ATLANTA, Ga. -- In an age where many of the nation's utilities, communications networks and petrochemical facilities have become the targets of terrorists and cyber hackers, the evolution of critical infrastructure security is as important as ever.

Though terrorism may be the threat most think of when it comes to securing infrastructure, the process of assessing a facility's vulnerabilities go much deeper than that, according to Chris Jensen, national sales director for public safety technologies at Anixter. Jensen, a 25-year veteran of the Phoenix Police Department, spoke at Anixter's Protecting Critical Infrastructure seminar on Thursday in Atlanta.

"Who would have thought 20 or 30 years ago we would have plans in place for an active shooter scenario," he told the audience. "Who would have thought Times Square would become a terror target."

Indeed, the threats faced by critical infrastructure facilities run the gamut and include such things as accidents, vandalism, acts of sabotage by disgruntled employees, workplace violence, hackers, and copper theft. Natural disasters and terrorism both have the potential to have a tremendous impact on the operations of critical infrastructure, but their frequency is much lower than that of the aforementioned threats, according to Jensen.

These threats often times have the potential not only to impact the communities adjacent to where critical infrastructure facilities are located, but also could cause the widespread disruption of everyday life for people across the country. Jensen said that he recently took part in a security assessment for a major oil refinery in which if something were to happen to their pipeline, it could cause major headaches for people in four or five of the top 10 metropolitan areas in the U.S. Despite the fact that many strides have been made in the way security information is gathered and shared, Jensen said that it can still be better.

"There still are some chinks in the system," he said.

Jensen said that petrochemical facilities, utilities and ports are some of the most vulnerable critical infrastructure installations.

"If you take (a petrochemical, utility or port facility) out, it will have a big impact on the country," Jensen explained.