A term you may begin to hear batted about in the SRSCRO region is SCIF (pronounced "skiff."). A SCIF is a US Government accredited facility where Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) can be stored, discussed or electronically processed. Primarily government and government-related contractors that require high security have the need for SCIFs. It can be a secure room or data center that guards against electronic surveillance and suppresses data leakage of sensitive security and military information.  Locally, both Fort Gordon and the Savannah River Site (SRS) utilize SCIF space.

A government rule called "The Director of Central Intelligence Directive 6/9" details the physical requirements for SCIF construction: Walls, floors and ceilings must be permanently constructed and attached to each other. They should also be reinforced on the inside with steel plates, and slab-to-slab with 9-gauge expanded metal. All doors, windows, walls, floors, vents and ducts must be protected by sound masking devices, such as noise and vibration generators, bars, grills or sound baffles, in order to meet sound attenuation criteria and prevent disclosure of conversations. Entrance doors should be limited to one, which must be equipped with locks and alarms, and made of solid wood (no less than 1-and-3/4 inches thick) or clad with 16-gauge metal (no less than 1-and-3/4 inches thick).  It has been reported that SCIFs cost two to 10 times the cost of conventional office space, depending on features required.

At the conclusion of construction (but should be started well before construction begins), an accreditation process occurs which classifies the facility as one in which sensitive information can be handled and at what secured classification level. Without a government sponsor it is impossible to have an accredited SCIF, even if you have a facility built to SCIF standards. SCIFs can vary in size, design and construction according to the purpose of the facility, the location, the regulatory requirements, the customer, and other environmental factors. These are all considerations in determining the security and safety in the materials and program activities within these facilities.