The Closed Joint-Stock Company “Special Information Service” appeared in late 1990–early 1991 when it was decided to run an experiment to establish a commercial information and analytical center with a participation of the State. The Moscow Department of KGB,  the Zelenograd Prefecture executive committee and Zelenograd largest enterprises (the town of Zelenograd used to be a scientific center of the Soviet Union) set up “Ikar” company on June 19, 1991.

According to the initial idea “Ikar” was expected to become a certain buffer between national interests, immense amounts of information and market needs in information services. At that time “Ikar” was equipped with up-to-date information and computer technologies.

Young scientists, post-graduates of the KGB High school were offered a job in  the project in which they took a great interest. Those scientists – Mr. S.Yu.Minaev, Mr. Yu.N.Adashkevich, Mr. P.L.Pilyuguin, Mr. A.A.Parfenov, Mr. A..Ya.Svinoboy – are still in charge of the company and separate directions of its activities.

However, for some reasons the experiment has been stoped. One of the reasons was a change in legislation (Law on public service) which made it impossible for state structures to found commercial enterprises. Shortly thereafter the events of 1991 occurred and the functions of “Ikar” became waste. “Ikar” experts made a decision to continue the experiment at their risk without any  government support.

A number of major Russian companies established a joint-stock company “Special Information Service” on September 27, 1993. Through the years of work the list of its founders has changed more than once, but our devoted founders – the public corporation MGTS (Moscow city telecommunications network) and RNSEB (Russian national service of economic security) – are still with us. We are proud that eminently qualified professionals in the area of obtaining information, its processing and transfer have been participating in the Company’s growth and activities. Those are Mr. L.V.Shebarshin, Mr. V.M.Prilukov, Mr. I.P.Abramov, Mr. A.V.Korobov, Mr. V.F.Vassilyev, Mr. A.K.Zhilin, Mr. V.A.Timofeev.

The Company was growing and expanding with every passing year. Its functions and tasks increased. The Company took an active part in establishing information and analytical market and private security market by conducting all-Russian and international conferences, round table meetings, seminars; giving lectures in colleges, the Academy of national economy; addressing businessmen, officials and politicians.

The SInS was constantly building up its information and analytical potential and expanding its client base. It was among the first to take up security system support making it the Company’s specialization. Thereupon the Company started developing such directions as business legal support, guarding services and security engineering systems.

The Non-profit Partnership “Association of private guard agencies “SInS” was set up in 1998. Today the Association consists of the following guard enterprises: “SInS-Moscow”, “SInS-Stolitsa (Capital)”, “SInS-Zelenograd”, “SInS-St.Petersburg”, “SInS-Kostroma”, “SInS-Kursk”, “SInS-Yaroslavl”, “SInS-Nizhny Novgorod” which offer an entire spectrum of guarding services, as well as the company “Protection. Control. Guarding.” (“SInS-Techno”) which deals with designing, assembling, setting-up and maintenance of security and survival engineering systems.

Personnel

During the years of work a team of experienced colleagues has formed in “Special Information Service”. We make no secret of the fact that our Company employs many former USSR and Russian special service and law-enforcement officers. We feel no doubts about their high professional level, analytical abilities, skills of information obtaining and processing, knowledge of protection matters. We are pleased to mention that lately the Company has employed young experts who have introduced new technologies and opinions and at the some time gained experience from their senior colleagues.

Altogether more than 1.100 employees are engaged in the “Special Information Service” and its subsidiaries. They are experts in the following areas:

• System analysis
• Security
• Informatics and new information technologies
• Computer and information security
• Marketing research
• Legal assistance
• Psychology
• Guarding
• Security engineering systems
• Others.

The company and the society

In all the stages of its development the “Special Information Service” used to be and still remains a public company aimed at joining efforts of the State and the market in strengthening the national safety and developing civilized market relations. Despite the fact that some associations ceased to exist we are proud that SInS participated in the work of the Advisory Council under the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation, headed the Committee of information openness and financial transparency of the credit market entities of the RF Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The “Special Information Service” keeps on participating in various associations, such as:

• European Business Congress
• Association for International Cooperation of Non-government Security Agencies
• Moscow Chamber of Commerce and Industry
• American-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry