SystemExperts - Detailed Project List

	Our standard services
	Detailed project list

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Over the years, SystemExperts has developed a broad set of standard services. However, from time to time, our clients need something different and we customize a project specifically to meet their requirements. In the section below, we provide thumbnail descriptions of a representative sample of these custom projects. If you don�t see an example of the type of project you are interested in listed below, please call us - this list is just the tip of the iceberg.

For convenience, the projects are organized into the following categories:

Strategy, Design, & Planning

Testing, Risk Analysis and Vulnerability Assessment

Project Management, Intellectual Property, and Organizational Design

Policy Development

Product Analysis & Development

Strategy, Design, & Planning

Enterprise Authentication Control Procedures Strategy
For a leading financial institution, SystemExperts analyzed the strength and quality of the information and control processes required to allow users to establish and access accounts across all of the firm�s lines of business and access channels (Web, live phone associate, voice response unit, and paper). The assessment revealed glaring inconsistencies, gratuitous variation in mechanism, and vulnerability to exploitation. To help the client solve this problem for the long run, SystemExperts developed a control procedures model that related the strength of required authentication to the value of the resource being protected and implemented this model as a database.

SWIFT Integration in Service Oriented Architecture Environment
For a leading mutual fund family, SystemExperts identified architectural and control problems in its proposed use of messaging on the SWIFT (Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication) network. The application environment is a heterogeneous Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) implemented with Web Services, IBM�s MQ Series, and Tibco�s Enterprise Service Bus (Business Works).

Active Directory Best Practices in Higher Education
For a well known university, SystemExperts reviewed the design and configuration of its Active Directory infrastructure (Domain and Organization Unit structure, DNS and DHCP configuration on domain controllers, sizing and configuration recommendations for domain controllers, authentication from non-Windows operating systems, and other settings such as GC, QoS, and site configuration and replication settings) as well the networking requirements for Active Directory enabled systems (requirements for WINS, LMHOSTS and browsers, proper network settings on domain controllers and workstations, and the impact of highly subnetted network on Active Directory).

Identity Management Strategy
For one of the world�s largest banks, SystemExperts developed a strategy and technology plan to help it effectively deal with the problem of identity management. The scope of this project covered employees, customers, and key business partners worldwide. Among other topics it addressed, account lifecycle management - the creation, deletion, and modification of accounts; account monitoring and certification - verification of existence, ownership, and use of accounts; and emergency access/privilege management - management of temporary access to privileged accounts in emergencies.

Branch Banking Employee Authentication and Authorization Strategy
For one of the largest banks in the United States, SystemExperts developed the authentication and authorization strategy and technology roadmap to support its over 2000 retail branches. The challenge in this project was that many branches had only minimal network connectivity, so approaches that required significant interaction with headquarters could not be used.

Large Scale Secure Authentication (scale of millions of users)
For one the of the leading on line services companies, SystemExperts developed the design and technology plan to securely authenticate its users.

Security Gap Analysis in Preparation for Integration of Subsidiaries
For a leading Wall Street firm, SystemExperts performed a Gap Analysis to identify policy, technology, and operational differences between the parent company and three of its subsidiaries that had previously maintained their own IT and security infrastructures.

Mac & Linux Remote Computing Strategy
A leading financial institution was finding that its various lines of business were increasingly asking for the ability to use Macs and Linux boxes as remote client systems, rather than the firm�s standard Windows platform. SystemExperts developed a strategy and technology plan to enable these alternative platforms to be used as securely as the standard Windows platform.

Handheld Security Strategy and Roadmap
For a leading multinational financial institution, SystemExperts developed a comprehensive security strategy and technology roadmap for securing its hand-held devices. This project also incorporated the requirements from United Kingdom and European privacy legislation.

ASP Security Architecture
For one of the leading mutual fund families, SystemExperts developed an Application Service Provider (ASP) Security Architecture that combined a risk assessment methodology with standard connection models. This ASP Security Architecture enabled the client to move from more than 100 ways of connecting to its ASPs down to a handful, thereby simultaneously improving its time to market and its effective level of security.

Single Sign On
For a major gas and chemical producer, SystemExperts developed a Single Sign On strategy and deployment plan. This project included a review of all major Single Sign On products and technologies.

Security Operations Strategy
For one of the leading mutual fund families, SystemExperts developed a security operations strategy that integrates well with its security engineering organization and its other IT operations functions. Concurrent with this effort, we developed a logging and monitoring plan to effectively feed information into the security operations center.

Virtual Private Network Design and Security Assessment
For a major network services company, SystemExperts conducted numerous security assessments to determine whether its VPN services were in fact private or just virtual. We recommended practical measures (at both a design and implementation level) to address deficiencies we found.

Secure Authentication & Authorization Design
For a major investment bank, SystemExperts developed the secure authentication and authorization model and technology roadmap for its PC-based customer application.

Business & Marketing Strategy
For several small software companies, SystemExperts have provided strategic consulting since 1994 including product strategy, pricing, acquisition targets, marketing plans, and editing of IPO prospectus.

Testing, Risk Analysis and Vulnerability Assessments

Regional Bank Vulnerability Assessment
For a well established regional bank in southeastern United States, SystemExperts followed its unique methodology to assess the security of the bank�s connection points to the Internet, assess the security of its critical call center application, and test the security of its internal systems. Our consultants also assessed the physical security controls that the bank had implemented to protect its assets. The key to this methodology is its efficiency, which allows us to commence and conclude the testing portion of the project inside of one calendar week. This minimizes the burden placed on tightly staffed regional banks with smaller budgets than the typical Wall Street firm.

