In an interview with Insight Success, the President of Security Control, Jeanne A. Travis and CEO, Paul J. Cella share their logic that showcases the composition of the organization ensuring compliance to various programs for their Clients. Security Control, LLC is a United States based leading, privately owned security software Company. It believes in risk, vulnerability, and threat management by utilizing the latest technologies for Industrial Security solutions. It offers a wide range of integrated service solutions to meet and satisfy specific security requirements of Clients while increasing efficiency and productivity.
Below are highlights from the interview conducted between Jeanne A. Travis, Paul J. Cella and Insights Success:
Give a brief overview of the Company and its vision.
Our vision at Security Control is to ensure that our Client’s security program has the tools necessary to be effective, efficient and compliant. We support companies with a service plan on the Cloud, via Amazon GovCloud (AWS GovCloud) or, as an alternative option, an on premises (On-Prem) environment that is fully deployed on our Client’s internal network. We accomplish this through a powerful software package called Security Control. This software package is developed by Facility Security Officers (FSOs) for FSOs.
We are a wholly owned subsidiary of IsI Enterprises that provides a wide array of services to Federal Defense Contractors and Government Agencies. In addition, we are working with two Government customers to create rentable Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) space for short term use. This allows our Client’s that do not have SCIF space, the ability to respond to classified Government Request for Proposals (RFPs) and other sensitive requests.
What inspired Security Control (Sec-Con) to enter into its respective segment?
Our Company started out using a competing software product which initially worked well for our Clients. As Government processes changed and our Company grew over time, the software we were using became ineffective with our Client’s needs and Government customer regulations. Therefore, this determined the development of our own unique software in order to be current and compliant with Government requirements. Furthermore, we included enhancements in our software so that it would be intuitive for our Clients to use. The software also assists in reducing labor costs through built in workflow modules that facilitate and speed up employee interaction with their FSOs.
What are the cutting-edge products/services offered by Security Control (Sec-Con)?
Our eight workflow modules provide automated notifications, management and tracking of employee security clearance needs, requests and requirements. These eight modules include the following features:
- Personnel – this module is for tracking all information regarding cleared personnel including multiple clearances, special accesses, and investigations, assignments such as badges, contracts, outgoing visits, safes /closed areas, and classified material. Also included, are extensive workflows and business rules so nothing is overlooked.
- Contracts – this module is for tracking the details of each classified contract including the DD254’s, personnel assigned to the contract (past and present), classified materials held for each contract along with built in workflows for items, such as, reporting new contract awards or changes to existing contracts.
- Facilities – this module is used to track details of the host facilities and other facilities including clearance verifications, Cognizant Security Authority (CSA), and the ability to initiate automated selfinspections and Facility Clearance (FCL) requirements.
- Reports & Incidents – this module gives employees the ability to submit outgoing visit requests, report incoming visits, report foreign travel, as well as, report incidents, such as, suspicious contacts, security violations, insider threats, network and cyber breaches, as well as, self-reportable items, for example, arrests, drug use, DUI’s, bankruptcies, and wage garnishments.
- Incoming Visits – this module is for managing incoming classified visits at your facility giving you the ability to track dates, attendees, clearance levels and point of contact information.
- Outgoing Visits – this module is for tracking details of your companies classified visits to Clients sites and other facilities. This information includes dates of the visit, “to” facility details, clearance level, special accesses required, contract the visit is associated with, and ability to print VAR’s.
- Safes & Closed Areas – this module allows you to maintain detail information on your safes & closed areas but also track who has access, classified materials stored in each safe, or closed area and combination change information
- Classified Materials – this module is for managing and tracking classified material stored at your facility but also track custodians, safe assignments, and contracts the materials are associated with.
What strategies has Security Control (Sec-Con) undertaken to stay ahead of the competition?
We have not just created a powerful software solution, but where we have advantage over our competition is in our workflow modules, which are built into our software. As you can see in our testimonials, our Clients really find our software easy to use and extremely helpful in managing their security program.
Describe the experiences, achievements, or lessons learned that has shaped the journey of the company.
