Former Prudential CSO turns consultant

CRANFORD, N.J.--Eric Levine, formerly the chief security officer at Prudential, announced in January the launch of the Levine Group, a private security firm headquartered here that will offer risk assessment, physical and electronic security consulting, IRS 132 compliance reviews, training and testing, and even residential security reviews for high-end executives. "Our core business is really going to be risk mitigation," Levine said. Currently, Levine is a sole proprietor, but has a network of about 10 people he's had discussions with about coming on board as the enterprise moves forward. "I see us providing this service to the smaller companies," despite his Fortune 100 background, he said, "financial services, those places with critical threats that you read about; we have some expertise in the energy field, and schools and higher education is another area where we have some great competency." Currently, Levine also does some pro bono work for some local organizations in New Jersey. His time as an end user, which also included employment by the United States Department of State Bureau of Diplomatic Security as a special agent, taught him, he said, to value customer service in a security integrator and installer, and he'll be looking to partner with the best-of-breed integrators and installers going forward. "Generally speaking," Levine said, "there's great similarity in products out there--though there are some that are ahead and do some amazing things--but there are a lot of installation and integration firms out there, and what sets one apart form another is that response to requests, being able to respond rapidly. And that's what we look to do." In the near-term, Levine will also be doing a fair amount of work in Asia, mostly in executive protection in the lead-up to and during the Beijing Olympics this summer.