The recognition of the need for homeland security, and the rapid growth of the security industry around that need, is based in part on recognition of the critical need to ensure that no individuals in a facility or campus ever have access to an area where they are not authorized to enter. This is mission critical with no margin for error for government agencies and facilities – and of the highest importance for the private sector as well. Beyond the essential physical safety of the other individuals on the property, this concern relates to the security of classified data, the need to protect both physical and logical technology located on the premises, intellectual property theft, concerns of vandalism or workplace violence and liability.
Countermeasures to reduce, mitigate and eliminate external and internal terrorist threats have been and remain of paramount importance to the Federal Government. In 2004, the White House issued the Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), which set the entire government on a path towards this goal with the vital step of establishing trust for federal workers and contractors who require access.