Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Infragard Long Island March 26, 2009 Meeting



Wow, what a great event we had yesterday at the Suffolk Police Department Police Academy. We had a great time discussing our upcoming events and trying to re-energize the public-private partnership on Long Island. Mark White, Deputy Chief of the Suffolk County Police Department and his team discussed and showed our members the capabilities they have for dealing with unknown substances (read: white powders, chemicals, etc) and how quickly they can determine whether or not they are safe. Also, they showcased the "B.E.A.R" anti-terrorism armored truck. The members had a blast touring this vehicle and we were in awe of all the capabilities that it has to protect our nation's defenders. Many people are unaware that the important tasks of keeping their communities and critical infrastructure protected requires their constant participation. In our day-to-day grind we are always rushing from one place to another (work, school, home, etc.) and we fail to notice how things are changing around our environment, sometimes for better other times for worse. The Long Island Infragard chapter is trying to recruit members to further develop our grassroots movement and help protect our nation, by protecting our own backyard first.

What is Infragard? This is a question that I get asked all the time (did I mention I was not only client, I'm a member?), as summarized on our website (http://www.infragard-li.net/aboutus.htm):

InfraGard is an alliance of businesses, academic institutions, state and local law enforcement agencies, and other organizations, which are unified together to prevent hostile acts against the United States through information and intelligence sharing.

InfraGard is a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) program that began in the Cleveland Field Office in 1996. It was a local effort to gain support from the information technology industry and academia for the FBI’s investigative efforts in the cyber arena. The program expanded to other FBI Field Offices, and in 1998 the FBI assigned national program responsibility for InfraGard to the former National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) and to the Cyber Division in 2003. InfraGard and the FBI have developed a relationship of trust and credibility in the exchange of information concerning various terrorism, intelligence, criminal, and security matters.

The strength of Infragard’s Intelligence and Information sharing is from its Subject Matter Expert membership which represents a wide range of industries, professions and fields.

This organization is membership driven and we can only get out from this program as much as we put into it. If you are interested in learning more about our program please visit our website or contact me directly.

Stay safe!!!

Friday, March 13, 2009

New 2009 National Infrastructure Protection Plan: A Brief Overview

New 2009 National Infrastructure Protection Plan: A Brief Overview by Brendan Healy, Infragard Long Island

The Department of Homeland Security has issued the latest National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP). This is the first major update since 2006. The Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CKIR) component of the plan still remain in-tact and most of the updates are to processes which have matured since ’06 printing.



Take some time and review the latest plan at :

http://www.dhs.gov/xprevprot/programs/editorial_0827.shtm


The Long Island Infragard is planning on offering a workshop tutorial around Critical Infrastructure Protection in the Spring of 2009.


The DHS also has some excellent training classes around the NIPP. Course IS-860 offers a good introduction to the plan and provides good baseline into Critical Infrastructure Protection. http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/IS/is860.asp



Tuesday, December 2, 2008

ASIS-LI Chapter morns the loss of Marty McMillan


Marty McMillan
We lost a friend and Colleague
The ASIS-LI Chapter morns the loss of one of our own. Please join us in paying our last respects to Marty and his family Charles O'Shea Funeral Home 2515 N. Jerusalem Road, East Meadow, NY 11554 516-826-1010 Wednesday, Dec. 3 2pm-5pm & 7pm-9pm Thursday, Dec. 4 2pm-5pm & 7pm-9pm

It is with heavy heart that I must inform you of the loss of our friend and colleague Marty McMillan. Marty was an instrumental component to the ASIS Long Island Chapter in all of our Public/Private Partnership endeavors and activities especially our Annual Golf Outing, Person of the Year Awards Dinner and SPIN and SCAN Programs. He was a mentor, a security professional but more importantly a friend to us all, always greeting us with his big smile and "what can I do for you" attitude.

Marty had many passions, hunting and fishing with his family and friends, and his passion for technology led Marty to the founding of Intelli-Tec Security Systems in Westbury. Marty's vision and personal touch grew Intelli-Tec to be one of the leading security companies in the U.S.

