Perimeter Security: Selling Successful Outdoor Security

This article originally appeared in the September 2012 issue of SD&I magazine

A significant portion of today's security market is focused on physical security at the local level because of the increased risk experienced by large corporations. For defense contractors, government facilities and other high-risk targets the need for quality, multi-layered, outdoor perimeter protection is growing by leaps and bounds. But the worldwide economic downturn made it more difficult than ever to find the necessary funds to make security on this scale happen. For this reason, systems integrators must be more inventive and resourceful in their engineering practices as well as their tactics for selling outdoor perimeter security to high-risk clients.

“The 21^st Century brings with it a constant risk of terrorist attacks, large-scale illegal immigration, increased crime and violent anti-government protests as a result of international and local issues,” said Hagai Katz, senior vice president of Marketing and Business Development, Senstar, Ontario, Can.

Perimeter security factors and sales tactics

The first rule of thumb in selling outdoor perimeter protection is that the buyer expects the salesman to overcome his or her objections. The buyer often needs to be educated and reassured why such an expenditure is necessary.

Today, terrorism is high on the list of risks that large corporations and government facilities face. Some of the most obvious targets include airports, seaports, shore lines and large sporting events. Government officials and corporate security directors are concerned about the use of dirty bombs as well as nuclear-related catastrophes, be it due to natural or man-made events.

“The security community is all too often trying to cope with the last catastrophe, rather than working to prevent the risk,” Katz said.

Katz cites one example as airport perimeters, due to high investment passenger screening as well as other potential issues. Other potential targets include chemical manufacturing plants and storage facilities, prisons, oil and gas assets, military facilities, national borders, pipelines and rail facilities. Criminal threats also are an important consideration on a local basis.

Another objection that prospective buyers often use is money.

“The economic conditions right now have slowed the growth of full, multi-level perimeter systems,” said Louis Katona, president of VidCorp Security Systems Inc., Houston. “The private industry can’t afford the elaborate systems that the government can. The finance option is popular for start-up companies. During the building construction phase the larger systems can be written into the construction load.”

Whether the buyer can swing such a loan will depend on many factors such as the number of years that the prospective buyer has been in business, the type of business they are in and the type of system that they need, said Katona.

Another option is the use of a lease purchase agreement.

“In some countries we encourage the client to lease rather than buy,” explained Katz.

Systems integrators look at a number of other sales ploys when attempting to overcome the monetary objections of prospective buyers, he confirmed.

“The most important thing is to have a range of product solutions and to tailor the system to the customer's needs and requirements,” Katz continued. “This way, he gets exactly what he needs and at an affordable price. Some customers can choose a low-cost solution with minimal degradation in operational capability.”

One way to reduce costs is to create longer detection zones using fiber optic-based sensors, which, in essence, uses less detection zones, saving money. Another possibility is to build what Katz calls a staged solution where only part of the overall protective strategy is implemented at any one time. The client then has the option to add additional layers of protection as time allows.

“Senstar can reuse parts of an existing infrastructure through upgrades and integration to existing legacy security elements,” said Katz. “This is achieved through rich integration tools, such as API/SDK, hardware adaptors, dry contacts and others.”

Project Specifics: Perimeter Protection Layers

Multi-layered detection is effective in catching criminals in the act of penetrating the outer perimeter of a complex while assuring that security only responds to valid targets. This is accomplished by utilizing multiple sensor technologies. The following is a brief description of a large campus equipped with multiple perimeter sensor technologies.

“The building is covered by four layers of security starting outside the first fence line,” explained Louis Katona, president of VidCorp Security Systems Inc., Houston. “Buried, leaky cable is about 15 feet past the fence line which provides the first alert. High resolution night vision cameras with auto positions are tied to the sensor field to track intruder activity.”

Inside the first fence line is volumetric microwave links which overlap and provide a second sensor field. All sensor areas are also mapped inside the facility for easy identification of the breached area. Another leaky cable detection zone is between the inner and outer fence line. The entire sensor system is zoned since the fence line is over ¼-mile wide. Thermal imaging cameras are placed at strategic locations to cover the entire fence line.

“The inside fence area is protected by fence line sensors that provide additional data to the system,” said Katona. “The interior fence perimeter is covered with active inferred wall of light beams. The beams provide a stable detection mode for penetration and tracking date to the interior surveillance system. The only vehicle entry point is a dual fence gate which is an interlock system that holds the vehicle inside for identification. The road inlet is protected by a barrier system to trap high speed approach. Sensors along the road track and alert the facility of approaching traffic.”

Katona said that the information is processed by three computer systems which are redundant and supported by alternative power in the event of a power outage. This layout is a typical facility layout and contains some other measures that can’t be discussed.

The D5 Strategy

Outdoor perimeter detection is the first line of defense in a large complex, whether it contains one, two or a dozen structures. Traditional security methodology relies almost entirely on physical barriers to deter and delay, but that alone is not enough to assure a secure environment. This is especially true when a complex is rated as medium- to high-risk. But electronic detection alone is inadequate unless it is accompanied by sufficient physical barriers.

“Early detection of hostile intent and prevention cannot be counted upon to always work,” said Hagai Katz, senior vice president of Marketing and Business Development, Senstar, Ontario, Can. “Individual critical infrastructure facilities must therefore have the physical means to both detect and defeat attacks when everything else fails. In physical security, the perimeter is the first line of defense.”

Employing a combination of physical barriers and more than one layer of electronic detection assures that unauthorized individuals are detected and delayed until security personnel can mobilize and arrive on the scene.

Effective outdoor protection involves something called the D5 Strategy, Katz said. The five key components include: demarcation, deterrence, detection, delay and defeat.

“The first two D's are very basic—the perimeter should visibly be demarcated so that an intruder knows he is trespassing. Adding deterrence, be it by sharp edges or high barriers, discourages attack and makes determining hostile intent even easier, as intruders who make the effort to cross the barrier are more likely to be hostile,” Katz explained.

The remaining three D's assure that the target is detected and verified electronically as quickly as possible. Once detected, a well-engineered outdoor perimeter security program will seek to delay access to the facility itself, which gives security time to respond in an effort to defeat, or apprehend.

To make the five D's a reality, integration and coordination is required in an effort to detect intruders while assuring a low false and unwanted alarm rate.