SIMS - Security Information Management System
SIMS is the easiest to use and most cost-effective security information management system available. SIMS makes the control of classified documents, contracts and personnel easier, more effective and virtually error free. SIMS satisfies all administrative requirements of the NISPOM plus Special Access Programs.
SIMS is available in standalone, multi-user, and enterprise-wide configurations. We also offer an introductory version (SIMS Lite) that can do everything a standalone copy of SIMS can do, except it is limited to 200 personnel and 1000 document records.
SIMS MODULES AVAILABLE FOR ALL SECURITY FUNCTIONS
MS SQL SERVER DATABASE
SIMS doesn't use a proprietary database but instead uses MS SQL Server or SQL Server Express which comes with SIMS, at no additional cost. The FSO, as well as other designated SIMS users, have complete oversight and audit capabilities of all business units using SIMS. All database changes are available to all users in real-time, because all users are sharing the same common database, securely located behind your corporate firewall.
Note that the SIMS database can be partitioned by Data Groups, to afford complete isolation of data between various user groups. Different business units can share those data elements that they wish to share across the entire business enterprise (perhaps personnel information) while restricting other data elements to only specific business units and users (e.g., documents, safes/ containers, etc.). Complete no-access, read-only access, or full read-write access controls are available on a user-by-user and data-element-by-data-element basis.
SCALABLE ARCHITECTURE
SIMS uses a three-tier architecture: SQL Server, IIS middle-tier, and Smart-Clients. The SQL Server and IIS middle-tier are typically hosted on a common file server that runs MS SQL Server or MS SQL Server Express. However, the middle tier can be hosted on a separate, or even multiple separate computer platforms, thereby affording maximum scalability, tailored to your enterprise requirements. Therefore, SIMS is truly enterprise-class and scalable, as your organization grows. SIMS has been specifically designed to embrace your IT enterprise architecture and run as efficiently as possible within that architecture. It is because of this enterprise-level efficiency that SIMS has been selected for enterprise-wide deployment by our largest defense contractors and aerospace conglomerates, including Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, ITT, L-3 and others.
SMART-CLIENT IS SUPERIOR TO PURE WEB INTERFACE
SIMS uses a Smart-Client interface that is superior to both pure web-base and client-server architectures, in that it affords the best features of both of the other architectures. SIMS' Smart-Client interface doesn't require "Administrator Rights" to install and is invoked by simply clicking on a Web-browser URL. Microsoft refers to this technology as "ClickOnce". From the user's prospective, it's just like running a pure web-based system, in that users simply go to a book marked URL from their Web browser to run SIMS.
SIMS Smart-Client ClickOnce updates are automatic and don't require any user or IT staff interaction. Whenever the SIMS Server application is upgraded, all Smart-Client are automatically upgraded, the very next time that the Smart-Client is launched via the user's Web browser. The Smart-Client affords a much richer user experience than is possible with pure web-based systems (report designer, workflow notification, Outlook integration, etc.). It also uses less bandwidth because of data caching and compression. Perhaps most importantly, the Smart-Client interface avoids discrepancies in Java versions, browser versions, wide variations in security settings, pop-up ad blockers, and other potential browser incompatibilities.
CONCURRENT USER LICENSING WITH FREE READ-ONLY WEB BROWSER CLIENT ACCESS
SIMS employs concurrent user licensing. You don't need a license for every user. You only need as many licenses as there are simultaneous Smart-Client users at any one time. As a bonus, SIMS offers unlimited read-only web-browser client access, without any licensing cost whatsoever. That means that your guard force, entry control staff, scientists and engineers don't need SIMS licenses to simply look up information in SIMS. Of course they would need to have SIMS user accounts established for them, but their read-only, web-browser licenses are free. This feature can represent a significant cost savings, as compared to competing products.
Additionally, SIMS offers a free of charge web-browser interface for users to submit their outgoing visit requests. This unlimited, free of licensing costs, browser-based feature allows your employees to submit their outgoing visit requests to a SIMS Visit Request Administrator for processing, and then to receive e-mail notification of the processing status of their requests.
