Gasunie's sites vary greatly in function and size. Some are very small, remote and rarely visited. Others occupy several hectares and are staffed by dozens of Gasunie employees and visiting contractors. The security infrastructure depends on the site. It ranges from simple fencing to sophisticated fence systems with perimeter detection systems and CCTV. “The fundamental requirement at every location is that unauthorized intruders are always identified as fast as possible at the perimeter,” explains Reiner Woldring, Gasunie's corporate security advisor.
With CCTV systems operating on 25 sites, security processes such as limiting access to authorized staff, and verifying and tracking alarm reports following the detection of an intrusion event, are all coordinated from the 24-hour Groningen control centre. “We need camera pictures for verifying the alarm reports which may need to be followed up by the police or another special guarding service,” reports Reiner Woldring. “For this we need good quality cameras, reliable transmission and storage of camera pictures as well as user-friendly functions for calling up the pictures in the alarm centre.”
To keep its systems up to date Gasunie operates a rolling programme of infrastructure expansion and modernisation which applies to the security area too. All its cameras are currently managed through a modern Geutebruck GeViScope platform which is fully integrated into the company's own management system. Local system integrators Alphatron and Strukton Systems have been responsible for upgrading the cameras and remain responsible for the maintenance of the alarm centre systems.
IP-based systems are now standard across all sites. “Nowadays we work with a lot fewer cameras per site” explains Herman von Hierden, “and most of them can be remote controlled from the centre.“ Control centre staff can call up camera images in real time and immediately replay the recorded footage whenever there is an alarm.
Protecting such a nationally and internationally critical infrastructure network involves preparing for everything - including a catastrophic failure which knocks out the Groningen control centre. For this eventuality Gasunie has set up an equivalent security centre at an undisclosed location elsewhere in the Netherlands. “Whenever necessary this second centre can be used to take over all duties,” says Reinder Woldring assuringly.