PBX Vulnerability Assessment
For a major Wall Street firm, SystemExperts analyzed its worldwide telephone infrastructure and identified exposures related to telephone switching equipment configuration. We also developed policies and best practices for the secure use and configuration of the telephone infrastructure.

Forensic Analysis
SystemExperts performed forensic analysis under the direction of a Superior Court of NJ Judge to determine if software intellectual property had been stolen and improperly used by a competitor.

Linux & Windows Secure Build Assessment
For a well known multinational financial firm, SystemExperts evaluated the security of the standard builds (OS configuration plus layered software) it uses on both the Linux and Windows platforms.

Large Scale Testing Methodology
For one of the largest networks in the world, SystemExperts developed a methodology for periodic penetration testing, ongoing reduction in webs of trust, and continuous health checking.

Risk Assessment
For one of the largest networks in the world, SystemExperts developed a methodology for assessing and categorizing the criticality or importance of hosts.

Project Management, Intellectual Property, and Organizational Design

Acting Chief Security Officer
On numerous occasions, SystemExperts has provided high level interim staffing for organizations that find they are without a Chief Security Officer, senior security architect, or technical lead. Our staff is able to hit the ground running, assist in hiring the critical missing resource, and deftly transition out of the role when permanent staff is in place.

Patent Research/Prior Art
SystemExperts performed prior art research related to authentication technology for a French telecommunications company. Our findings enabled it to successfully defend itself against a patent infringement law suit.

Enterprise Project Management
SystemExperts provided project management expertise to assist one of the world�s largest banks in its anti-virus, system monitoring, and firewall deployment programs.

Audit Preparation For a major network services company, SystemExperts�s consultants helped it to deploy software as well as identify and address deficiencies in its policies and procedures in preparation for an audit by its largest customer.

Security Contract Obligations
For a mutual fund company using a third party to provide its Internet trading services, SystemExperts worked with its legal staff to ensure that appropriate network and host security performance standards were written into the contract between the two firms.

Security Department Organization in Investment Banking
For a leading Wall Street firm, working closely with Human Resources and division management, SystemExperts developed job descriptions and skills profiles for Security Administrators and Managers.

Security Department Organization in On line Services
For one of the major on line service companies, SystemExperts developed the plan to build a Security Department. In addition to defining the roles and responsibilities, we developed job descriptions, skills profiles (criteria to evaluate the technical and business competence of applicants), and assisted in interviewing and recruiting key staff.

Security Project Management
For one of the leading on line services companies, SystemExperts managed virtually all of its security projects for 18 months.

Certification Authority Pilot in Large Scale Banking
For one of the well known money center banks, SystemExperts worked with them plan a Certification Authority pilot project to gain operational experience necessary for large scale deployment.

Policy Development

Data Classification and Management
SystemExperts developed a data classification and management plan for a leading jeweler to assist it in determining which data, applications, and systems need to be protected, who has access to them, the relative importance of various data, and the appropriate levels of protection.

Security Outsourcing Preparation
Provided business and technical analysis for a leading Wall Street firm in preparation for its outsourcing of a substantial amount of its IT operation. Specifically, SystemExperts developed detailed descriptions of each security service, required skill profiles, and service level metrics.
SystemExperts reviewed the services provided by the Security Operations group, its structure, and its staffing levels in preparation for outsourcing this function. The motivation was for the firm to reorganize this group in advance of the outsourcing deal so that it, rather than the outsource provider, would capture the ongoing stream of savings.

Underwriting Guidelines in the Mutual Fund Industry
Working in conjunction with an organization that provides insurance for mutual fund companies in the United States, SystemExperts reviewed the transaction and Internet security underwriting terms and policies.

Product Analysis & Development

Kerberos Migration, Code Cleanup, and Thread Safety
For a leading money center financial firm that uses Kerberos firm-wide for authentication, SystemExperts assisted it in moving from a CyberSafe Kerberos code base to the MIT code base. We fixed memory leaks and other programming problems with the MIT code, and scoped the work to develop a thread safe Kerberos implementation.

Competitive Product Analysis
For a well known developer of software quality assurance products, SystemExperts conducted a comprehensive competitive product analysis that included both a detailed feature comparison and an assessment of features required for various target markets.

Evaluation of Netegrity�s SiteMinder
For a worldwide financial institution, SystemExperts evaluated the security of the design and implementation of SiteMinder�s authentication mechanism for suitability for use in the web environment. The evaluation included issues of trust links between components, cryptographic strength of cookies, and application integration features.

Policy Based Authorization Software
For a multinational security software firm, we developed the functional requirements and the design to enable policy (template) based configuration of access control for users.

Product Review of Denial of Service Prevention Tool
Using our proprietary denial of service attack generation testing tools, SystemExperts performed a technical product assessment for a Silicon Valley company planning to offer a denial of service prevention product.

VPN Gateway Product Assessment
For one of the world�s largest telecommunications companies, SystemExperts conducted a comprehensive functional and security assessment of a new VPN gateway product. We helped them to correct several significant problems prior to release.

Windows Product Planning
For a multinational security software firm, SystemExperts developed the functional requirements for the Windows version of its product.

Voice Response Unit Security Assessment
For a leading mutual fund family, SystemExperts assessed the security of a Voice Response Unit. The assessment addressed the use, storage, and length of PINs as well as the cryptographic impact of various salting approaches.