Services
Three forms of assessment, one discipline.
Exarma draws on two pedigrees, holistic intelligence assessment and narrative analysis, and offers three forms of assessment: of the environment, of an organisation's exposure, and of the narratives directed at it. Each is defined in a single conversation, priced to its scope, and governed by a written measure of success. Where an engagement requires capability beyond analysis, it is drawn from a vetted associate network and declared to the client.
Threat and environment assessment
An independent assessment of the conditions surrounding an operation, a project, an event or an entry into a new market, prepared before people and resources are committed and maintained while they remain exposed. It addresses the political, criminal, community and information factors at work, the actors with the intent and capability to interfere, and the forms that interference is likely to take.
For organisations operating in unfamiliar or contested environments, security providers preparing to deploy, and those responsible for events and the people attending them. Judged against what subsequently occurred.
What it comprises
- An assessment of the operating environment and the principal threats within it
- The actors of concern, their capability, intent and likely courses of action
- Indicators and warnings, with the decisions each should prompt
- Exposures that can be reduced in advance, in order of priority
- Standing reporting for as long as the activity continues, where required
Exposure assessment
An assessment of how an organisation, its leadership and its principals could be selected and approached by those who intend them harm, conducted from the adversary's perspective. It establishes what is discoverable, who within the organisation or a principal's circle is accessible, and which approaches follow from that.
For boards and executive teams, family offices, and the protection providers who serve them. Judged by the measured change in exposure between assessment and re-assessment.
What it comprises
- A written assessment of exposure and the approaches it permits
- A prioritised programme of remediation across public footprint, people, process and routine
- A briefing to leadership and to those responsible for protection
- Re-assessment at an agreed interval to confirm exposure has been reduced
Narrative analysis and defence
Organisations are increasingly targeted through what is said about them: campaigns that erode trust, mobilise opposition or prepare the ground for direct action. This service analyses how narratives about an organisation are formed, carried and received, distinguishes organic sentiment from organised effort, and assesses what a narrative is likely to produce. It extends to strengthening the organisation itself, so that leadership and staff recognise and withstand narrative attack.
For organisations whose licence to operate depends on public, community or government confidence: resources and infrastructure, development and humanitarian work, and companies in contested markets. Supported by the Cognitix desk.
What it comprises
- A baseline of the narratives concerning the organisation, their carriers and their reach
- Early identification of organised or inauthentic activity, with the supporting evidence
- Assessment of likely effects, including the second and third order effects of any response
- Advice to the organisation's communications and security teams; Exarma does not conduct the response
- Briefing and resilience work with leadership and staff
How the work is delivered
Each assessment is delivered in the form that suits the decision it serves, and wherever possible in a way that leaves capability with the client.
Each engagement is defined in a single conversation, priced to its scope, and governed by a written measure of success agreed at the outset.
What it includes
- Written assessment, with a summary for decision-makers
- Briefings for leadership teams and boards on threat, targeting and narrative
- Standing reporting at an agreed cadence
- Development of in-house intelligence capability: collection, analysis and reporting
For security and protection providers
Protection providers generally hold intelligence capability of their own, directed at the movement and immediate security of the principal. Exarma's work sits alongside it: assessment of how a principal and their circle could be selected and approached, analysis of the narratives forming around them, and independent review a provider can place before its client.
The arrangement is complementary. Exarma does not compete for protection contracts, and the relationship with the principal remains the provider's.
What it offers
- Exposure assessment and narrative analysis delivered under the provider's brand, as part of its offer to principals
- Independent assessment for client review, contract renewal or the period following an incident
- Additional analytical depth during new deployments, major events or periods of heightened attention
- Development of the provider's own analysts, with the method and products retained
Defined at the outset. Reported at the close.
Talk to an expertAssess
The exposure is assessed and the measure of success agreed in writing.
Close
Remediation, briefing, training or reporting delivered to the agreed scope and lead time.
Measure
The agreed measure reported, re-assessment at an agreed interval where it applies, and an account of where the assessment proved wrong.