WHAT is Project Matrix? An effort designed to: Assist federal civilian agencies in prioritizing their critical infrastructure assurance efforts by: Identifying the agencies’ functions and services that are “nationally critical” because they are essential to national security, the operations of the national economy, or the health and safety of the American people. Identifying the infrastructure -- the assets and links -- that are essential to provide the nationally critical functions and services.

WHY is Project Matrix important? Project Matrix will help Federal agencies to: Prioritize critical infrastructure assurance efforts Recognize the dependency of their nationally-critical functions and services on functions and services other agencies and the private sector provide

What is “Nationally Critical”? A function or service, whether physical or virtual, whose continuing availability is so vital to the United States that its incapacitation or destruction would: Have a debilitating impact on national security, national economic stability, national public health and safety, or any combination of those matters; and Require near term, if not immediate, remediation.

What is a “Function or Service”? Those things an organization does for or provides to a customer.

What is an “Asset”? An entity (person or thing, or an organized group of persons or things) that performs a function or provides a service by adding value to a resource or an intermediate function or service. An asset is a “managed element” within an organization that has a designated owner or manager and definable budget. It can be assessed for vulnerabilities, and corrective actions can be identified and mitigation efforts executed.

What is a “Link”? A means of transmitting or transporting a final function or service to its end-user, or an intermediate function or service of one asset to another asset that will use or further modify it. Links can exist between assets and between the final asset in a value chain and the end-user.

Benefits to Using this Approach • Permits the Federal government to define its complex critical infrastructure assurance problems and implement cost effective solutions in a structured manner Permits the Federal government to objectively prioritize infrastructure elements according to their role in providing nationally-critical functions and services Enables the Federal government to prioritize its efforts to identify and mitigate its infrastructure vulnerabilities

Benefits to Using this Approach Provides for well-informed agency, Administration, and Congressional decisions regarding critical infrastructure assurance budgets and actions Provides the information needed for constructive critical infrastructure assurance discussions and problem solving between the Federal government and the private sector Supports the Federal government’s general IT security, COOP, COG, counterintelligence, and counter-terrorism programs