needed at a Boeing site. Each critical Boeing operation, such as Security, Payroll or Supply Chain Logistics, has a designated contact person by location. “ThreatNavigator began as a pilot program running on a single laptop and has grown into an industry leading tool that our Security & Fire Protection employees rely on to ensure the safety of Boeing assets,” said Levi Sutton, lead developer, IT Business and Supply Chain Systems for Security & Fire Protection. ThreatNavigator made its debut in May 2012 when Chicago hosted a two-day NATO summit. The conference attracted world leaders, as well as thousands of protestors who had vowed to “shut Boeing down” in opposition to its military support of NATO. And Boeing has used ThreatNavigator many times since. It communicated employee safety and building status in areas hit hard by Hurricane Sandy in 2012, and it provided up-to-theminute information when Boeing chose to evacuate employees during the recent Colorado wildfires and civil unrest in Cairo. And Boeing uses it almost every day to keep tabs on medical emergencies or other events at company sites. Chris Manning, Boeing’s emergency preparedness coordinator for Philadelphia and the Northeast region, used ThreatNavigator immediately following the bombings earlier this year at the Boston Marathon. “Our Boston site has only a few people, so we were quickly able to account for them,” Manning said. “It took a little longer to account for Boeing employees traveling on business in the area.” Manning said ThreatNavigator makes his job much easier during a crisis. “I no longer have to click to 40 places just to know what’s happening. And it’s always pushing information to me with email notifications so I don’t miss anything.” It’s also important for Boeing to maintain critical business GRAPHICS: ThreatNavigator screen views show (far left) the Boeing Boston office and employee information near the various bomb threats that occurred just after the Boston Marathon bombing and (left) a real-time view. boeing PHOTO: ThreatNavigator team members Laurie Willis (from left), Steve Havens, a contractor for TATA America, Sandy Bartell and Ralph Kliem practice different roles. jesica oyanag i/boeing operations, if safe and feasible, during a disaster or other event, or to resume normal operations as quickly as possible if a shutdown occurs. ThreatNavigator has been a big help in that regard because it provides a lot of data in real time, according to Kyle Bowers, Boeing’s Business Preparedness program leader. Before ThreatNavigator, alerts and information from many sources were sent to emergency responders, Bowers noted. “It took hours to accumulate accurate information and by the time it was analyzed, the situation had changed,” Bowers explained. “In a disaster, speedy action is vital.” n christine.p.cranston@boeing.com BEIO NG FRONTEIRS / SEPTEMBER 2013 35
Frontiers September 2013 Issue
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