Contextual Assessment Informational Requirements

BACKGROUND

Understand the history of the organization and its mission

How did your organization form? What are its objectives?

• Mission:

• Year established:

• Brief history:

• Summary of current programs?

• Upcoming campaigns?

INTERNAL FACTORS

Understand the assets used to achieve the organization’s goals

PHYSICAL

Where are you headquartered?

• Address(es):

• Reason for chosen location(s):

• Do you share this space with anyone outside the organization?

• Do you rent, own, borrow this space?

What other facilities do you own or occupy?

• E.g. Satellite offices, warehouses, intermittent environments (temporary workspaces, conferences, workshops)

What equipment do you rely on? (Will be explored more deeply in Device Inventory)

• Devices (computers, phones, tablets, routers, TVs, any other IoT like thermostat, alexa, etc.)

  • Provided to employees? Or do employees use their own?

• Vehicles

  • Own, rent?

What other physical infrastructure does the organization depend upon?

• Power

  • What is the regular system for providing power to the organization? On-grid, generator, solar?

  • What backup power systems are available to the organization?

• Travel

  • Are employees allowed to travel with organization-owned devices? What devices are they likely to travel with?

  • Are "travel devices" available for employees to use? What is the organizational expectation of their use?

  • Are employees likely to travel to locations where device theft is common?

  • Are employees travelling through checkpoints (government, private, bandits, international)?

• Trash removal and other janitorial services & recycling

  • How does the organization dispose of trash?

  • How does the organization dispose of sensitive documents?

  • How does the organization manage janitorial services for their workspace?

  • How does the organization perform cleaning their offices or other workspace?

  • Who conducts maintenance of physical infrastructure (plumbing, electricity)?

POLITICAL

How are you structured?

• Leadership team (executives):

• Board:

• Management structure:

What politics are in play within the organization?

• What are the political affiliations of its board members and leaders? (in general, or any heavily political advisors)

• What are current political aspirations of current employees? Is anyone running for office?

• What are the internal relationships between members?

• Describe past and current internal conflicts -- organizational changes, layoffs & firing

• Immigration/Citizenship/Refugee status:

  • Staff:

  • Beneficiaries:

ECONOMIC

What is your business model?

• Corporate Structure (Non-profit, for-profit, hybrid)

• Dependencies

  • Who are your Clients / Customers / Beneficiaries?

  • Who are your Donors?

  • Who are your other Funders (Grantors, Governments)?

  • Who are your partners for Contracted Services?

• Current Financial Situation

  • Describe your organization’s Financial Health including inputs/outputs

• What is your Financial Infrastructure - Where/How are funds stored?

  • Do you use Formal banking?

  • Do you keep Cash on hand?

  • Do you use Informal value transfer?

• Seasonality

  • Are there specific times of year where you conduct certain programs or when fundraising or operations will intensify?

• Advertising and Publicity Operations (Avenues for advertising, press, publicity - how is your organization known?)

• Current Financial Situation

  • What is your Internal Cash Flow & Funding Streams?

  • What are your sources of Funding, grants, & Initiatives?

SOCIAL

Who keeps your organization running?

• Number of employees:

• Types of employees:

  • Full-time, part-time, intern, volunteer, contractor

  • Occupations & Salaries paid

• Demographics (ages, genders, ethnicities, tribes):

  • Staff:

  • Beneficiaries:

• Education

  • Formal education of staff members

  • Literacy of staff members

  • Technological knowledge and proficiency

• Living Situations

  • Geographic dispersal - where do staff live in relation to work?

  • Where do they live in relation to beneficiaries?

  • In relation to their family (Diaspora?)?

  • Living conditions - what are the living conditions for staff?

What is your organization’s culture?

• Organizational Practices (of Staff or Beneficiaries)

  • Which languages are used?

  • What perspectives on Security exist?

  • What perspectives on Privacy exist?

• Working environment

  • Office bound?

  • Remote workers?

  • “Work from home” culture?

• Organizational Practices (of Staff or Beneficiaries)

  • What norms are realized?

  • What taboos exist?

• Hiring Practices

  • Describe current hiring practices. How are people screened before employment?

