01 Feb Interview | ARES Security
Security Middle East magazine took the chance to speak with Ben Eazzetta, Chief Executive Officer at ARES Security to find out how the company is equipping businesses with the right tools for their security needs
How is ARES Security revolutionising the security industry?
Despite recent advancements in security technology, particularly in the area of sensors and AI-powered analytics, governments and the world’s leading organisations are still overly reliant on security personnel to design security systems, protect people and assets, and make split-second decisions during emergency incidents. The current global threat environment has evolved to the point where adversaries and nefarious actors pose threats that are so destructive and can strike so quickly that security professionals cannot fully comprehend, let alone respond to, without the assistance of advanced technology tools.
To solve this, ARES Security has developed the AVERT Enterprise Security Platform, a software suite of security and safety solutions built to support security professionals and optimise and automate their security operations. The AVERT software suite leverages ARES’ patented digital twin, modelling and simulation, AI, and automation technologies. AVERT includes tools for assessing physical security, designing security systems, performing tabletop exercises, and virtual training. It also includes a fully integrated command and control system that leverages a digital twin, artificial intelligence, and robotics. This single platform can support many types of missions and provide a very high level of decision support, automation, and autonomy. Best of all, our AVERT solutions can be used together or individually to improve operations, security, and safety throughout any stage of an organisation’s development.
The ever-evolving threat landscape can make it difficult for governments and organisations to stay protected. How does ARES Security address this challenge?
Innovation is required to stay ahead of adversaries that threaten an organisation and its assets – from physical security to cybersecurity to the safety of its personnel and operations. As the only enterprise security platform in existence, ARES Security Corporation takes a holistic and integrated approach to deliver accurate, measurable, and repeatable assessments of physical security design and incorporates this information into response and operations. Centered around an intelligent digital twin, our AVERT suite of software solutions can be tailored to fit the needs of any organisation across all defense, corporate and critical public infrastructure.
The AVERT software provides security teams with the capability to make security decisions based on quantitative, probabilistic risk-based models and provides decision-makers with a detailed understanding of the effectiveness of their existing and planned physical security systems and operations against evolving threats. AVERT gives leadership insight into security plans and the objective data required to initiate security modifications, train personnel, and improve response in those areas that yield the greatest benefit and largest improvements to security effectiveness. AVERT allows security professionals and executive management to answer ‘why’ security upgrades are required and justifies projects based on improved security effectiveness, which greatly improves objectivity in security design decisions.
With AVERT, we are committed to improving mission results at a significantly reduced cost of deterrence and response to these increasing security challenges.
How does ARES Security help governments and organisations increase security effectiveness while reducing costs?
ARES Security has completed hundreds of site security assessments across a number of industries, including corporate offices and campuses, energy, manufacturing, transportation hubs, ports, nuclear facilities, sports and entertainment complexes, and defense. Without exception, all ARES Security projects have resulted in both increased security effectiveness and cost savings. Using our AVERT technology to conduct the assessments, our clients have consistently been able to realise cost savings ranging from 10-50% of onsite security staffing and 20-70% of planned capital expenditures. We are so confident in our tools and methodologies that we provide a written guarantee that our clients will achieve agreed upon ROI targets and recoup their investment in less than a year. We are the only provider to provide such a guarantee-based ROI.
What do you foresee to be the biggest security challenges organisations will face in the next decade?
Whether responsible for corporate security at a campus, venue, critical infrastructure or a military installation, stakeholders are faced with ever-changing state actor threats and growing threats from civil unrest, new weapons systems, drones, active shooters, and IEDs. Countered with an equal number of improved deterrent sensors and systems, determining the most effective and cost-based security deployment and operations will be a critical challenge that organisations face in the next decade.
What does the future hold for ARES Security?
ARES Security is very focused on the next generation of security solutions and optimisations. Leveraging our Enterprise Security Platform, which includes our AVERT software along with recent acquisitions, we will deliver rapid, integrated responses based on advanced automation, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Our aim is to continue to improve security personnel costs (currently 50% of security spending is people) while greatly improving effectiveness.
In the future, ground and aerial robotics will play an increasingly important role in safety, security, and defense. To meet this growing demand, ARES Security has developed a solution that enables a single security operator to plan and execute missions involving teams of different ground and aerial robotic systems equipped with sensors, communications devices, and deterrent systems. ARES Security enables robotic systems to perform autonomous missions, enhancing drone capability so they can seamlessly work together with field security and defense personnel to monitor and protect assets and respond to threats in real time.
Anything else you’d like to share?
The future of security and defense is not simply adding more staff, weapon systems, sensors, or deterrents. It is the integration of all of the sensor data, knowledge of the site through digital twin simulation, increased deterrence through improved training and capability, and rapid response offered by the technology that powers our Enterprise Security Platform.