Information Sharing & Analysis Centres

There are various concepts of operationally-oriented centres that are designed to protect critical infrastructures from attack, both physical and cyber. They are referred to by various names, including Information Sharing and Analysis Centres, Watch and Warning Centres,or  Data Fusion Centres. In effect, these centres collect and analyze information pertinent to a critical sector (financial, transportation, energy, etc.) focusing on the threat and activities that most affect that industry. They help the critical infrastructures by creating a robust physical and cyber security capability for the owners, operators and users of the critical service.

These centres rely on the use and analysis of worldwide resources and information to protect information and infrastructures from malicious attack. Filtering the global information by the threats and infrastructure vulnerabilities pertinent to the sector permits the centre’s analysts to focus their efforts and help the industry to prioritize the application of limited security resources. Some of the capabilities include:

• Acquire Relevant Information
• Analyze Threat Indicators
• Monitor and Fuse Intelligence
• Alert and Warn
• Assess Risk
• Build Critical Infrastructure “Target Folders”
• Enhance Cyber Security
• Employ Red Teaming
• Reduce Decision Cycles