TSCP Awarded Department of Homeland Security Pilot Grant to Develop a Secure Information Sharing Environment

VIENNA, Va., Jan. 23, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Transglobal Secure Collaboration Program (TSCP), a 501(C)(6) non-profit technical trade association which focuses on federated identity and access management for secure collaboration, announced today that it has been awarded a pilot grant from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop secure and robust solutions for federation and information sharing for emergency personnel responding to disaster events.

Today, during emergency events, key information is often not shared between response personnel from the private sector and federal, state and local decision makers and emergency management officials who access critical infrastructure and key resources (CI/KR). This information is not shared due to a "lack of trust" since there is no mechanism to restrict the transmission of data to authorized personnel in the commercial energy sector and the public sector. The potential damage that could result from this information in the wrong hands currently limits the amount of critical information that is transmitted between the two sectors.

In support of DHS's specific mission to develop "advanced cyber security and information assurance solutions to secure the Nation's current and future cyber and critical infrastructures against persistent threats and dynamic attacks," with particular attention to CSD.05, Identity Management, TSCP has teamed with the All Hazards Consortium (AHC), a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on homeland security, emergency management and business continuity, for this DHS pilot grant. The primary objective of the pilot is to apply TSCP specifications and leverage AHC's critical infrastructure relationships in their Multi-State Fleet Response Working Group to test secure collaboration for the transmission of data for public and private first responders. Specifically, the pilot will test the management of rights and authorities, using TSCP's Information Labeling and Handling specification, in support of securing data that is being transported within, and across, first responder systems.

The purpose of the pilot is to provide a solution to secure information sharing for emergency response personnel through the development of a secure and robust environment wherein private sector data source providers (e.g., power companies, telecommunications providers, fleet companies, etc.) will have confidence that any sensitive private sector data entered into the system will be shared and accessible only by authorized personnel. This is built upon the same process being utilized by over 50 million users in the aerospace sector across the globe.

"We are honored to be working on this pilot as it extends the TSCP Trust Framework into important adjacent markets to enable an interoperable standard for the secure sharing of important information between the public and private sectors for use by first responders during emergency events," said Keith Ward, President and CEO of TSCP.

"This pilot project is the culmination of many efforts and lessons learned over the past two years as the government agencies and businesses in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions have been planning and sharing operational information together in both 'blue sky' and 'dark sky' days. Beginning with Super Storm Sandy, the All Hazards Consortium has been working with government and the private sector to find ways to secure and share the private sector's sensitive operational information with specific state and local government operational personnel in order to expedite power restoration and supply chain movement. If successful, this low cost, proven concept can easily be expanded," said Tom Moran, Executive Director of the All Hazards Consortium.

About TSCP: TSCP is comprised of leading multinational corporations spanning aerospace and defense, defense IT, energy, financial services and technology companies in the United States and Europe, working in cooperation with U.S. government agencies and European government ministries. TSCP uses a government-industry partnership to achieve secure collaboration by mitigating the IT management risks inherent in large-scale, collaborative programs that span multiple national jurisdictions.

For more information, contact [email protected] or visit TSCP on the web at www.tscp.org.

About the All Hazards Consortium: The All Hazards Consortium is a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on multi-state homeland security, emergency management and business continuity, and is guided by the states of North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York, along with the urban areas of New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the Washington, D.C., National Capital Region.

For additional information, contact [email protected] or visit www.ahcusa.org.

About the Multi-State Fleet Response Initiative Working Group:

Established by the private sector under the All Hazards Consortium, the Multi-State Fleet Response Working Group is a private sector-led working group supporting efforts to expedite the movement of private sector repair fleets, resources and supply chains across multiple borders following disaster events. Its members are owners and operators of the Nation's critical infrastructure sectors, including electric, fuel, finance, retail, telecommunications, transportation, food, water and medical. The working group is advised by state and local government representatives from multiple disciplines, including emergency management, homeland security, transportation, communications, health, energy, utility commissions, law enforcement and economic development. For additional information, contact [email protected] or visit www.fleetresponse.org.

TSCP Contact: 
Keith Ward 
President and CEO 
Phone: (703) 760-7898 

AHC Contact:
Tom Moran
Executive Director
Phone: (443) 718-9109

SOURCE Transglobal Secure Collaboration Program (TSCP)

Related Links

www.tscp.org