Page 50: of Maritime Logistics Professional Magazine (Jan/Feb 2019)

49 51

Maritime Security

Port

Security:

If you’ve seen one port, you’ve seen one port

ARES Security Corporation’s sophisticated

AVERT C-2 platform integrates hundreds of disparate sensors and information sources to keep frst responders aware of their immediate environment in real-time.

In today’s dangerous and digital business environment, that also comes ‘just in time.’

By Joseph Keefe etired U.S. Coast Guard Commandant ADM James CommandBridge – the Mariner Group’s fagship technology,

Loy is widely credited with coining the now familiar emerged to sort it all out. Then the Mariner Group CEO, Steve phrase, “If you’ve seen one port, you’ve seen one port.” Dryden told the ports simply, “You bought what you bought –

RIn the choppy wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, it had we bring it all together.” Using sophisticated technology and suddenly dawned on lawmakers and maritime security stake- modeling tools, that’s just what CommandBridge did. That holders everywhere that the nation’s ports were also at great risk, technology – signifcantly improved – is still in use today.

with little being done in a substantial way to prevent a similar tragedy on the water. Out of those concerns came the challenge The AVeRT C2 SToRy of achieving what the U.S. Coast Guard refers to as ‘Maritime In 2013, ARES Security acquired a majority ownership

Domain Awareness.’ Before that could happen, that concept had interest in The Mariner Group, the developers of Command- to be frst defned, and then addressed in an orderly fashion. Bridge, and fully acquired the company in 2016. Today, Ben

The frst, hurried effort to create robust domestic port security Eazzetta is the CEO of ARES Security Corporation, interim predictably involved throwing large sums of money at the prob- CEO of Confuence Security Group, and a sitting board mem- lem. Indeed, U.S port authorities and marine terminals have for ber for numerous private companies. Eazzetta graduated from almost two decades funded security infrastructure, in large part, Georgia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in nuclear engineer- via federal port security grants. The collective weight of these en- ing and master’s degree in mechanical engineering. Together hancements left security personnel to decipher multiple streams with about 50 dedicated technical personnel, Eazzetta’s ARES of new information. Moreover, it quickly became apparent that group is redefning the way the nation’s ports, nuclear facili- simply collecting and displaying huge quantities of data was not ties and other high profle businesses approach security, defne enough and, in some cases, actually exacerbated the situation. risks, and ultimately control both tasks.

Amidst hundreds of millions of dollars in security hardware The CommandBridge software solution – now called AVERT and technology, countless security responders, stakeholders C2 – has been around for almost a decade. The solution is cur- and partners remained in an information vacuum. The doz- rently deployed in one-third of the nation’s top tier seaports but ens of data sources created by the new security measured, by is also utilized in other critical infrastructure and public safety and large, also remained stovepiped. In response, a new tool – sites. For example, ARES recently signed a statewide contract 50 Maritime Logistics Professional January/February 2019 | |