In this busy time of year when all of us are busy with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, please take a minute to remember our friend Marty and his family in your prayers and take a minute to appreciate those loved ones around you.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that any donations be mailed to: The Cody McMillan College Scolarship Fund C/O Intelli-tec Security Services 2000 Shames Drive Westbury NY 11590

Monday, November 10, 2008

Crisis Management Meeting and Annual Elections



On November 20th, 2008 two experience speakers from Dan Klores Communications and the FBI - New York Crisis Management Squad will be holding a presentation and discussion on Crisis Management.




Robert Leonard, EVP, from Dan Klores Communication has built a strong public safety practice at DKC which includes clients such as Motorola, Seagrave Fire Apparatus, the largest privately held ambulance company in the United States and a number of fire and emergency medical service organizations in the New York metropolitan region. His previous agency experience includes handling healthcare, social service, law enforcement and government affairs issues at the Manhattan-based public relations firm of Howard J. Rubenstein Associates.


Stanley Regan, Supervisory Special Agent FBI - NY Crisis Management Squad, has extensive experience in Crisis Management and planning in our communities and workplaces. His presentation will cover practical examples of planning for events such as bird flu, terrorism and natural disasters.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Hofstra University to host Presidental Debates on October 15th, 2008


Hofstra University has been selected to host the third 2008 Presidential Debates at the David S. Mack Arena.

Hofstra Press Release: (http://www.hofstra.edu/Home/News/PressReleases/091508_debateprep.html)

Hofstra University, Hempstead, NY – Hofstra's David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex is being transformed into a debate hall for the third and final 2008 presidential debate on October 15, 2008. The work at the arena is part of the elaborate preparations by Hofstra required to host this historic event. The presidential debates are presented by the non-partisan Commission on Presidential Debates.

The debate at Hofstra is sponsored locally by the Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency and The John D. Miller Fund at the Long Island Community Foundation. The Hofstra debate, which will focus on economic policy and domestic issues, will be moderated by Bob Schieffer, CBS News chief Washington correspondent and "Face the Nation" host.
Hofstra crews are busy preparing the arena as well as the adjacent Physical Fitness Center, which will serve as the Media Center for thousands of journalists from across the country and around the world who will cover the debate. Hofstra employees and student volunteers will staff the Media Center and other locations across campus. Leading up to the debate and the 2008 election, Hofstra is proud to host Educate '08, an unprecedented series of lectures, conferences, artistic performances and exhibitions, town hall meetings and interactive forums focused on the issues, history and politics of presidential elections. Educate '08 provides our students, faculty and the entire surrounding community with access to the newsmakers, scholars and policymakers who have unique insight and knowledge of the American political system. Many of the programs and events are free and open to the public. The fall series of programs kicked off September 9 with a panel on "Economic Issues Facing the Presidency" featuring former U.S. Treasury Secretaries Paul O’Neill and Robert Rubin and moderated by Floyd Norris, chief financial correspondent for The New York Times and The International Herald Tribune.

On Sept. 10, Dr. Shashi Tharoor, former Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and renowned author, spoke on "Restoring America's Image in the World: The Public Diplomacy Challenge."
Programs scheduled for this fall include today’s program featuring George Stephanopoulos, former advisor to President Bill Clinton, chief Washington correspondent for ABC News and anchor of ABC’s Sunday morning program, This Week with George Stephanopoulos.; a program featuring Lou Dobbs Tonight panelists Michael Goodwin, Edward Rollins and Robert Zimmerman (September 16); and former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations (October 2). In addition, more than 30 academic courses are being offered this fall dealing with the presidential election, the issues in the campaign, political parties and the voter.

Also planned at Hofstra in advance of the presidential debate:
- Hofstra Rocks the Debate, a concert run by our students on the Saturday before the debate (Jason Mraz, who makes sure his concert leaves no carbon footprint) featuring all of our political and civic clubs. - A series of town hall meetings, some Web cast, one on WNYC, one on WLIW, on domestic policy issues, some based in youth issues, some are intergenerational. - A National Issues Forum, based on the Kettering Foundation work on issues, for high school students. - A faculty speakers bureau for our community. - 1776 the musical! - Democracy in Performance, a series of live performances of some of American history's greatest moments, the day before the debate. - Our fifth Day of Dialogue, featuring about 50 issues-based programs in one day (set for two days before the first debate at Ole Miss) coordinated by our Center for Civic Engagement. - A retrospective of our 11 presidential conferences and a Hofstra Museum exhibit about those conferences. A full schedule of Educate '08 events and courses can be found at www.hofstra.edu/educate08

