Security & Resilience


Page Europa, a General Dynamics UK company, has won a contract from the Abu Dhabi Ports Company (ADPC).


Winter 2011/12 Issue 14


Dynamics 9


Many financial institutions have grown


rapidly through acquisitions and mergers or faced consolidation, forced by the recent financial crisis. The resulting patchwork of multiple disparate systems has led to a local and piecemeal approach to security. In complex environments, a PSIM solution can provide a global picture and a consistent response to security events.


Financial institutions are also looking beyond


their own walls. Growth in the sector and the impact of any adverse events on the wider economy has resulted in financial institutions becoming part of a country’s critical national infrastructure with all the responsibilities that this entails.


PSIMs have developed over the years with


an emphasis on feeding intelligence upwards to the corporate level but they are less effective at cascading down the decisions and actions in a dynamic situation.


Deploying PSIMs that share intelligence


as required throughout the organisation is about working effectively in a command centre environment. This type of deployment goes well beyond the demands of traditional security point solutions. In fact, creating a system that has an awareness of developing situations and addressing them in a policy-based way has much in common with police and military operations.


Systems integration requirement


Systems integration is at the heart of a PSIM. A good systems integrator needs to be able to manage operations across thousands of buildings and tens of thousands of cameras and databases. There are a number of specialist PSIM suppliers, but a PSIM is not an off-the-shelf solution. It demands systems integration skills that reach across the entire corporate infrastructure.


General Dynamics UK is providing the security, telecommunications and IT systems for the Pearl Gas to Liquid project in Qatar.


A sophisticated PSIM, handling thousands of


General Dynamics’ specialist Information Systems and Technology Division is well positioned to implement an open architecture PSIM solution


Dr Sandy Wilson, President and Managing Director, General Dynamics UK


events, puts a significant load on a network. The systems integrator needs to be able to look beyond the PSIM implementation and address the impact on the wider network. Comprehensive networking communications technology skills must be part of the systems integrator’s armoury. A systems integrator at this level should combine networking communications technology skills with expertise in integrating software, security systems and business systems.


Measures designed to deny access to unauthorised


personnel from physically accessing a building or stored information must be consistent across the enterprise. Yet often it is not possible to throw out entire legacy security systems and start again.


Delivering complex systems


General Dynamics has been delivering complex physical security systems for critical national infrastructure to government and private sector customers all over the world for over 50 years. It specialises in integrating sophisticated PSIM systems with an enterprise’s current systems and operations.


“General Dynamics’ specialist Information


Systems and Technology Division is well positioned to implement an open architecture PSIM solution that will allow a financial institution to maximise cost effective use of legacy equipment and future proof the system by enabling agile uptake of best in class technologies as required,” says Dr Sandy Wilson, president and managing director of General Dynamics UK.


General Dynamics’ approach is product agnostic


and the Company has built deep relationships with major suppliers over many years. It works closely with suppliers to identify and assess the best technology for each implementation and to share the information and specifications required to achieve complex systems integration.


The open architecture of the implementations


enables best in class technology to be integrated both now and in the future. Enterprises have the flexibility to add systems at any time, as they make an acquisition perhaps, and even change suppliers.


Handling legacy systems and at the same time


future proofing systems is all about data transfer. General Dynamics has deployed its expertise in middleware and messaging to translate and move messaging and data between systems in many industries. This way older but valuable systems may be integrated with new solutions. And understanding the impact of PSIM on the network infrastructure demands the kind of networking expertise that General Dynamics has spent years building up worldwide.


Continued overleaf Trusted to deliver


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