EASY TO USE WITH COMPREHENSIVE REPORTING CAPABILITIES
SIMS is very easy to use. The interface is intuitive, straight-forward and easy to navigate, using icons, buttons, drop-down pick-lists, tabs and menus. SIMS even has a help button that can be selected from nearly every screen that explains the fields on that screen and that offers assistance on how to do particular tasks. Additionally, SIMS comes with over 6-hours of built-in audio-video support to show users how to do particular tasks. These videos can be used in conjunction with the built-in SIMS tutorial database and Training Guide for self-paced or classroom-based SIMS training.
SIMS report generation is incredibly fast. The length of time required to generate most reports is only a few seconds. Longer reports that contain significant amounts of information are automatically queued to run in the background, thereby freeing up the user's computer workstation to continue with other matters, while the report is being prepared for the printer. SIMS comes with over 300 built-in reports, all of which are completely customizable by the end-user. Additional custom reports can be created by SIMS users and added to the drop-down Reports menus in each SIMS module (Documents, Personnel, Contracts, etc.). SIMS also offers a Ad Hoc, Quick Reports feature for the rapid creation and printing of columnar-style reports than can then be viewed, printed or saved as tab-delimited spreadsheet files.
PASSWORD MANAGEMENT & ACCESS CONTROL
While SIMS supports comprehensive password management for user accounts (minimum length, uppercase, lowercase, numeric characters, etc.), SIMS also supports LDAP and Active Directory Authentication.
SOFTWARE-BASED LICENSING
SIMS enterprise-solution doesn't use any hardware "dongles" for licensing. All SIMS multi-user licensing is done via a software-base licensing scheme.
JPAS COMPATIBLE
Automatically update SIMS with exported JPAS data in Microsoft Excel format.
INTERFACES WITH OTHER CORPORATE DATABASE SYSTEMS
SIMS can be interfaced with PeopleSoft, BAE WebLogic, SAP and virtually any other 3rd-party database application, using a variety of real-time or near-real-time interface techniques (Web Services, ODBC, etc.).
DATABASE VALIDATIONS
SIMS has built-in validations and business rules that enforce every aspect of the NISPOM requirements. Users are prevented from inadvertently making mistakes that could result in security violations (e.g., assigning a classified document to a person that doesn't have the required access level or security briefings). While these rules are normally all invoked, they can be individually disabled by a SIMS Manager, to tailor SIMS to a particular set of user requirements. Once the validations have been established, SIMS has the ability to continually inspect the database contents in the background, looking for discrepancies and potential violations. SIMS can be configured to periodically send out an automatically generated e-mail that identifies all potential violations and discrepancies to selected SIMS users, based on their Data Group relationship to the various data elements (e.g, discrepancies by business unit or over the entire enterprise).
TRAINING
• Over 7 hours of training videos covering over 60 subjects
• Training workbook
• Optional classroom instruction available
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
SIMS boasts the very best customer support possible, including data migration into SIMS from other sources and systems, creation of custom reports, and adding customer suggested enhancements that benefit all SIMS users, all at no additional cost.
QUALITY GUARANTEE
• 30 day money back guarantee
• Full value trade-in for upgrades
MINIMUM HARDWARE & SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS
The following are required to run either SIMS Server or SIMS Client. These requirements are largely based on the requirements for Microsoft's .NET Framework v2.0:
Type |
Minimum | Recommended |
CPU |
400 Mhz | 800 Mhz |
Memory |
128 MB | 256 MB |
Disk Space |
340 MB | 500 MB |
Display |
1024x768 | 1280x1024 |
Operating System |
Windows 2000 SP4+ |
Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 Windows Vista Windows 7 |
DATABASE REQUIREMENTS
SIMS includes a free version of Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition which can easily support up to 50 concurrent SIMS users. Larger systems can use the Standard or Enterprise editions of SQL Server for increased performance and scalability. The following are the minimum requirements for Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition:
Type |
Minimum | Recommended |
CPU |
600 Mhz Pentium III | 800 Mhz |
Memory |
192 MB | 256 MB |
Disk Space |
350 MB | 500 MB |
Operating System |
Windows 2000 SP4+ Windows XP SP2+ Windows Server 2003 SP1+ Windows Server 2008 Windows Vista Windows 7 |
Windows Server 2003 Windows Server 2008 |
