raytheon, Consolidated Networks Corporation and H&R Block.

 

In addition to this, Schools,

Domestic Violence Outreach Centers, Public Services and individuals are realizing the role that OPSEC can play in their lives. Practicing OPSEC can be as simple as using timers on lights (at home) to as complicated as implementing a multi-tiered privacy and security plan (in the case of Domestic Violence Centers).

 

No matter the organization, secrecy is occasionally required. An additional layer of security should be considered and implemented whenever possible.

 

 


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