Primary Key Associates Limited

Horizon Scanning

By actively monitoring the development of IT and electronic devices, and combining that with our expertise, we are able to provide our clients with "advance warning" of threats or opportunities, perhaps along with an analysis as to how to defend against a threat or take advantage of an opportunity. For example, this might encompass looking at the vulnerabilities in new entertainment systems that criminals might use to infringe digital media rights.

Service Structure

This service is structured around a monthly retainer. Clearly, the greater the retainer, the more significant resource can be put into the monitoring. Typically we offer these service levels:

Passive:

We will monitor the relevant literature and media.

We report on significant threats and opportunities on a monthly basis.

Active:

As with passive, plus active participation in forums and attendance at key conferences.

The monthly report also contains an analysis of the threats and opportunities.

Dynamic:

As with Active, plus detailed investigation.

The monthly report contains an analysis of the threats, countermeasures, opportunities and exploitations.

Open Source Investigations

In this service we:

• Use our internet data acquisition technologies, such as our directed spider, to sample the internet for relevant material.
• Use our analytics capability to analyse that data.
• Provide, once off or on a periodic basis, the deductions of that analysis to the client.

Examples

• A PR company might avail itself of this service to constantly scan the internet for information to a specific brand.
• An organisation protecting itself against fraud might use this service to contextualise its own data, and therefore gain a richer picture with which to detect fraud.
• An organisation facing patent-infringement litigation might use our service to find prior art which refutes the patent.

Service Structure

Depending on client requirements, this service can be either:

• Single-shot, outcome charged (rather than, say, time and materials charged), such as a one-off search for patent overturning material.
• Based on a monthly service, with a specific service level agreement (SLA).