1. As a customer, how do I obtain help in using one of NC4’s solutions?
   NC4 provides 24x7 Support Center access to answer questions or concerns regarding use of NC4’s product suite. Users can contact support by:
   
   

   Phone:
   

   ESA 888-624-4411
   ESP 877-624-3771
   E Team 800-209-2312
   

   Email: support@nc4.us

   Online: https://support.nc4.us
   
   

2. What is NC4's continuity of operations plan?
   Like most application service providers, NC4 is potentially vulnerable to a variety of threats including those that are physical, cyber and terrorist in nature. NC4 mitigates these threats with a formal continuity of operations strategy. NC4 operates with multiple vendors for networking and systems services. Computer center operations and notification services are made with vendors with adequate levels of redundancy and resilience in their operations. The NC4 staff has the capability to operate the NC4 Incident Monitoring Centers remotely in distributed locations across the United States. The NIMCs were designed and built to operate in a virtual manner, should it become necessary.

Situational Awareness

1. As a Corporate Security professional, how can I benefit from NC4?
   As a Corporate Security professional responsible for the health and safety of your people and corporate assets, you need to know information as early as possible regarding external events which may impact your area of responsibility. ESA delivers real-time alerts to you about incidents that could impact your business operations and employees. By offering this capability on a global basis, you are able to monitor events in remote locations where you may not have the same level of relationships with your local government agencies. By knowing when something occurs and receiving updates on the event, you can react early, make senior management aware of these external events and put into action the necessary steps to protect your people and assets.
   
   
2. As a Business Continuity professional, how can I benefit from NC4?
   As a Business Continuity professional, you are chartered with minimizing the impact unforeseen events may have on your business operations. Any savings of time can reduce the business cost of these events. With ESA, you receive alerts within minutes of when an event occurs that could impact your business operations. With ESA, you only receive alerts that are important to you. ESA gives you the flexibility to select the "sensitivity" and level of alerts you receive based on the proximity of the event to your business operations, as well as the type of incident. Moreover, ESA extends your reach globally, allowing you to pro-actively monitor your business partners and key suppliers locations, to assure that your business operations are not disrupted by impacts to your supply chain.
   
   
3. In which areas does NC4 provide information and alerts coverage?
   ESA is a global Situational Awareness solution, covering incidents both domestically and globally.
   
   
4. What types of information sources does NC4 monitor?
   NC4's Incident Monitoring Centers operate 24x7, monitoring thousands of information sources around the world. The sources focus on:
   • Aviation
   • Fire
   • Geophysical
   • Hazmat
   • Infrastructure
   • Meteorological
   • Security
   • Structural
   • Terrorism
   • Transportation
     
     
5. What type of security does NC4 use to protect the ESA information?
   NC4 utilizes some of the most advanced technology for Internet security available today. When you access our ESA site using Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 5.0 or higher, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) technology protects your information using both server authentication and data encryption, ensuring that your data is safe, secure, and available only to the ESA users you specify. The encryption used by NC4 is based on a certificate from VeriSign with a 1024 bit RSA key and encrypted with the RSA MD5 algorithm. This level of security is equivalent to the level used by major financial institutions transacting business over the Internet.
   
   NC4 provides each ESA user with a unique user name and password that must be entered each time a user logs on. NC4 issues a session cookie only to record encrypted authentication information for the duration of a specific session. The session cookie does not include either the username or password of the user. NC4 does not use cookies to store other confidential user and session information, but instead implements more advanced security methods based on dynamic data and encoded session IDs.
   
   NC4's ESA is hosted on redundant servers employing load balancing and high availability fail-over capability. In addition, NC4 servers are protected by firewalls, intrusion detection systems and other advanced technology to prevent interference or access from outside intruders. NC4 is hosted at secure data centers in un-marked, hardened facilities in bi-coastal U.S. locations. The hosting centers have an extremely high degree of physical security including the use of biometric technology to control access to the buildings.
   
   
6. How does NC4's ESA solution monitor events occurring around my company's facilities?
   Your company's facilities are registered with NC4 simply by address or latitude/longitude. This information is then used to geo-locate incident information in direct relation to your facilities, providing a detailed map-based view of how the incident may impact your facilities.
   
   
7. How does NC4 know which events to alert me on that occur near my facilities?
   NC4's Geo-Relevancy Management is an automated correlation of incidents that have potential impact on facilities based on the type of incident and the proximity of the incident to the facilities. The profiling mechanism provides the ability to set perimeters around each facility to indicate how close the incident must be to the facility before triggering an alert. It also provides the ability to over-ride the perimeter for certain types of major (e.g., Hazmat) or catastrophic incidents.
   
   Incidents and facilities are automatically geo-coded based on address information. As the NC4 Incident Monitoring Centers gather incident information, it is filtered through both the incident profile you have entered, the addresses of the facilities you have registered and the incident perimeters around each facility you have dictated. As a result, you receive only incident information that is relevant to you and your facilities, presented in geographic relation to your locations.
   
