Government Security New’s 2010 Homeland Security Awards program honors Gen. Barry McCaffrey

Awards Dinner drew huge crowd

Government Security New’s 2010 Homeland Security Awards Dinner brought hundreds of government officials and security professionals together Nov. 8 at the J.W. Marriott in Washington, DC, not only to share the latest and most innovative technologies and recognize the outstanding work of homeland security leaders around the country, but also to see retired general Barry McCaffrey presented with the magazine’s Award for Extraordinary Leadership and Service in Homeland Security.

Jacob Goodwin, Government Security News editor-in-chief, hosted the event that was a stone’s throw from the White House and just down Pennsylvania Avenue from the lighted Capitol building.

In brief acceptance remarks to the crowd at the end of the awards ceremony, McCaffrey congratulated the homeland security community on its excellent work in the face of daunting odds over the years.

“Nine eleven was one of those rare transformational events,” he said, that bring dramatic change. The scale and tragedy of the event was unprecedented, said McCaffrey. He noted the casualty rate for Americans on that day was comparable to the casualty rate during the Battle of Antietam in the Civil War.

“Where we are today is immensely better than where we were on Sept. 12, 2001,” he said. The Department of Homeland Security has stepped up and is hitting its stride now, he said, as the agency has overcome communications and organizational issues to become a unified operation with many moving parts.

The categories for awards showed how broad the effort is and what kinds of technologies and innovation it takes to do the job.

The awards competition and dinner were sponsored by seven companies: ArcSight, B.I.G. Enterprises, Desktop Alert, General Dynamics C4 Systems, Karsof Systems, Mutualink and TippingPoint.

Goodwin, the evening's emcee later acknowledged that GSN inadvertently omitted one category, Best Security Guard Company, and did not announce the name of the winner in that category, The Global Elite Group. GSN also omitted from the list of finalists in the Municipal Government category, the name of one finalist: the Jasper County (MO) Sheriff's Office.

"The event was a unique mix of private, public and military," said William McGuire, president of Global Elite Group, one of the evening's award winners.

The winners announced at a lavish awards banquet are:

Category #1: Vendors of IT Security Products and Solutions

Best Anti-Malware Solution-Bit 9, Inc.

Best Authentication/Identity Management Solution-Karsof Systems, LLC

Best Compliance/Vulnerability Assessment Solution-Symantec Corp.

Best Data Security/Loss Management Solution-Ironkey, Inc.

Best Endpoint Security Solution-Spyrus, Inc.

Best Forensic Software-Solera Networks, Inc.

Best Intelligence Data Fusion and Collaborative Analysis Solution-Northrop Grumman Corp.

Best Intrusion Detection/Prevention-Vanguard Integrity Professionals, Inc.

Best Network Security/Enterprise Firewall-Xceedium, Inc.

Best Real-Time Dynamic Network Analysis and Forensics-Narus, Inc.

Best Security Incident & Event Management (SIEM) Solution-ArcSight, Inc.

Best Use of Social Media-Clear Path Technologies, Inc.

Category #2: Vendors of Physical Security Products and Solutions

Best Physical Security Authentication/Identification System-IEE Sensing, Inc.

Best Integrated System for HSP D-12/FIPS 201 Compliance-Codebench, Inc.

Best Smart Cards Solution-Gemalto, Inc.

Best Biometric Access Control Solution-MorphoTrak/Safran Group

Best Interoperable First Responder Communications-Twisted Pair Solutions, Inc.

Best Mass Notification Systems-AtHoc Inc.

Best Rugged Computers-GammaTech Computer Corp.

Best Physical Security Information Management Systems-VidSys, Inc.

Best Chemical/Biological Detection Product or Solution-Smiths Detection, Inc.

Best Contraband/Explosive Detection Product or Solution-Morpho Detection, Inc.

Best Long Range Detection Product, Service or System-FLIR Systems, Inc.

Best Nuclear/Radiation Detection Product or Solution-Ametec/Ortec

Best Intelligent Video Surveillance Solution-On-Net Surveillance Systems, Inc. (ONSSI)

Best Thermal, Night Vision, Infrared Cameras-Bosch Security Systems, Inc.

Best  Network IP Cameras-Axis Communications, Inc. (Q6034-EPTZ)

Best Video Storage/Digital Transmission System-Pivot 3

Best Perimeter Protection Product/System (Excluding Video)-Future Fibre Technologies, Inc.

Best Crash Barrier (Gates, Fences, Bollards, Guard Booths)-Universal Safety Response, Inc.

Best Blast Mitigation/Property Protection Products (Doors, Windows, Vaults)-Portable Composite Structures

Best Clean-up, decontamination, disaster recovery service-Intelagard, Inc.

Best Guard Services-Global Elite Group

Best Homeland Security Training, Higher Education Program-Bellevue University and Center for Homeland Defense/Naval Postgraduate School

Best Disaster Preparedness System or Service-Mutualink, Inc.

Best Guard Company - Preemptive Winner: The Global Elite Group

Category 3: Federal, State and Municipal Government Security, Security Programs, Projects, Agencies, and Officials

Most Effective Aviation/Airport Security Program, Project or Agency-Federal Aviation Administration