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The changing needs of industrial security

The industrial security market in South Africa has grown significantly over the past few years and the growth is set to continue, firmly anchored in the current economic boom that is sweeping across the country.

It is relatively difficult to put statistics to this sector because it is still growing, the installed capacity should be worth several billion rands. And as the industrial growth continues so does the requirement for industrial security especially the protection of strategic sites from terrorism and other forms of security breach.

In this age of global terrorism, strategic industrial and commercial sites such as airports, oil facilities, port systems, chemical plants and electrical establishments are vulnerable to terrorist attacks, so the requirement for an efficient and effective security solution is paramount.

Cognisant of the centrality of industrial security as a pre-requisite for economic growth, Honeywell has gone to extraordinary lengths to design technology that safeguards industrial plants and other commercial facilities. These include access control, video surveillance, visitor management, alarm monitoring, perimeter intrusion detection as well as pipeline security systems.

In large industrial operations, these security systems are integrated with process systems to enable both systems to communicate in the event of a security breach or disaster.

Industrial security by its very nature is different from other forms of security. Industrial environments are very complex to work in, from an installation point of view, and to operate a system in. The requirements to hold good safety records and to have certifications in safety training are very stringent. From a systems standpoint, you have devices and infrastructure that intersect from building to building and from interior to exterior applications - all on the same circuit and across a large area. The personnel that use the systems work at different times and are a blend of temporary and permanent workforce.

Industrial plants and facilities require a high use of perimeter intrusion detection technologies and because these sites have varying types of perimeters, one type of perimeter detection intrusion does not suffice. You have to deploy multiple technologies in providing an effective intrusion detection strategy.

As discussed earlier, the need to integrate access control, CCTVs, intrusion detection and visitor management systems is not just an option, but it is an absolute requirement. In fact, this integration can extend to non-security applications such as process control, life safety, background check programmes and human resources systems.

Process systems at major industrial sites are quite complex and determine the profitability of a plant and how safe it operates. By integrating certain security information into the process system, you are able to maintain profitable operation in a safe manner, even if a security threat to the plant exists. And because of the size and complexity of these sites, there is need to have all security applications managed on one integrated and centralised platform.

Industrial sites can be the most dangerous locations to work in if safety related systems are not properly implemented and maintained. Security systems for these sites are also important 'safety systems' as they control access to dangerous work areas and can provide video information of areas that are not suited to being occupied.

Integration of multiple security applications at industrial sites helps ensure that all security relevant information is captured quickly, so a response can be made. Also the cost and efforts to monitor an integrated system of various security applications is much more efficient than having to monitor systems on separate head-ends.

Francois Rossouw is the manager: Industrial Security Division at Honeywell Southern Africa.

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