Criticality Sciences: Because Risk Isn't Random.
And neither is resilience. Criticality Sciences is the first provider to quantify threshold resilience across complex networks of all types. Our flexible platform of proprietary software tools integrates measures of risk arising from individual assets with measures of intrinsic cross-system propensity to cascade failures. Our service provides...
Measurement. By quantifying two dimensions of system resilience – resistance against cascade failures, and recovery cost and time – we turn guesswork into an exact science.
Characterization. By charting baseline resilience on a simple scale for a single system or for interdependent systems as a whole, we provide clear reassurance for executives and a basis for continual improvement.
Prioritization. By tracing inherent fragility to specific critical assets, we empower decision-makers to turn network security from a cost to a profit center that demonstrates return on investment from primary security enhancements.
Stress Testing. By applying diverse stress tests, we provide detailed information on the impact of disruptions on systems with directional and bi-directional flows.
Modification Review. By assessing the effect of proposed changes in a network on its foundational resilience, we permit timely and cost-effective design modifications that enhance underlying system security.
Threat analytics. By using game theoretical optimization, we allow resources to be placed against assets most likely to be targeted by an attacker.
Counter-Fragility. By identifying fundamental weakness before disruptive events occur, we boost ability to avoid disastrous cascading disruption across multiple interdependent systems.
The Criticality Sciences Team:
Criticality Sciences is comprised of an elite group of critical risk experts brought together in the wake of 9/11 by our mutual drive to protect our nation and her critical infrastructure. Our leadership has variously supported the missions of the US Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the 9/11 Commission, and numerous research and technology oriented organizations.
Susan Ginsburg (CEO)
Susan Ginsburg is a lawyer with a career in government and public policy. As Coordinator for Firearms Policy in the Department of Treasury, she led the development and analytic capabilities of the federal crime gun tracing system. Following her role as Team Leader and Senior Council on the 9/11 Commission staff, she served on the Secure Borders Open Doors Advisory Committee to the Departments of State and Homeland Security, and on the Quadrennial Homeland Security Review Committee. Her publications cover terrorist travel, border security, and public-private partnerships for security and resilience. She serves as an advisor to the American Bar Association Standing Committee on Law and National Security. She is a director of Freedom House and the Whitehead Foundation.
Ben Ruddell (CSO)
Criticality Sciences’ Chief Science Officer is Benjamin L. Ruddell, P.E., Ph.D. (Ben). Ben’s engineering degrees are from Calvin College (B.S.) and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (M.S., Ph.D., Civil Engineering), and he has served with tenure on the engineering faculty at Arizona State University and Northern Arizona University. Currently he is a Professor in and former Director of Northern Arizona University’s School of Informatics, Computing, and Cyber Systems. Ben is a specialist in the application of data science and of network and resilience theory to engineered systems.
Ross Dakin (CTO)
Ross Dakin is an entrepreneurial technologist whose background spans Silicon Valley startups, corporate enterprise, federal/state/local government, national non-profits, and academia. Ross served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow in the Obama Administration, where he focused on a variety of national priorities including the facilitation of data-centric public/private partnerships. Ross has previously helped build/scale/sell companies across the finance, logistics, communications, and information security domains.
Alan Cohn
Co-founder Alan Cohn is an attorney and consultant in Washington, DC. He is of counsel at Steptoe & Johnson LLP, where he focuses on cybersecurity, emerging technologies such as blockchain and distributed ledger technology, and national security issues. He is also an independent consultant and a senior advisor to McKinsey & Company’s public sector practice. From 2006 to 2015, Alan served in senior policy and management positions at the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), most recently serving concurrently as Assistant Secretary for strategy, planning, analysis and risk, and as second-in-charge of the overall DHS Office of Policy. Alan is an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center, and a non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center on International Security. Alan is also co-chair of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Cybersecurity, and a participant in the Forum’s efforts on cybercrime, digital economy and society, and mitigating risks in the innovation economy.
Ted Lewis
Founding research scientist Ted G. Lewis is Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School. Co-founder of NPS’ Center for Homeland Defense and Security, he taught there for 20 years. Prior to January 2002, he was Director, Digital Business Development and Sr. VP of Eastman Kodak Company. Before joining Kodak, Lewis was President and CEO of DaimlerChrysler Research and Technology, North America, Inc. Prior to 1993, he was a Professor of Computer Science at Oregon State University and Director of OACIS—a university-industry research center created to transfer technology from academia into the market. Ted's numerous books, articles, and ongoing research have provided some of the most important scientific and mathematical insights into homeland security risk and cyber-physical infrastructure resilience. He has served as editor-in-chief of IEEE Computer and IEEE Software.
