Synectics has secured a multi-site protection contract for a customer whose infrastructure assets are considered critical to national security. Responsible for maintaining an energy network that supplies over 3.9 million homes and businesses, the customer required a centralised system to guard against both physical and cyber threats at five key sites – each recognised as a national asset with corresponding levels of access clearance.
The Synectics solution, driven by its Synergy 3 command and control platform, integrates third-party sensors, analytics, cameras, systems, personnel databases, and edge devices. The resulting level of situational awareness gives the team – based at the customer’s state-of-the-art Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) – complete oversight and control of security, safety, and site-management systems at each facility.
As part of the contract, Synectics will also provide a redundant ARC solution for failover scenarios. The core integrations included as part of the project ensure alerts and responses are linked to, and can implement direct control of, door-access systems, intrusion-detection systems, intercom technology, and the electrified perimeter-fence systems deployed at each location.
Synectics will conduct a complete system FAT, which includes all specified third-party software and hardware, at its dedicated UK testing facilities. Given the high-risk, high-security nature of the project, the provider’s ability to system-test at such scale was a crucial factor in the contract being awarded. The five locations to be monitored from the ARC are government-authorised to trigger armed response units to deal with imminent or actual threats.
The solution will, therefore, employ customised workflows to support incident (alarm) validation and protocol-compliant responsive action. The solution will also see each site equipped with its localised command and control system for on-site management, with the ability to manually and automatically escalate incidents to the ARC team as required. Cyber security was a specific focus of the brief. In addition to meeting technical resiliency specifications with authentication and encryption solutions, Synectics will be providing ongoing cyber security consultation, working in partnership with in-house specialists to ensure the continuous development of protective measures.