   
8. Is ESA scalable as my organization and its needs grow?
   ESA has been designed to handle thousands of customers with thousands of facilities with thousands of user profiles. As a result, the ESA solution can grow easily and seamlessly as the requirements of your operations grow. Since it is an Internet-based service, there is no IT investment or involvement by your organization. Meeting your growth and organizational needs is a matter of simply adding additional members and facilities into NC4.
   
   
9. How do I sign up for ESA and become a member?
   Simply contact NC4 at 877-624-4999 or send us a request and an NC4 representative will be happy to discuss becoming a member with you.
   
   
10. How is ESA priced?
    NC4 offers ESA services as an annual subscription. The pricing varies by the number of members you require and the number of facilities you track.
    
    
11. How quickly can my organization begin using NC4's ESA solution?
    One of the many features of ESA is its ease of use and implementation. NC4 can have you and your organization using ESA within a matter of days.
    
    
12. What type of training does NC4 provide for ESA?
    For your convenience, NC4 offers both online and onsite training.
    
    
13. What are the system requirements for using ESA?
    Before accessing the ESA member-only website, your system should meet the following requirements:
    
    

    ESA Platform Requirements

• Windows NT 4.0 + SP5, 2000, XP
• Pentium III 400MHz, 128MB RAM
• 28.8KB or faster internet connection
• 600x800 screen resolutions minimum, 1024x768 or higher recommended

ESA Browser Requirements
Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 or above is required. If your browser is currently using the IE default settings for security and privacy, no change is required. However, if you have custom settings, please make sure the following options are properly set:

• Script enabled
• Session cookie enabled
• File download enabled (for viewing attachments only)
• SSL 2.0 or SSL 3.0 enabled
  
  

Secure Collaboration

1. What is the ESP Group?
   Acquired by NC4 in June of 2006, The ESP Group LLC, is a Software as a Service (SaaS) provider bringing government agencies and corporations a common platform for secure communication and collaboration. The ESP Group provides a solution for diverse organizations to share Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) through highly secure, compartmented, web-accessible portals. Continuously striving to operate at a higher level of security, trust, service, technology and performance, the ESP Group focuses on aligning its solution of leveraging the Internet for sensitive applications with client’s individual needs.
   
   
2. What is required to access an NC4 ESP Portal?
   You can access the portals from anywhere you have Internet access with a browser capable of 128-bit (or higher) encryption with cookies enabled.
   
   
3. How secure is ESP?
   Our portals take a Defense in Depth and process-oriented approach to security. The Defense in Depth approach encompasses:
   
   
   • Physical Security – Servers are physically located in a secure environment built to DCID 6/9 expanded metal standards for Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIF). Access to servers is limited to cleared personnel with strong administrative procedures in place, in addition to continuous user/administrator awareness and training.
   • User Security – Enforcement of strong authentication via strong passwords and RSA SecurID Tokens, hard enforcement of lockouts, human in the loop account assistance and user monitoring where appropriate.
   • Hardened System Architecture – Multiple in-line firewalls, code demobilization, strong encryption and certification, state theft protection, proactive monitoring and compartmented workspaces.
   • Proactive Monitoring – Multiple intrusion detection systems, front and back end monitoring, code integrity, log file analysis, network status monitoring and application monitoring.
     

   The process-oriented security approach entails a full outside audit (both cyber and procedural) being performed at regular intervals, to identify any shortfalls of the controls and management of the systems. Identified shortfalls are addressed in the security process to ensure it does not creep back into the system.
   
   

4. What is the advantage of using ESP?
   For most of NC4's ESP clients, a secure communication application is a necessity. ESP offers the needed protection of sensitive information as well as numerous other benefits that other Software as a Service providers do not or cannot offer in its entirety. Other advantages include:
   

• Web Accessible. The advantages of Secure Socket Layer (SSL) allow virtually anyone with a current browser and an Internet connection to establish a highly secure session.
• Proven Security. NC4 emphasizes security throughout all of its ESP technology practices and believes that security does not have to compete with functionality.
• Cost Advantages of SaaS. Using a SaaS provider, clients can leverage the cost savings benefits and the expertise of a focused, trusted security provider without having to hire additional in-house talent.
• Full-Service Support Center. NC4 provides a dedicated Support Center managing support requests 24x7.

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Coordinated Response

1. As a Director of Emergency Management, how can I benefit from NC4?
   To meet the needs of all levels of Emergency Management, NC4’s Coordinated Response offering, E Team, provides incident management capabilities so that Emergency Managers can be better prepared, respond faster and recover more quickly. E Team provides a collaborative platform so that all parties involved in a response have a common operational view, enhancing overall situational awareness.
   
   E Team assists with:
   
   • Tracking and managing incidents & events
   • Gathering and sharing critical information
   • Assessing impact on critical infrastructure
   • Determining response capabilities across organizations
   • Notifying and alerting key parties involved in the response
   • Executing procedures and protocols
   • Coordinating a multi-agency response
   • Requesting, deploying and tracking resources
     
     
2. How can E Team assist me in being more prepared?
   NC4 customers use E Team as an integral component when performing training exercises. In addition, E Team provides a platform for storing and distributing contingency plans, checklists and SOPs, identifying and mapping critical infrastructure, developing & maintaining accurate contact information and disseminating intelligence on potential threats.
   
