Irving, TX – January 15, 2020 – Recent worldwide developments have heightened awareness and the need for Critical Infrastructure organizations to secure access points for their critical controls and assets. ABLOY USA has two significant high security solutions that are making a difference and will exhibit them in booth 1415 at DISTRIBUTECH International, January 28-30 at the Henry B. Gonzales Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.
The award-winning ABLOY PROTEC2 CLIQ™ Connect and the ABLOY PROTEC2 Super Weather Proof (SWP) padlock are two products with proven track records. Jerry Burhans, Managing Director for ABLOY USA, believes circumstances involving Critical Infrastructure have changed since the last transmission and distribution conference one year ago.
”The transformation of the energy, telecommunications and utilities industries continues at a fairly rapid pace. Interest in cyber security and satisfying NERC regulations has increased and is more prevalent today than a year ago,” said Burhans. ”Organizations planning to attend DISTRIBUTECH I think are more serious now about their intentions with NERC compliance and improving overall security measures to protect their critical infrastructure, cyber assets, and Bulk Electric System cyber systems. When they visit our booth, they’ll see that ABLOY has more robust solutions.”
Some organizations already have. A large utility customer of ABLOY distributor Midwest Security Products, Inc. took their recommendation to re-key the infrastructure of 4,000-plus locations and meet the new North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) CIP Standards. All told, they have installed over 10,000 locks for use at substations, power plants and wind farms.
They upgraded their security measures by choosing the PROTEC2 CLIQ system that combines SWP padlocks – which are virtually bump and pick proof – and keys with a mechatronic access control system that can be administered remotely. PROTEC2 CLIQ was recognized with a Govies Government Security Award at ISC West in 2019.
The utility partnered with Midwest to establish a strategic plan that meets or exceeds NERC CIP regulations. They worked with managers in the field to build keying systems, manage access rights and set the implementation schedule to secure thousands of locking points in an 11-state area.
”With the system in place, the utility is now able to re-sync keys on a regular basis with remote access control,” said Burhans. ”If a key is lost or stolen, it can be deactiviated. Keys that are not re-synced in a certain timeframe won’t work anyway. Their security administrators are able to issue the keys in an organized and documented manner that wasn’t available to them before the regulations came into effect.”
Facility managers like the efficiency and other advantages associated with the ABLOY PROTEC2 CLIQ™ Connect access control mobile app. When using CLIQ Web Manager software, it provides an audit trail to determine who the keys are assigned to and who has gained access to facilities; this information is invaluable for maintaining compliance. Its components also are protected for reliable operation in extreme weather conditions.
The ABLOY PROTEC2 Super Weather Proof (SWP) padlock delivers outstanding performance despite exposure to extreme cold and heat, including being submerged in water. Regarded as the world’s toughest electromechanical locking solution, SWP is manufactured with case hardened boron steel shackles that offer supreme durability and reliability.
ABLOY USA representatives will be available in booth 1415 to talk about PROTEC2 CLIQ Connect, the SWP padlock and other security solutions. Visit www.abloyusa.com for more information.
