Better Info Mgmt Leads To Better Internal Security

Accenture and the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) have released a joint report on how security agencies can be better equipped with effective information management tools, methodologies and analytic capabilities to protect national interests and safeguard citizens in the face of rising security threats, such as cyber attacks or terrorism.

According to the report, titled Better Information Management Leads to Better Internal Security internal security agencies are tasked with developing pursuable leads from a mountain of data that is often incomplete and imperfect, so analysts waste valuable time on dead-end leads and fail to capitalise on essential information that might enrich a critical investigation.

Achieving High Performance In Internal Security

The report states that by implementing intelligence-led law enforcement- a proven model of internal security management in which information serves as a guide to operations security agencies can leverage advanced IT-based information gathering and analysis platforms for integrated knowledge modeling, link analysis and discovery. This innovative investigative capability merges strategy, process and technology to improve the quality and reliability of knowledge discovery.

More from Biztech

Future Group - Reliance Retail Deal approved by CCI RBI ban on cryptocurrencies takes effect; prohibition could force investors to tap the black market

“The need of the hour is effective and intelligent information management that enables security agencies to reduce costs, by minimising waste and duplication, and increase efficient use of information gathering resources,” said Krishna Giri, managing director for Accenture’s Health & Public Service business in India.

“The CII-Accenture Report is an effort to design a workable approach to address today’s most pressing internal security challenges. The right stride, along with the right strategy and greater involvement from the industry, can help India not only play a significant role domestically but regionally and globally as well,” said Gurpal Singh, deputy director general and head of Defence, Aerospace & Security for CII.

Key Findings From The Report

To achieve effective information management, security agencies must develop a consolidated information management architecture — a layer of processes, functions, policies and solutions that ensure the effective and secure creation, collection, storage, communication, valuation, analysis, sharing and use of information.

The report identifies the following Information Management Framework for Internal Security Management:

• Utilisation: Transforming information into actionable insight and intelligence to improve strategic, operational and cost-based decision making.

• Accessibility: Ensuring secure and efficient access to information held in highly distributed environments across different systems.

• Sharing: Enabling security agencies to collaborate and share information efficiently and effectively within and beyond their organisation.

• Quality: Ensuring information is meaningful, accurate, and internally consistent and can be used for its intended purpose.

• Security: Preventing data corruption and unauthorised access.

Effective information management capabilities are a key facilitator in improving efficiency and performance because they enable security agencies to unlock the value of information. The critical first step in designing and deploying effective information management architecture is to develop an information strategy.

The research has defined a set of practices for internal security agencies developing an information strategy:

• Involve a wide range of stakeholders — including front-line officers, technologists, senior officers, administrators and key decision makers.

• Establish a central governance function — to ensure that common information management standards and practices are adopted across the organisation; an information strategy should establish a strong, central governance function.

• Align the information strategy with key strategic priorities — to help ensure that improvements in information management will have a significant impact on efficiency and performance.

• Do not neglect the cultural and organisational dimensions of information management — improving the effectiveness of information management requires cultural and organisational change as well as new information systems.

• Analyse the latest technologies — the right information strategy is always a mix of existing and upcoming technologies. The existing technologies provide the stability and strength to predict, prevent and act on potential threats while upcoming technologies provide the capability to stay ahead of the curve.

Improvements in information management will drive and support improvements across-the-board by providing security agencies with timely access to high-quality, accurate and relevant information that enhances analysis, strengthens decision making and improves operational performance.