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Operations & Assets UTILITY WEEK | 15TH - 21ST JULY 2016 | 19 we manage the waste they put in their bins, to keeping the lights on at night – the week also equips them with skills and knowledge that will help them make decisions on their career paths and in doing so, hopefully develop a talent pipeline for the resource sector by showcas- ing highly skilled jobs here in Oxfordshire." The Ardley ERF has also officially welcomed its 4,000th visitor since the plant was opened in 2014. If you have an asset or project you would like to see in this slot, email paul.newton@fav-house.com. E verything from boiling a kettle to national security relies on our critical infrastructure. A single safety failure can set off a cascade of consequences. In the event of a major electricity outage, pumps would be inoperable, interrupt- ing the supply of fresh water for cooking and cleaning, as well as our ability to process waste. Utility sites tend to be dispersed and remote, making physical security difficult. They rely on a vast array of contrac- tors and technician teams, so must guard against sabotage, the and trespass, yet also facili- tate access on demand – at any time of day or night, and oen at short notice. Securing everything 24/7 involves complex work- flows. To a utility, the cost of any shutdown is huge, in terms of reputation as well as pounds. How can these challenges be managed? Increasingly, utilities turn to mechatronic locking systems such as PROTEC2 CLIQ from ABLOY. CLIQ cylinders and padlocks combine robust, high- grade mechanical security with the flexibility and intelligence of electronic access control. Each CLIQ key is programmable to open only locks for which its holder has authorisation. Administrators tailor access rights, so that a key opens certain locks in a facility, or only grants access at scheduled times. Because CLIQ locks are wire- less, installation time and costs are minimised; onsite mainte- nance requirements likewise. Keys have replaceable batteries that energise the high-security lock when inserted. Communi- cation between lock and key is encrypted. CLIQ has several advantages over old-fashioned locks. Employees and contractors can amend access permissions without returning to head office, with a programming device, a wall updater, or the CLIQ Connect smartphone app. Any CLIQ key can be immediately de-authorised if it goes missing. In the words of Mats Fagerström, chief secu- rity officer at CLIQ customer Helsinki Energia: "If someone goes out on a Saturday night and loses the key, it is not a risk to us any more." CLIQ WebManager soware is built to help companies manage complex workflows. System administrators can program, amend or delete keys remotely. It's straightforward to generate time-stamped audit trails for any lock or key, to trace access in detail. WebManager can gener- ate attendance reports for staff and contractors, and a simple interface integrates these into HR or task management soware. Yet despite all these features, WebManager requires minimal IT investment: it runs inside a standard internet browser. We live in a world of diverse threats to our critical infrastruc- ture. Utilities can't eliminate those risks. But with CLIQ installed, locks become the strongest link in the security chain — not the weakest. Kevin Hoare, CLIQ business development director, ASSA ABLOY EMEA www.assaabloy.co.uk/ secure-infrastructure-uk EXPERT VIEW Solving the key security challenges of critical infrastructure What makes mechatronic locks the best first line of defence in protecting utility sites?