Page 54 - Security Today, August 2017

Got Coax? Want IP?
Simple.
The award-winning CLEER family delivers fast Ethernet and PoE+ over Coax with 2,000ft (610m) reach.
CLEER 24-Port Managed Switch EC10 10-Port Unmanaged Switch
*EC-Link - Single Port Extender Options Available*
MORE THAN 6Xs
the Reach of Traditional Switches
2,000ft 300ft
Member of the CHARIoT Series
888.901.3633 insidesales@nvtphybridge.com www.nvtphybridge.com
Go to sp.hotims.com and enter 21 for product information.
these cameras for movement and then react when necessary.
The key is that they detect and react too late. The detection and reaction sequence be- gins at the point where the threat is already in position to cause the most significant dam- age or harm.
The result, most of the time, is that fa- cility security personnel end up watching the camera feeds showing the damage as it occurs rather than intervening early enough in the process to prevent it from ever occur- ring in the first place. To effectively secure and protect physical assets from attack and/ or sabotage, you must incorporate standoff capability into your protection plan. For a security solution to be effective, you can- not, knowingly or unknowingly, disregard the threat activities and behaviors that occur ‘before the bad’.
In the majority of perimeter security ap- plications, cameras and other security solu- tions are often mounted on or in the vicinity of the ‘wall’ itself due to terrain and access limitations. This is especially true in urban areas with surrounding infrastructure or places with blind spots caused by vegetation and undulating terrain.
Unfortunately, this limited protection that some facilities are constrained to adopt, has now become universal throughout the industry, no matter what the surrounding ge- ography looks like.
The Protection Plan
This type of protection plan, relying on fenc- es and cameras, also necessitates a certain amount of staff available at all times who can monitor cameras and respond to activity.
Security staff and expensive cameras are two of the most common assets you have in your facility’s protection architecture. Nei- ther of these options will prove to be cost ef- fective unless organizations learn to comple- ment them with low-cost solutions designed specifically to make them more effective.
While this type of emphasis on “local” protection along your physical perimeter and last line of defense can create the perception of comfort and security in your solution, the reality is that it often creates a false sense of security that ultimately translates into less effective monitoring and response times by security staff.
Lessons learned during recent insurgent conflicts and counter-insurgency efforts have only magnified these flaws and misconcep- tions associated with the belief that bigger fences and more cameras somehow equates to more effective preventative security measures.
There’s a reason why we no longer fight in castles surrounded by moats. It’s because points of vulnerability not only exist along
your perimeter but also well beyond what many today consider protected areas.
Regardless of your efforts to heighten walls or construct barriers associated with your physical perimeter, there will always be vantage points or locations where you re- main vulnerable. A more effective and proac- tive solution is one that allows you to moni- tor well beyond that perimeter and makes you aware of any threat-related activities long before the threat ever reaches the point where they are prepared to attack.
Advanced intrusion detection systems are emerging alongside the industry’s pivot towards more proactive security protection. With a reduced false alarm rate and other ad- vancements, the issues associated with these systems are becoming a thing of the past.
Organizational Solutions
Footstep detection, at extended ranges, is a growing solution for many organizations looking to get an advanced warning of threats beyond their initial perimeter and protected areas. Ground sensors, employed in conjunc- tion with traditional perimeter security ap- proaches, provide a cost-effective way to im- plement a proactive strategy that ensures you remainonestepaheadofyourthreat.
Many of the ground sensor systems to- day require cabling that inherently requires trenches to be dug in order to conceal the cables. The disturbed earth associated with the buried footprint of such sensor systems and associated cabling reveal a clear sign to your threat of how and with what, you are attempting to protect your assets.
Covert sensor systems exist today that employs no cabling at all, that when buried just below the surface of the ground, make it nearly impossible for threats to conduct surveillance on your facilities and assets. Deployed asymmetrically, these sensors not only transition your defensive posture from reactive to proactive, but also easily integrate with your existing security infra- structure cameras, radars, and other tech- nology to make them more effective in their employment.
Securing one’s facility and/or assets against the ever-changing nature of threats requires that the security industry collec- tively begins to challenge the status quo and look outside the box in order to be more pro- active in their efforts to reduce risk and pre- vent the infliction of any
damage or harm.
Robert Jones is the chief of counter threat technol- ogy operations at ARA and manages the Pathfinder ground sensor system.
0817 | SECURITY TODAY
PERIMETER SECURITY