Utility Week

16 | 1ST - 7TH DECEMBER 2017 | UTILITY WEEK Operations & Assets Market view E ach day, the UK water industry col- lects, treats and supplies billions of litres of high quality water to domestic and commercial customers and then collects and treats billions of litres of the result- ing wastewater, returning it safely to the environment. The adoption of protective measures that encompass physical, personnel and cyber security is key to safeguarding water companies against security threats. These should support the wider objectives of secu- rity and emergency measures detection, and in dowwing so mitigate the likely or actual disruption to the water supply. A full risk assessment must be undertaken across indi- vidual locations to uncover potential vulner- abilities, understand the impact of intrusion or attack, and identify the optimum security response. The first stage of the planning process requires a detailed risk analysis to deter- mine the potential security threats to the site periphery. There are multiple possibilities, including targeted criminal acts, sabotage, attack, hostage taking, espionage, intrusion and burglary. The level of expected damage and the likelihood of occurrence determine the risk potential, which can then be used to establish security objectives and vulnerabil- ity. Importantly, before considering the final security concept, the area to be protected needs to be precisely defined. It is vital that the procedures, measures and investments put in place are appropriate and proportionate for that specific situation. Even within the same water region, the needs of different locations will vary considerably. Therefore priority must be given to ensuring the security measures taken are relevant to the threat, rather than a universal approach. Technological convergence The key drivers for an electronic security sys- tem are to deter, detect and deny unauthor- ised intrusion, and to communicate these events and provide effective control of any security or hazardous incident. 1. Deter unauthorised intrusion by showing visible and effective security measures. 2. Detect activity across multiple site loca- tions through advanced technology. 3. Deny intruder attempts to defeat or bypass security measures. Appropriate protection for water com- panies operating in harsh and oen remote environments involves implementing lay- ers of security. Creating intelligence at the perimeter plays a major role in enabling proper control and situational awareness of the entire site. When this intelligence is integrated with other security technologies such as CCTV for instant visual verification of perimeter breaches and access control to restrict entry at gates, barriers and turnstiles, organisations are able to accelerate their response to critical events and manage risk. It can be difficult and expensive to secure full protection of an extensive perimeter; fur- thermore the requirement for duct networks, power supplies and cabling can make the prospect cost-prohibitive. To mitigate this challenge, perimeter security concepts are being developed for the UK and these include systems that operate on a light source, an important consideration for organisations with carbon-reduction programmes. Solar- powered technologies remove the need to install expensive duct infrastructure, com- munication cabling and associated civil engineering works. The integration of multiple security tech- nologies provides centralised situational awareness, improved information and intel- ligence, effective response to critical events and the proper co-ordination of resources. To achieve a fully protected infrastructure necessitates the installation of robust com- mand and control platforms that improve protection across multiple sites, manage critical situations and enhance procedures. Centralised command and control platforms improve efficiency and enhance security and safety operations, while reducing risks. Oper- ators are immediately prompted to take the correct action and the soware will automat- ically set in motion a sequence of pre-agreed activities to ensure the right procedures are adhered to, as well as distributing essential information across multiple agencies. Incidents can emanate from multiple sources such as system analytics or intruder devices, and an automated workflow or rules engine will prioritise the importance of these and alert operators in a number of ways. New technology Mobile technology means incidents can be viewed and played back on smartphones and tablets so authorised users can access video from any location at any time. An add-on feature is "video push", which allows users to upload live video from a mobile device directly back to the command and control platform; GPS positioning automatically locates the pushed video, all using secure and encrypted communication protocols. Modern IP cameras and IP network sys- tems improve the way surveillance video is captured, processed and stored. These devices provide significantly improved image quality and picture resolution. Moreover, they present a wider field of view, providing greater coverage, and offer digital zoom. IP cameras offer greater intelligence because they can deliver multiple analytics rules such as people loitering, object removed, idle object, heat mapping and filters for speed, size, direction and colour. Comprehensive security mechanisms should combine physical and network secu- rity, and system and soware integrity. Cyber security issues have been the subject of standardisation for some time, and these standards must be followed. Creating a secure and sustainable envi- ronment includes the management of an extensive infrastructure, the continued pro- tection of critical assets and the need to act in compliance with regulatory controls. It is vital for water companies to drive a risk management strategy, which should be sup- ported by governance and implemented by the board and management. All employees, contractors and suppliers should have a clear understanding of the risk management regime and be familiar with all related poli- cies, practices and risk boundaries. Chris Edwards, account development man- ager, Siemens Building Technologies UK Water firms must play it safe Chris Edwards explains why working collaboratively with the water industry to harness a joined-up safety and security strategy is vital, to both protect against and mitigate disruption to supply.

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