Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/37034
8 NEWS Specifically Speaking R.J. Hope Senior Physical Security Analyst, Business & Technology Burns & McDonnell Kansas City, Mo. www.securitysystemsnews.com AUGUST 2011 I understand the consultant group at Burns & McDonnell includes both physical and cyber security experts. Do you collabo- rate on most jobs? The physical and cyber secu- rity groups do collaborate on most jobs, specifically those of a consulting nature where the cyber architecture is already in place and functioning. The scope and timing of the collaboration effort is completely dependent on the specifics of the project: facil- ity design or client consulting. As Burns & McDonnell is primarily an engineering and architectural firm, physical security is incorpo- rated at the onset of the project into the design of the facility. We work with our clients to under- stand the actual use of the facility to determine the overall security philosophy and potential federal requirements from the beginning, so that we can assist the engineers SECURITY SYSTEMS NEWS as to the best location of high pri- ority areas. In these early stages, the physical security group will work with architects to incorpo- rate Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED) principals and electrical engineers to establish security system design. Depending on the specifics of the design project, the cyber element may be utilized later in the proj- ect when the systems are actually specified, integrated with existing architecture, and/or come on line. If you had to name a couple areas of expertise for Burns & McDonnell, what would they be? Burns & McDonnell is an employee-owned firm that has been in business for over 100 years. We began in the water and wastewater sector with our first client being the City of Iola, Kansas, who is still a client today. Since then our company has grown to 10 global practices encompassing business sectors such as power transmission and distribution, infrastructure, and aviation to name a few. Speaking from the perspective of the physi- cal and cyber security groups, we have developed significant exper- tise in assisting both our existing client base as well as new clients in compliance to federal programs such as Chemical Facility Anti- Terrorism Standards (CFATS) and North America Energy Reliability Corporation/Critical Infrastruc- ture Protection (NERC/CIP). We have found that our clients many times will have the expertise on staff to handle these programs. However, these resources do not have the necessary time available to effectively complete the tasks associated with compliance. Our groups will work in tandem with their teams to act as a guide throughout the process. What’s your recommendation for how independent integrators can develop a good working relation- ship with specifiers in their geo- graphic/specialty area? The first bit of insight I can pro- vide is to understand up front that your sales cycle, when dealing with specifiers, will most likely be quite long. Many of our proj- ects take months and even years to completely design. It can also be significantly longer than that before the first bid is presented to contactors. Additionally, from the engineering perspective, it will not be the specifier that pur- chases your product or services; it will be the client and, more than likely, his prime contractor. The best recommendation I can give is to seek out demographically based firms that service the same areas your firm services, and offer to be a resource for security consid- erations. The goal is to become a trusted resource to help them solve security-related issues or concerns on their projects. This does not SPECSPEAK see page 11