  • Describe current recruiting initiatives. How are people recruited?

• Leisure Activities

• Health Conditions

  • Current issues

  • Clinic / Medical Care Providers

  • Insurance Providers

TECHNOLOGICAL

• See Device Inventory and Technical assessment

• Do you currently have organizational policies for...

  • Technology Use?

  • System Access?

  • Privacy or data protection?

• What are your future plans...

  • For acquiring replacement technologies or solutions?

  • For digitization of paper records or other assets?

  • For conducting software upgrades?

LEGAL

• Do you have an internal legal team or rely on outside counsel?

• What are your statutory & regulatory commitments for...

  • Business / Financial?

  • Ethical?

  • Environmental?

  • Data protection regulations (GDPR, etc)?

  • Others?

• What are your current contractual obligations?

  • Have there been past breaches of contract?

• Describe your organization’s lawsuits & legal challenges in the...

  • Past?

  • Present?

  • Future (Expected/Planned)?

THREATS

Consider...

• Organized Crime

• Nation State

• Professional Hacker (Individual / Collective)

• Hacktivists

• Corporations

• Terrorism

• Criminal (Scammer / Opportunist)

• Who were your past threats?

  • What persons, groups, or organizations have threatened, attacked, or harmed your organization, its employees, or beneficiaries in the past?

    • Cyberattacks

    • Physical harms

    • Other Crimes

  • What prior attacks has your organization experienced in the past?

    • Cyberattacks

    • Physical harms

    • Other Crimes

• Who are your current threats?

  • What persons, groups, or organizations are your current threats to your organization?

    • Cyberattacks

    • Physical harms

    • Other Crimes

  • Which persons, groups, or organizations do you feel may harm your organization in the future?

EXTERNAL FACTORS

Factors beyond the organization’s Control, but that are highly relevant to their functioning

####POLITICAL

• Support from Government Leadership of Organization’s Missions or Causes

  • Who are their supporters?

  • Who are their opponents?

• Government Stability

  • Any recent shifts of power or structure?

  • Is there turmoil expected turmoil in the future?

  • Are there ongoing or nascent insurgencies?

• External Stakeholders in Organization’s Mission

  • What other politicians or political groups are involved or impacted by the organization’s work?

  • What home pressure groups / lobbyists are for / against the organization’s work?

  • What international pressure groups / lobbyists are for / against the organization’s work?

• Corruption in Government

  • What is the country’s general propensity & accountability for bribery, graft, etc?

  • Are there past or current corruption scandals involving the above stakeholders?

####ECONOMIC

• Home economic situation

  • Describe the general economic conditions in the home country.

  • Are there ongoing crises related to recession, hyperinflation, or other decline?

  • What is the unemployment rate?

• Trade Agreements

  • What other countries are relevant trade partners?

  • Are any countries involved in an ongoing trade war with the home country?

####SOCIAL

• Cultural Practices

  • What other languages are used in the area of interest?

  • Are there any prevalent perspectives on Security in this area?

  • Are there any prevalent perspectives on Privacy in this area?

  • What cultural norms are relevant?

  • What cultural taboos are relevant?

• Ethnic issues

  • Are there any ethnic groups that suffer from discrimination?

####TECHNOLOGICAL

• Law Enforcement

  • What means do the area’s law enforcement use to access private digital systems?

  • What technologies do law enforcement or other government forces use to monitor or collect information on the populace?

• Supply chains for Information-sharing

  • How is information transmitted between community members?

• Are there any prevalent attitudes towards online security tools in this area?

####LEGAL

• What protections exist for Freedom of Speech?

• What are the relevant Privacy Laws?

• What are the relevant Data Protection Laws? (GDPR, etc)

• What are the relevant Cybersecurity Laws?

• Criminality

  • Who are the major organized crime groups?

  • What other crimes may be relevant?

####MILITARY

• What are current or recent local conflicts? Include terrorism.

• Are there any international conflicts involving home country or partners’ home countries?

• Are there nearby Installations and bases to the organization’s work?

  • What capabilities or equipment for collection or intercept may be present?