G4S Technology opens new Energy Center of Excellence in Chicago

The facility showcases G4S’ physical security capabilities and product solutions, specifically highlighting NERC/CIP capabilities

G4S Technology, an award-winning security systems integrator and expert project management company for communication networks and fully integrated, electronic security systems, announces the opening of its new Energy Center of Excellence in Chicago, IL. The facility showcases G4S Technology’s physical security capabilities and product solutions, specifically highlighting capabilities in the field of NERC CIP compliance for the electric power industry.

The Energy Center of Excellence, an 8,000 square-foot facility, serves as the company’s energy hub. G4S Technology engineers, estimators, project managers, CAD specialists and operations personnel – all trained and dedicated to the design and installation of security solutions and services for energy sector customers – work diligently to research, develop, test and demonstrate gold-standard security protocols that both meet and exceed compliance regulations for the ever-changing energy and utility sector.

The Energy Center of Excellence also serves as a demonstration area for customers and consultants to observe technology and solutions in action, in real-time. These include PSIM solutions, thermal cameras, video content analytics, access control, G4S Technology’s own Perifeld advanced perimeter protection system and many other high-level sensors, including mass notification and gunshot detection.

“One of our unique capabilities is creating appropriate customised integrated solutions alongside our customers,” said Ed Pedersen, SVP of Sales and Marketing for G4S Technology. “We draw on our 20-year track record beginning with our early entrance in the 1991 Critical Project Security Program for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and moving on to our extensive Nuclear and Power Generation consulting and security integration within G4S.

“This sort of end-to-end lifecycle understanding of the security needs of our customers is what earns us our many long-standing relationships within the critical infrastructure market supporting physical security and network systems of all types across the USA – not just in the energy market,” continued Pedersen.

Further proving its level of expertise in the energy sector, G4S Technology is also in the process of installing the first NERC CIP-014-1 compliant security system in a multi-million dollar project for a major utility provider.

“Our energy patrons are striving to maintain compliance quickly and completely,” said Pedersen. “That’s why we have launched the Energy Center of Excellence, so we can provide a higher level service to our customers and continue to lead the industry in developing best practices and compliance fulfilment for the entire energy and utility Sector.”

“This is an extremely critical time for the energy and utility industry, as they focus on strengthening security measures to protect the nation’s power grid from unwanted attacks that could cause wide spread instability to the nation, while also meeting compliance regulations,” said Sam Belbina, President of G4S Technology. “G4S Technology has developed the Energy Center of Excellence to help identify the best solutions that will not only help clients maintain compliance, but will also allow them to maximise return on investment.

“G4S Technology was an early entrant and influential leader in the energy and utility sector, designing and building critical infrastructure security systems at some of the largest hydroelectric facilities in the world, followed by crucial structures in the Californian Central Valley, as well as along most of the major locks and dams along the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee and Columbia rivers,” Belbina continued. “Now, we are leaders in setting the gold-standard for national electrical distribution companies, including American Electric Power, Progress Energy, PG&E, SCE and Iberdrola USA. The establishment of the Center of Excellence allows us to better support these large-scale initiatives and the development of cutting-edge technologies and systems.”