There is no indication that the 21st century will be any less turbulent than the previous one. Whilst the nature of crime and conflict has changed, and will continue to change, security remains a principal concern of governments and organisations. The need for thorough, all embracing, Threat and Risk Assessments (TRA®), leading to effective security and contingency plans, remains of great importance.

Threats & Consequences
The purpose of a TRA® is to anticipate threats, rank them in importance and likelihood, and consider the consequences. From this, cost-effective solutions and countermeasures will be developed. A TRA® not only examines the assets of an organisation and evaluates the physical and electronic measures employed to protect them, but it also addresses existing plans for minimising loss, business continuity, crisis management, personnel evacuation and disaster recovery.

Structured Approach
Whilst an overall template is used, SSI consultants work in conjunction with the client to ensure the individual characteristics, structure, ethos and needs of the organisation are considered in the TRA®. This will:

• Pinpoint assets and operations critical to business continuity.
• Assess the impact of losing one or more of these operations or assets.
• Identify existing and anticipated threats.
• Analyse and evaluate the vulnerability of assets.
• Develop cost-effective countermeasures to mitigate loss, protect personnel and assets, and ensure business continuity.

SSI's primary role is to reduce a client's risk exposure when conducting day-to-day business. This will contribute to both the organisation's success and its image in relation to its peers or competitors.

Implementation & Audits
SSI consultants have varied backgrounds and are of different nationalities. All have extensive business experience. Their functional areas of interest include oil & gas, mining, industry, institutions, agro-business, commerce and communications. SSI's geographic spread covers Africa, the former Soviet Union and many developing countries. SSI can provide interim security professionals to guide organisations through the implementation of TRA® recommendations and, when required, can assist with the provision and selection of personnel to run the day-to-day operation of a client's security.