April 04, 2025

The SCIF Summit Educational Seminar: Navigating Industry Trends & Best Practices

Dive into the insights and excitement from our recent SCIF Summit Educational Seminar! This event was a vibrant gathering of industry leaders and innovators for a dynamic exchange of ideas and knowledge. Here’s a recap of the key moments and takeaways that made this seminar an unforgettable experience!

Arium AE (SCIF Design Expert) and Davis Construction (SCIF Construction Expert) were thrilled to recently host an exclusive inaugural educational seminar focusing on SCIFs (Secure Compartmented Information Facilities). Over 100 industry professionals met at the unique venue of Jailbreak Brewing Company, a brewery designed by Arium AE, for an engaging day of networking, learning, and fantastic food and drink. WTOP Sports Radio’s Frank Hanrahan served as master of ceremonies, guiding discussions on the latest trends and future updates to ICD-705 standards, including acoustic considerations and best practices for doors, shielding, and waveguides. This invite-only event featured the region’s top industry professionals exchanging knowledge about the latest trends, challenges, and advancements in SCIF design.

Here are the key highlights of the event.

Waveguides

Pete Lancaster of H&B Engineered Products and Dayne Prouse of Raymond EMC shared essential knowledge on the latest products. Their insights left everyone with a fundamental understanding of secure space design and a detailed understanding of the use and challenges associated with waveguides and power filters. Participants learned about how waveguides protect secure locations from Tempest attacks. As demonstrated in the session, the Raymond EMC duct-mounted waveguides are constructed with a galvanized steel sleeve that houses a steel honeycomb waveguide and are available with different-sized cells for tailored RF attenuation. These waveguides feature optional steel security bars for enhanced physical protection and are pre-assembled with factory-mounted angles for ease of installation.

Doors
Presented by Jim Starr of Houston-Starr, participants gained a detailed understanding of common field challenges for secure door installations. This presentation covered a range of layered requirements associated with doors, including STC and NIC, RF, bullet resistance, and blast resistance, as well as vestibule configurations and supporting wall construction. By understanding the numerous layered requirements of one of the most complex components of a SCIF, as well as the common failures experienced in the field, the audience was able to derive new best practices for secure door design.

ICD 705 Overview and New Directions
During lunch, we were joined by guest speakers, including Mitch Lawrence from Lawrence Solutions and Charlie Phalen, former CIA Director of Security. The history and evolution of secure space design were discussed in this informative chat. The audience gained a new perspective on a constantly evolving threat and the necessity of variation in design requirements.

Physical Security Egress & Capability and RF Shield Testing
This session was led by SECOM’s Security team, which included Jerry Kovack, Travis Griffin, Mike Kidwell, Ron Bonievich, and CD Madsen from RF Defense. Participants gained a deeper understanding of various security, monitoring, testing, and system solutions. Since ICD-705 follows the Risk Management Framework, participants learned that it is crucial to support Authorizing Officials (AOs) in making well-informed decisions. This support involves ensuring they have a solid understanding of the technical requirements, equipment, testing methodologies, and security measures. Additionally, as we move further into new Tempest regulations, it is essential to bring all parties together early in the process to avoid costly changes later in the project.

Industry Expert Q&A Session

Following the presentation, an expert industry panel, which included Brian Frels and Scott Walthour from Arium AE, along with Dustin Hoffman from Davis Construction, Brian Metras from JLL, and Scott Roark from Leidos, engaged in a thoughtful discussion, offering insights into the evolving advancements in the SCIF industry and best practices in design. Their insights, drawn from years of experience in the field, provided guests with a unique perspective on navigating industry trends and best practices, sparking valuable conversations as the highlight of the event. The audience was engaged with fantastic questions and well-informed opinions throughout the day.

Happy Hour & Networking

We concluded the day with a fantastic happy hour that offered excellent networking opportunities. We were also delighted to give away numerous great door prizes. The seminar was a tremendous success, and we are grateful to all our participants and speakers for making this event happen. We want to extend our heartfelt thanks to our generous sponsors, including H&B Engineered Products, EMC Enclosures, Lawrence Solutions, Secom, RF Defense, Hobbs & Associates, and JLL. Your support is vital in bringing together industry professionals and fostering advancements in SCIF design and security.

Arium AE (left to right): Cynthia Stuber, Kelly Ormsby, Bill Gnagey, Stefanie Alt, Brian Frels, Stephanie Bounds Nunn, Scott Walthour, David Dymond

If you’d like to learn more about secure space design or have a project you want to discuss, please contact Brian Frels, Scott Walthour, or Stephanie Bounds Nunn or call 410-730-2300. Our team is available and ready to help you.

Photo credit: BJP Photography