DHS should direct the government’s facilities security body – the Interagency Security Committee – to conduct outreach to executive branch agencies on facility security standards and management practices, GAO has said.
ISI is an interagency organization led by DHS that issues physical security standards for agencies’ use in designing and updating physical security programs. According to GAO-13-222, the ISI needs to clarify how its standards are to be used, and develop and disseminate guidance on management practices for resource allocation as a supplement to ISC’s existing physical security standards.
Survey responses from 32 agencies indicate that agencies primarily rely on institutional knowledge and the experience of their security staff. The ISC standards are used but often in a limited way, although they are designed for all agencies and can be customized.
According to GAO-13-222, ISC has an opportunity to clarify how the standards should be used when it trains agencies on them, during quarterly meetings with member agencies, or when ISC engages in other outreach on the standards – ultimately helping to ensure consistent application of sound security practices.
In particular, ISC should develop key physical security standards to address management practices for allocating resources across an agency’s portfolio of facilities, as agencies have reported resource allocation as a primary challenge they face.