Risky business

Real Estate Weekly, March 31, 2004

Protective Countermeasures and Consulting introduced the first online risk assessment tool specifically developed for individual users within the commercial real estate industry.

Built on the nationally standardized and accepted Buddyware platform, SMART (Security Management by Assessing Risks and Threats) can quickly and efficiently assess a property's security vulnerabilities while suggesting corrective actions to circumvent criminal or terrorist threats, including chemical, biological and nuclear attacks, as well as potential natural disasters.

"SMART is a comprehensive, easy-to-use, cost-effective online risk management tool," said Sal Lifrieri, president and CEO of Protective Countermeasures.

"While the best assessment is always an on-site assessment, our new SMART technology can assist in determining a building's vulnerabilities and can be a very important first step in developing a successful ongoing risk management program that performs ideally within an organization's budget."

The SMART program runs on a platform that was developed by national risk-management subject matter experts in conjunction with various federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. To insure the accuracy of identifying probable risks associated with a particular building or set of buildings, Protective Countermeasures created the proprietary dataset used in the assessment process.

Once a client agrees to use the program, he or she will receive a secure URL with accompanying login and password information. SMART is equipped with more than 850 user-friendly questions and usually takes about two hours to complete. Since it's Internet-based, multiple users can login regardless of geographic location. After the questionnaire is completed, experts from Protective Countermeasures and Consulting will analyze the results and provide up to two hours of consultation.

A comprehensive SMART risk assessment costs $6,500.