On August 14, 2003, New York City and much of New England experienced a blackout. No lights, no air conditioning, no electricity. In all, one quarter of the nation was without power for several days because of an energy grid malfunction. Though it was not the product of a terrorist attack, thankfully, the blackout demonstrated what could happen if the nation's energy systems are assaulted. It was because of instances like the blackout, and other threats to the energy system that energy distribution companies like Kansas City-based Aquila began searching for a comprehensive access control and security system.
Aquila, an energy resources distributor for seven Midwestern states, owns and manages vast networks of wires and pipes that deliver energy to more than 1.3 million Americans. The company operates hundreds of sites throughout the Midwest, including major gas interconnects, where gas is distributed to individual homes; power substations, which route power to other parts of the country and to homes; power plants, which generate electricity; and administrative facilities.
Aquila needed a security system that could be replicated across more than 50 of their most critical sites and managed from a central system located at their company headquarters. The catalyst for the search was the need to meet new security and safety reliability standards, like those enacted by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC), the Department of Transportation, Office of Pipeline Safety and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). After September 11, 2001, companies that were deemed part of the "critical infrastructure" were instructed to assess their current security systems so that they could better protect against potential future attacks.
Other federal regulations, such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Gramm-Leach-Bliley (GLB) Act require businesses to know exactly who is in their facilities and special critical areas at all times. Since these systems have integrity and well as incident reporting requirements to the government, Aquila also needed a system to track visitors and to keep these logs for auditing purposes.
John Breckenridge, Director of Security for Aquila, was looking to partner with a company who saw the strategic vision of Aquila, and could help them plan for future sites and security needs. Breckenridge, along with Scott Roe, President of Corporate Risk Solutions, a top-tier security consulting and investigations firm in Lenexa, Kansas that specialises in critical infrastructure protection, chose Honeywell to supply the security products and services necessary for meeting the regulatory and government standards and better protecting Aquila's assets and employees.
Breckenridge and Roe wanted a system to protect against the unthinkable. Though energy distribution may seem a well-established industry, Roe said, there's a growing level of risk and recognised vulnerabilities involved. Between vandalism, terrorist threats and occasional activist groups, there are a number of dangers that require effective, well-designed security systems, policies and procedures.
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| Pro-Watch is designed to meet the needs of the most demanding security management applications |
System specifics
At the backbone of Aquila's new security system is Honeywell's Pro-Watch® security management software, which was installed or upgraded at each site by a local, Honeywell-certified systems integrator. The security package that supports each of these sites include ID badging for all employees and contractors, access control, visitor management, intrusion detection systems, perimeter control barriers and devices, and voice over internet protocol (VoIP). Honeywell's RapidEye™ multi-media digital video recorder (DVR) system was also installed in conjunction with a day/night CCTV system.
"It was a unanimous decision among our assessment team - the Honeywell system was the strongest among the several brands we tested," Breckenridge said. "Its impressive bandwidth utilisation capabilities means that that it can handle and store large amounts of information without crashing and is supportable across a wide area network, even at remote sites."
Communications challenges
Because several of Aquila's sites are located in rural or remote areas, the team searched for creative ways to communicate with the sites. For several sites, dedicated T-1s, frame relays and fibre connections were available. However, at several sites, extended communications platforms using cable Internet providers with VPN tunnels were used. In fact, for 11 of the most-remote sites, the team found satellite with VPN tunnels were the best way to exchange information. Honeywell's security systems had never communicated over satellite before, so Breckenridge and Roe worked closely with the Honeywell team to adjust the Pro-Watch system.
"We were using Pro-Watch in a way that it had never been used before," said Roe. "We worked with the Honeywell technicians to develop the product into what we needed it to be. The newest version of Pro-Watch incorporates a lot of the changes we made during this project, and the commitment of Honeywell to add features to Pro-Watch is commendable."
Pro-Watch needed to be adaptable from site to site, no matter what form of communication the site was receiving - as advanced as satellite or as basic as a T-1. It also needed to provide a secure connection to protect the sensitive information transmitted between sites. Using role-based permissions, QoS network features and VPN tunnels for extra layers of security, also added an extra layer of complexity to the project.
As if access control data information and CCTV signals were not enough, the team also uses VoIP to communicate with Aquila employees and as a response mechanism at many remote sites.
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| Pro-Watch offers comprehensive integration to LobbyWorks, including tracking of visitor badges |
New system results in multiple benefits
In addition to increased security, the new system aids Aquila officials in keeping track of inventory at facilities, by conducting "virtual tours" of the storage area to prevent loss of material and to order additional materials before supplies run too low. The cameras and DVR system also allow for special supervised security functions at high-risk sites, identifying and providing notification to SCADA systems when remote sites are attended or maintaining security when a site is used for a customer reception or special event.
The ID badges provide a wealth of information to Aquila officials who are constantly looking for ways to improve the current system. Presently, even with a new system, already more than 4,000 ID badges have been distributed and the system logs more than 500,000 transactions per month, which is growing.
"We now have the ability to identify hot spots or trouble spots, and we can also give employees and contractors, with validated access rights, approval to access certain parts of the facility right over the phone, while maintaining total audit capability," Roe said.
The Pro-Watch system is helping to meet federal requirements, like FERC, HIPAA, GLB and Sarbanes-Oxley, by generating reports validating system integrity and non-repudiation for compliance audits. The flexibility of the new system in meeting new requirements provides significant cost savings for Aquila through synergistic applications.
"Rather than re-invent the wheel every time a new requirement surfaces, whether it be hazardous material or the federal trade commission codified federal register, we've been able to easily use the Honeywell system to meet those requirements," Roe said.
The improved security measures have been met with appreciation from employees, Breckenridge said. Because some of the workers may be the only one operating a facility at a given time, they are grateful for the fact that there is an extra level of protection.
Breckenridge sees several long-term benefits with the new system, including greater accountability and system controls between the field and the company headquarters. The cameras will also help Aquila address unique operational issues from site to site. If a problem arises, they can look to the DVR footage for clarification or investigation.
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| The programme is able to integrate with CCTV, intrusion, intercoms, biometric device and digital storage devices |
A new central station and expansion
Aquila's headquarters in Kansas City will soon become the home to a brand new central station used to monitor not only the security systems, but also eventually assist in selected systems management, such as fire, HVAC, building automation systems and some IT network events.
In the future, Aquila's security team will work to take the new security system to the remainder of Aquila's sites - a potential of more than 100 additional sites in the Midwest. This major undertaking though, Breckenridge says, could take many years, and in the meantime they're going to keep refining the system already in place and working with Honeywell to continue to provide advance system features.
"As technology develops, we will look at adding new features, but for now, we're very happy with our system," Breckenridge said. "Our responsibility is to protect the generation and distribution of energy resources to more than 1 million Americans and we're glad to partner with Corporate Risk Solutions and Honeywell, who take our job as seriously as we do."