   
3. How does the E Team solution assist my organization in recovering faster?
   E Team’s Case Management and Damage Assessment functionality track the necessary information needed to expedite the recovery process. E Team is integral to conducting after-action reviews, supporting damage estimates and can provide all the detail necessary for reimbursement requests.
   
   
4. What major events/disasters has E Team been successfully used?
   
   • New York 9/11 Recovery (150 agencies / 1700 users)
   • 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah (75 agencies / 1,500 users)
   • 2002 IMF Conference Security (15 agencies / 160 users)
   • 2002 Hurricanes Isidore and Lili
   • 2003 Northeast Blackout (25 agencies/250 users)
   • 2003 San Diego Firestorms (25 agencies/150 users)
   • 2003 Hurricanes Claudette and Isabel
   • 2004 G8 Summit Security (70 agencies / 430 users)
   • 2004 DNC Security (20 agencies / 150 users)
   • 2004 Summer Olympics in Greece (Olympic security forces)
   • 2004 RNC Security (62 agencies / 200 users)
   • 2004 Hurricanes Charley, Frances and Ivan
   • 2005 U.S. Presidential Inauguration
   • 2005 Reagan Memorial
   • 2005 Hurricanes Rita and Wilma
   • 2005 TOPOFF exercise
   • 2006 World Soccer Cup, Germany
   • 2006 World Series
   • 2007 Super Bowl
   • 2007 TOPOFF exercise
   • 2007 National Governor's Conference
   • 2008 Super Bowl
   • 2008 National Governor's Conference
     
     
5. Is E Team for small organizations or large organizations?
   NC4 provides the E Team application in a Standard or Enterprise version to support various operations, from cities and municipalities to large Federal Agencies. Each offering provides sophisticated incident management functionality, allowing users to share a common operational picture in the form of standardized summaries, reports, requests, notifications, directives, annotated maps and a resource tracking utility.
   
   
   E Team Standard provides a common operating picture and resource management through a single collaboration platform for small to medium organizations. It provides:
   
   • Incident and Emergency Event reporting
   • Resource and Critical Assets Management
   • Infrastructure status reporting on hospitals and shelters
   • Agency Situation reporting for high-level overview of disaster’s impact
   • Duty Logs for recording all significant activities and actions taken during a shift
   • Planned Events and Activities reporting
   • Call Center tracking
   • Vendor tracking
   • Critical infrastructure tracking of hospitals, shelters, roads, transit and utilities
   • Jurisdiction Situation reporting for high-level overview of available information
   • Action Planning for managing objectives or missions
     
     
   E Team Enterprise is a comprehensive solution for large organizations with multi-discipline operations that require regional interoperability during area-wide crisis. In addition to the modules provided with E Team Standard, E Team Enterprise also includes:
   
   • Case Management to support disaster recovery efforts
   • Damage Assessment for determining location, nature and severity of damage
   • Hazmat Tier II reporting of detailed data on facilities that house Tier II chemicals
   • Public Information reporting for coordinating the release of information
     
     
6. Can E Team scale or grow dynamically as an incident gets larger?
   E Team is based on a highly scalable N-Tier Architecture, which enables the system to grow as the crisis gets larger, seamlessly scaling to thousands of users. The system is modular in design and the WSDL interface facilitates rapid enhancements and integrations to 3rd party applications. E Team provides a common framework that enables full data sharing for interoperability and collaboration across local, regional, state and federal agencies…not just CAP alerts.
   
   
7. What options are there in deploying E Team? Self-hosted? ASP?
   E Team has multiple options for deployment, to fit best with your organizational needs.
   
   E Team Standard and E Team Enterprise can be self-hosted by you or deployed as an ASP model where you subscribe annually to E Team and you do no system hosting. Also, it can be self-hosted by your organization and simultaneously run on our ASP as a backup/replication system. Data Replication Services (DRS) for redundancy is an optional E Team Standard feature while it is included in E Team Enterprise.
   
   
8. What training is provided for E Team?
   NC4 offers comprehensive and professionally prepared training and course material to get your organization rapidly up and running with E Team.
   
   E Team training includes:
   
   • A complete set of materials for the customer
   • Courses that are delivered by professional trainers with Public Safety background
   • Training designed with optimal instructor student ratio that follows current instructional principles for maximum retention of course materials
   
   Training programs include:
   
   • Power-User: Overview of entire E Team system
   • End-User: Power-Users customize the End-User curriculum based upon the jurisdictions CONOPS and SOP’s
   • Train-the-Trainer: In-depth curriculum to train instructors how to deliver all aspects of training on the E Team System
   • Computer-Based Training (CBT): Prepares a new user with the basics to use the system for an activation, or refresh a previously trained user
     

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