As mentioned earlier, we initially started the business to assist FSOs and then further developed the software to enhance and improve managing this process for other Clients. The workflow modules make a large difference in keeping our processes current. We are always improving the needs our Client’s and their Customers, making them more productive.
What are the current trends in Industrial Security and how is the Company accustomed to those trends?
The current Industrial Security trend is moving from On-Prem to the Cloud. Amazon GovCloud was selected as it is the most reliable, secure, and economical route to go with any enterprise hosting option. We do offer an On-Prem option, but it isn’t necessarily better, as companies move to AWS to address the most stringent U.S. Government security and compliance requirements.
With the growing competition, how does your Company ensure optimal efficiency for its Client’s?
Our software is the only product on the market that is hosted on the Amazon GovCloud and contains built in workflows to reduce labor costs and inefficiencies. Currently there are more than 420 Client’s actively using the software on a daily basis.
Where Security Control (Sec- Con) does sees itself in the long run and what are its future goals?
We see ourselves as the market leader. We believe it is in the best interest to support our Client’s by providing the best software and services that deliver the necessary documentation on cleared personnel for the Government to supplement their staff with Contractors.
Testimonials by Clients
“Envistacom has contracted with Industrial Security Integrators (IsI) to help support our DSS personnel and facilitate our security needs. IsI has developed Security Control (Sec- Con) software/system where our employees have access to submit Visit Requests, Foreign Travel, and check details regarding status of their Security Clearance. As well as, our employees are able to view their records for training and special briefings that may be missing. As an FSO, I utilize Sec-Con to manage multiple facilities to keep track of the required DSS facility documentation (i.e., KMP Listing, DD Form 441 & 441-1, SF-328, appointment letters, self-assessments and DSS SVA), this eliminates the need to have paper copies. Sec-Con allows me to monitor personnel clearances, contracts, incoming and outgoing visit, incident report, and training. In addition, Sec-Con can be used to keep track of all classified documents, transmitted and destroyed.” – Robin Taylor Envistacom
“ACES Group evaluated several companies when looking for someone to support our Security requirements and IsI stuck out due to their responsiveness, knowledgeable staff and vision for automation that revolved around a modern web portal. After several years we can testify everything we saw when we first crossed paths with IsI has only gotten better. We have grown to view their team as are own. They are among our most trusted inner circle advisors and we wouldn’t be where we are today without them. Their portal has gotten so good we are using it as the single authoritative source for our company’s most sensitive data – this is worth noting as our company’s core competency is developing web portals and automating business processes for the Department of Defense. Bottom Line: IsI delivers results in a complex, no-fail area for small businesses.” – Jason Marshall, ACES Group.
About the Leaders
It was during his days at SAIC, a company that provides integration of technology, systems, and operational solutions across a number of intelligence disciplines, that Paul J. Cella observed the sheer number of calls made by small and medium businesses seeking support in managing their security programs. Having spent almost two decades in the field of security operations and beginning his career in intelligence with the U.S. Marine Corps, Cella was well aware of the indispensable need for a sustainable company that can provide Facility Security Officer (FSO) and Personnel Security Services for small to medium Cleared Defense and Intelligence Community Contractors. While still being employed with other companies, Cella, along with Jeanne A. Travis, started supporting a handful of Clients. These Client’s service needs varied from applying for Facility Security Clearances (FCL) to day-to-day security operations. The initiative started in Cella’s basement in 2010, which soon witnessed both its pioneers, completely dedicate themselves to growing IsI, and, in turn, Security Control, into the Companies they are today. With headquarters in Herndon, VA, IsI and Security Control are now the largest security service providers in the U.S. Numerous companies today rely on IsI for FCL and PCL service which is critical to establish a footprint in the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) spaces while remaining compliant with Federal regulations. From its humble beginnings, IsI and Security Control have grown to manage all the security needs of its Clients while providing confidence that they will be in full compliance and at a reasonable cost basis. It is also one of the few companies in existence to be approved by the Federal Government to support all cleared defense contractors across the globe.
