Bulletproof video surveillance for sensitive and industrial facilities

13.02.2022 • Practical Use • No Comments

Large industrial facilities operate in exceptional conditions, most often in life- and health-threatening conditions. Therefore, such facilities require a special monitoring system.

The peculiarity of video surveillance of industrial facilities lies in the typical risks. In this article, we will talk about the threats and protection options for video monitoring.

Main threats

Threats and risks at such facilities are extremely numerous because most of it depends on their location and the climate around them. We will talk about the key points you need to consider to ensure security:

Large crowds of people (staff, visitors). By nature, any industrial building must be visited by a large number of people. In such a flow, it is easier for thieves and criminals to enter the territory. This must be taken into account in the future because video surveillance must be designed to handle a large flow of information.

A large number of materials. There is always expensive equipment, raw materials, and finished products on the territory of an industrial building. Video surveillance should monitor not only their safety but also their performance;
IT equipment in use. Attackers can target an enterprise via the Internet, so all devices must be provided with the latest version of cyber security;
emergencies (accidents, fires, disruptions, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, etc.). Video surveillance must monitor and respond in time to such circumstances. For example: “Early and ultra-early detection of fires through video surveillance“.

To ensure complete safety at a large facility video monitoring should not only monitor the situation but also analyze the incoming information and notify in case of abnormalities.

Thus, the security system will be most effective and reduce the burden on the employees of the facilities. And it will also eliminate the human factor.

How to design a bulletproof system?

To cope with such a set of potential threats, you need a comprehensive integrated security system. It consists of many subsystems responsible for individual tasks.

The most important thing is to consider the goals, technical capabilities, and required functionality of the equipment, as well as to think through the system of protection against threats of another nature.

Top 6 factors

Regime facilities with video surveillance and the bulletproof system should not only be able to “search” and analyze but also to protect. Let’s get into the details.

Thunderstorm

At first glance, thunderstorms may seem like a risk with minimal threat. However, it is worth considering the climate in which the target is located and the surprise factor. Thunderstorms are difficult to predict, and their destructive power can destroy an entire system in one hit.

But the discharges are not the biggest threat, there are still more:

impulse overvoltages;
electrostatic charges.

On how to protect yourself from these factors in more detail in the article: “What is lightning protection for video cameras? 4 factors for installation“.

Cable breakage

If the system uses wires to transmit data, there is a risk of damage to them. For example:

intentional breakage;
damage due to accident, works;
unpredictable causes. Once, at the company “MegaFon” cables were chewed through by a dog.

These threats need to be taken into account, and there are two ways to protect against them:

use multiple lines of communication to increase reliability;
abandon wires and switch to Wi-Fi video surveillance.

For more information, see this article: “Let’s talk about wires as an essential element of video surveillance.“

Power

Problems with stable system power can occur for a variety of reasons, from a planned power outage to accidents and deliberate cutting of wires.

The situation can be prevented by connecting the system in advance to an uninterruptible power supply that turns on during a power outage.

Human error

The human factor can be attributed to completely different situations:

errors in using the system (accidental deletion of data, damage to equipment, etc.);

accidental damage (broken wires, arson, cameras knocking out, etc.);
“catching” viruses when using the computers for your own purposes;
explicit hacking of the system. Read more: “Hacking video surveillance: 5 reasons + 3 ways protection“.

To protect the system from people you can close access to other sites on the computer for employees, install vandal-resistant and bulletproof glass for video surveillance cameras, as well as use video analytics. Artificial intelligence reacts to damage to the system and immediately notifies the appropriate authorities.

Archive protection device

The archive is the most valuable part of video surveillance. All the information that goes into it needs to be stored, and usually separate servers are used to keep it from getting corrupted. But they need an uninterrupted power supply and additional equipment for their functionality.

To save money and protect the data as much as possible, we recommend switching to cloud surveillance. In it, the storage is on a remote server to which only the owner has access. Learn more about technology in this article: “Faceter video surveillance: security, savings, analytics“.

Cybersecurity

Protection against cyber-attacks on large objects is extremely relevant. In most cases, system controls consist of regular tests, password checks, and restricted access for personnel.

Conclusion

Regulated and industrial facilities need special comprehensive security systems, the main part of which is “smart” monitoring. When introducing video monitoring it is necessary to take into account all possible risks, as well as methods of protection. Then the system will be as effective and justified as possible.