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Protecting critical infrastructures

In the wake of the attacks in New York and Washington on 11 September 2001, the Madrid train bombing on 11 March 2004 and the London Underground attacks in July 2005, nations around the globe have developed new strategies to defend themselves against international terrorism.

Homeland security, virtually unknown in the last century, quickly became the prevalent umbrella term for all security efforts towards this goal. Other than national security, which is generally a responsibility of the respective government alone, homeland security is a shared effort of government and the private sector. This is mainly because many critical infrastructures that form the centre of all homeland security strategies are privately owned.

Such infrastructures serve as vital lifelines in today´s societies. We are reliant on the supply of energy and water, information technology and mobility functioning in a dependable manner. Large-scale failures of these systems or other important infrastructures, even for only short periods, can have serious consequences. Critical infrastructures must thus be protected against potential terrorist attacks, but other dangers also need to be addressed. Natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, for example, can cause substantial destruction, as the recent events in Fukushima have impressively demonstrated.

The Bosch building integration system (BIS) provides a single Web-based control point for monitoring all security, safety and facility management systems. This includes alarm management, fast alarm identification via location maps and follow-up procedures. It seamlessly integrates fire and intrusion alarms, evacuation, access control, video surveillance and building automation systems into a single platform. BIS enables a single operator to monitor and control all Bosch and third-party security systems as well as to respond faster to emergencies and achieve greater overall effectiveness.

Hostile acts or vandalism on the manufacturing or plant areas can be perilous and CCTV systems enable early detection to suspicious behaviour and help to confirm and validate alarms. In combination with intelligent video analysis (IVA) Bosch cameras establish a virtual perimeter fence that if crossed, alerts a security operator. It allows operators to supervise production processes and continuous real-time image analysis allows unplanned or critical events to be detected.

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