AMS nabs Calif. data center security assessment

American Management Systems Inc. has been hired by California to provide information security assessment services for the Stephen P. Teale Data Center, the company announced July 1.

The contract is worth about $300,000, said Ken Jones, a company spokesman.

As part of the assessment, AMS will define, implement and execute a process to identify the strengths and risks in Teale's overall security program, which affects the data center's customers using multiple processing platforms. AMS also will review Teale's business and systems requirements, security policies and procedures and technical architecture.

The Teale Data Center, a department within the California Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, provides information technology services and products to more than 250 customers, most of which are state entities.

Teale offers multiple processing platforms that enable customers to take advantage of extraordinary computing capabilities without having to develop the required technical expertise to support them.

AMS' team of senior security analysts who will be working on the IT security assessment has completed more than 500 similar assessments. The company provides such solutions to both private- and public-sector customers in security policy, enterprise application security, application intrusion prevention and business continuity.

AMS of Fairfax, Va., a business and IT consulting firm to government, financial services and communications industries worldwide, has about 7,000 employees and had annual sales of $986.7 million in 2002.