Homeland Security

Critical physical and cyber infrastructure protection efforts are vital to our national security, public health and safety, economic vitality, and way of life. NISC supports these efforts as a leading provider of enterprise content management, and technical, management and administrative services. NISC supports the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), as well as multiple program offices within DHS' National Protection and Programs Directorate. Included are programs housed within the Office of Infrastructure Protection, the Office of Cyber Security & Communications, and the Office of Security Technology within the Transportation Security Administration. Examples of core NISC services and expertise follow:

Cyber Security

NISC provides strategy, policy development, and technical support in the management and execution of cyber security programs. NISC supports cyber situational awareness and incident response, intelligence coordination and integration, cyber exercises, training, education, and outreach and awareness. NISC offers expertise in cyber security critical infrastructure protection, process controls systems security, software assurance, information systems security, and cyber security standards and best practices.

Enterprise Content Management

NISC has designed, developed, and implemented several ECM solutions for DHS components. We support several enterprise content management (ECM) technology initiatives under the direction of the Office of the Chief Information Officer at FEMA and the TSAs Office of Security Technology. For FEMA, NISCs ECM solutions support their disaster response mission, as well as assist the Agency in complying with Federal records management guidelines. At the TSA, our ECM solutions combine portal development and workflow optimization along with business intelligence dashboards for better view of the organization as well as integrated document libraries for content management and version control.

Budget & Financial Management Support

NISC provides support to DHS in the areas of budget formulation and execution, financial management systems and financial planning, accounting transaction analysis and processing, financial statement and performance audits, and OMB Exhibit 300 formulation. NISC works closely with Federal managers on all aspects of the budget formulation and execution process, and provides assistance in defending budget submissions to Congress.

Communications Management Support

NISC assists DHS program offices in the development of communications and outreach plans to ensure appropriate messages are disseminated to internal and external program stakeholders. Working in the context of the clients overall mission, vision, and goals, NISC helps implement plans that analyze problems and existing strengths, and provides a coordinated strategy for achieving programmatic outreach objectives.

Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Support

NISC assists Federal program staff and state and local law enforcement jurisdictions in the development, analysis, review, and approval of protection plans for critical infrastructure and other key national assets, including identifying specific measures for the protection of individual facilities and their respective buffer zones. NISC provides technical support in the field in the development of CIP plans for high-profile critical infrastructure assets and special events, and assists Federal managers in coordinating the participation of Federal, state, local, and industry stakeholders in CIP program activities.

Human Capital Management

NISC provides DHS with management advisory services and direct operational support across a broad range of human capital management functions, including organizational and management analyses; developing and implementing recruitment strategies; writing position descriptions; and drafting vacancy announcements.

Information Technology and Systems Engineering Management Support

NISC provides engineering management support to ensure program alignment within the DHS enterprise to include: submitting appropriate system information before the Enterprise Architecture Board, reviewing and editing related engineering change requests, reviewing system upgrades and IT security findings, initiating annual assessment paperwork, and supporting system audits. NISC provides extensive information systems security support, including serving as the Information Systems Security Officer (ISSO) for several key DHS systems. Such support includesbut is not limited tosupporting certification and accreditation efforts, writing and regularly updating system security plans, and participating in regular meetings with the DHS Office of the Chief Information Officer. NISC provides support in the development of requirements analyses, configuration management activities, data collection and analysis, and related systems development to support program operational requirements.

Infrastructure Risk Analysis

NISC develops methodologies to assess risks to critical infrastructure sectors and assists in data collection to feed risk assessments. Working with multiple entities within DHS, NISC also supports the development of formulas to assess risk for grant candidates, critically analyzes existing risk models employed by various DHS components, and develops options for consideration for the development of hybrid risk approaches.

Policy and Legislative Support

NISC provides policy and planning support to DHS program offices, including but not limited to, reviewing proposed legislation; writing, editing, and reviewing testimony for Congressional hearings; responding to questions from Congressional committees; developing briefings and presentations in support of program activities; preparing one-page reports on program activities for internal and external dissemination; preparing policy papers to support proposed Secretarial actions; reviewing proposed budget justifications; participating in program reviews conducted by the Government Accountability Office and the Office of Management and Budget; preparing reports to Congress; and responding to stakeholder correspondence.

Strategic and Program Planning and Analysis Support

NISC facilitates the planning, design, and development of comprehensive strategic plans that provide the context by which Federal programs plan and manage the execution of their individual missions and visions. NISC has defined and developed an effective process to assist Federal program managers in achieving organizational consensus on program goals, objectives, and priorities, as well as to obtain and incorporate key stakeholder input. NISC develops an analytical basis for evaluating program elements, technical objectives, and milestones for program planning purposes, and assists in the development and implementation of planning tools.