Hofstra University is a dynamic private institution where students can choose from about 140 undergraduate and 155 graduate programs in liberal arts and sciences, business, communication, education and allied human services, and honors studies, as well as a School of Law. With a student-faculty ratio of 14-to-1, our professors teach small classes averaging 22 students that emphasize interaction, critical thinking and analysis. Hofstra offers a faculty whose highest priority is teaching excellence. The University also provides excellent facilities with state-of-the-art technology, extensive library resources and internship programs that match students’ interests and abilities with appropriate companies and organizations. The Hofstra community is driven, dynamic and energetic, helping students find and focus their strengths to prepare them for a successful future.

Visit: http://www.hofstra.edu/debate/index.html

Sunday, September 7, 2008

INMA: Critical Infrastructure Protection Congress 2008


Critical Infrastructure Protection Congress 2008
Risk 2.0: Next-Generation Threats, Challenges & Opportunities

The Fall 2008 Critical Infrastructure Protection Congress will be held October 6-8 at the Rio All-Suite Hotel in Las Vegas.

The annual Critical Infrastructure Protection Congress is a cross-sector information-sharing event that has evolved from within the ISAC community. The 2008 event is presented by the ISAC Council (representing 11 critical infrastructure sectors), InfraGard (the FBI’s public and private sector information-sharing association), and the Partnership for Critical Infrastructure Security (PCIS).

The 2008 theme, “Risk 2.0: Next-Generation Threats, Challenges & Opportunities,” highlights the security issues associated with new technologies and applications that affect all critical infrastructures.

The Fall 2008 Congress continues to execute our goal of delivering key primary learning objectives to our attendees:


  • Understand the importance of sharing information across different sectors and the impact each sector has on the resilience of the other sectors.
  • Learn how information security, physical security and crisis management are converging as a result of blended threats.
  • Gain practical insights on how to improve enterprise preparedness against risks, threats and incidents involving multiple disciplines.
  • Acquire knowledge that can be applied to your everyday business practices to reduce risk and better protect your organization.
http://www.cip2008.com/

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Infragard 2.0 - September Meeting @ SCPD

On September 4th, 2008, we hosted our September meeting at the Suffolk County Police Academy. The meeting was well attended by representation from multiple sectors across the Long Island Private Industry.

Special Thanks to Chief Mark White from the Suffolk County Police for his assistance with this event!

Identity Theft.biz

Yonesy Nu
ñez, a Global Manager for Information Security at the Pall Corporation, discussed ways that companies can stay ahead of the curve and help their businesses and individuals protect themselves against this threat. Brendan Healy discussed real world examples of how ID thieves use common and low-tech tactics to exploit individuals good names. Real world examples were discussed, including a case of an insider exposing a vulnerability at a major US Bank.


Infragard 2.0 - Re-Energizing the private and public partnership

Speakers from the LI Infragard Executive Board discussed how they are looking to re-energize the chapter and laid out a plan and brief roadmap to achieve this goal. Discussions continued about Subject Matter Experts and involvement from the membership. The board is looking for help in the following areas:
  • Public Relations
  • Fund Raising and Finance
  • Membership and Recruitment

Infragard / Domain Presentations by the FBI

Special Agent Maryann Goldman
and Supervisory Special Agent Mark Rossini talked about how important the public and private partnership is to the FBI and how Infragard Long Island is a critical component of the Infragard program.

Members asked questions about how the FBI interacts with the private sector and what they can do to report suspicious activity.

The group also discussed the need to increase membership and asked members to "bring a friend" to future meetings.

Special Agent Linda Freeman provided an excellent presentation about the FBI's Counterintelligence Domain Program . Linda discussed the importance of the program and how to get involved with her division.


Members also collaborated on ways to get more involved with the chapter and share information amongst the group.

Several members continued their discussions during a networking session.



The meeting was a success and we are looking forward to October's meeting and board elections!