Security for Manufacturing in the Technology Space
L3Harris serves both government and commercial customers supplying some of the highest technology radios and communications devices used for military and other applications. Design, development and manufacturing of these devices is located in the Rochester NY area. Units are produced and individually tested in a focused factory using lean manufacturing principles. There are several focused factory areas that can quickly be reconfigured to support an emergency need literally overnight if needed.
The focused factory is staffed by US citizens as required by the various federal government customers. The mission is unified throughout the facility and factory floor and connected to the critical security of military and other users of these communication devices.
Security is an utmost priority for L3Harris. Everything from facility design/modification, access control, surveillance, intrusion detection, UL secured rooms as well as human resource factors such as training and communications are part of the security program. In addition to the internal security team, L3Harris contracts guard resources for all its facilities and Security Operations Center (SOC). The SOC not only monitors the Communication Systems facilities in Rochester but in other US and international locations. Access is tightly controlled. There are nearly 500 access readers and 300 cameras. Cameras are not allowed on the factory floor due to the sensitive nature of the manufacturing – which at times hinders investigations by the Security team.
Security is focused on preparing for and managing a variety of internal and external threats as well as working directly with their customers on their specific requirements and compliance needs. The level of threats varies by location and compliances by customer – however generally very stringent in comparison with general commercial requirements. As with many companies, there is a delicate balance between employee satisfaction and morale and the need for strict security, which presents challenges to the policies and practices concerning security.
L3Harris is testing the use of drones to augment security functions such as parking lot monitoring and performing routine building checks. They have been working with the RIT Public Safety - Drone team to share application knowledge and best practices. RIT has been successful in using drones to monitor their large campus footprint, especially the areas that are not directly near campus buildings.
Special thanks to Steve Dailey and the L3Harris Security team for hosting this informative meeting. Also to the RIT Public Safety Drone team for their application overview and demonstration. Finally, thanks again to our meeting sponsors - Jess Nava and Adam Giglia of Verkada.
