This project entailed the monitoring of “classified” government infrastructure consisting of a Wide Area Network of 23 sites, located in remote, uninhabited regions of sandy desert with great temperature extremes over a geographical area in excess of 2 million square kilometers.

The project was developed to replace a large proprietary monitoring system which had been operational for many years. The previous system was based on traditional PLC technology with little database functionality, limited scalability and was not available over the web. In 2006 the client saw an opportunity to better coordinate the facility management and operating budget, whilst replacing this system with state-of-the-art remote monitoring capability.

The function of the proposed new system is to maintain the performance of various sensor monitored systems such as Air-Conditioning, Pump and Power Generators, Lighting, Access Control, Elevators and Physical Security, via a central Command and Control facility. Several sites have up to 18 different types of sensors to be monitored.

The required system needed to interface to existing legacy and new sensor technologies which are analog and digital devices. The client required that the new solution be based on widely supported Open Standards to increase the chance of integrating future changes in a cost effective manner. Due to increased proprietary maintenance costs, availability and cost of maintenance personnel and the sensitive nature of the sites, a solution was sought where the client could eventually operate the system independently of the vendor.

The proposed system also had to be reliable, have High Level Reporting capabilities for the Maintenance Department and should be protected from wireless or electronics frequency interferences in and around the sites. The monitoring system and attached devices were required to have remote testing capability, be low maintenance and portable.

A local integrator was engaged to perform an in-depth evaluation of several vendors, their solutions and operating platforms and subsequently selected The GPAC Security Automation System by ET Corporation.

Besides addressing the shortcomings of the earlier system, the GPAC Security Automation System would be tied into a Central Command Centre and would capture data on all devices so that operational characteristics and failure rates could be later analyzed.

Feedback from the Project Manager informed us that in addition to meeting the Scope of Requirements, the client was impressed with the ease of use of our product interface and also the total project cost which was “substantially lower” than our competitors.

Having the ability to easily transfer the product knowledge to up skill local personnel quickly, was also an appealing value proposition to the client.

A major focus of the project was to introduce an Open Standard, IP-VPN technology platform (GPAC) which could be installed and remotely reconfigured by local personnel, thus maintaining individual site security. This also enabled the client to use Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) devices enabling independent expansion whilst maintaining the covert nature of the infrastructure.

As we are a development partner with Hewlett Packard, ETCorp recommended that our client use HP servers to run the GPAC Software. These were purchased “in country” in May 2006, facilitating any future warranty or upgrade requirements.

Each remote site was managed by a distributed GPAC Server which linked to a Central GPAC located in the Command and Control Centre.

The project was locally managed by a regional integrator from the initial Request For Tender document, assignation of local installation staff, to the Commission and Sign Off stages.

A phased implementation was planned for the GPAC roll out, and these stages included:

1.Planning

Since security concerns prevented the client from defining individual site configurations, the ET Corp Security Architects developed a standard implementation model, including Cabling Designs and Diagrams, which were used for the whole system. The GPAC made variations with the model easy to accommodate during installation.

2. Training and Installation

Central to our Knowledge Transfer Plan, a Senior Engineer from our Australian Head Office conducted hands on product training with the Technical Manager from the client Integrator. It was important to the success of the installation to have a local, Arabic speaking person to provide initial on-site instruction to both users (security staff) and installers (qualified electricians). Training is one of the most important stages of new technology implementation. To gain user acceptance the new system must be perceived as both useful and easy to operate. The GPAC's browser based GUI delivered on this outcome.

3. Installation and Testing

With the stipulation that only authorized Government personnel had access to many of the installation sites it was imperative that the devices could be connected, reconfigured and tested by local staff. Installation and subsequent pre roll out testing was performed on a pilot basis by initially installing the GPAC remotely at one site. Lessons learned at that site were applied to the implementations at the other sites.

4.Quality Assurance and Documentation

Our Quality Assurance system is process-driven with specific steps to help define and attain goals. This process considers design, development, production, and service using the Shewhart Cycle (PDCA):

The four quality assurance steps within the PDCA model which were used at this implementation were:

• Plan: Established project objectives and processes required to deliver the desired results for all 23 GPAC sites.

• Do: Implemented the process developed and trained local staff to carry out the project to ETCorp standards.

• Check: Monitor and evaluate the implemented process by testing the results against the predetermined objectives.

• Act:Apply actions necessary for improvement if the results required changes.

All 23 sites were installed and commissioned without incident.

Standard documentation for the client included the following:

• Installation Guide, providing them with the information for installing and configuring the GPAC License Server and Software.

• GPAC License Server Administration Guide which provided information to enable the Administrator to manage the license and the licensees users, configure server options, manage server logs, and create Network Database Tables.

• The User Guide, providing the general day to day instructions for using the system.

• Integration Guide provided the client with the steps required to interface the GPAC with other applications should they choose to do so in future.

The entire, 23 site GPAC Security Automation System was operational within 8 weeks. The project required two Engineering Architects to spend 10 days each at the pilot site during installation. Subsequently the client has requested licenses for additional high security sites at remote locations.

From this we can be confident that the product meets the clients requirements and that they envisage an ongoing relationship with us.

The benefits for our client have been:

• The ease of use of the GPAC made staff training of non English speaking personnel simple and fast.

• Installation can be done by qualified electricians, which is much less expensive and time consuming than retaining an Engineer employed by a proprietary system vendor.

• The client can purchase Commercial Off the Shelf products if hardware components require upgrading or replacing. The GPAC system has relieved them of “vendor lock-in”.

• The GPAC System is now delivering superior coverage with fewer staff resources.

• GPAC is IP Based and so can be scaled very economically.

• The cost for the client was around 9 times less expensive than alternative PLC systems.

As our system is based on Open Standards the client can connect additional sensors or devices as sensor technology advances or their needs evolve. Being in complete control from a local basis also gives the client peace of mind that they are able to be fully self sufficient should they choose.

The local Integrator who managed the project was impressed with the flexibility and ease of use of the GPAC Security Automation Software and has subsequently been appointed as a Regional Distributor for the Middle East.

Lessons Learned

One of the biggest challenges in this project were the cross cultural differences in business practice. In the Middle East, doing business often revolves much more around personal relationships, family ties, trust and honor. The Middle Eastern culture places more value on someone’s word as opposed to a written agreement. Contracts are viewed as memorandums of understanding rather than binding, fixed agreements. Haggling is an ongoing process with renegotiations being proposed throughout the whole project, which is not standard practice in Western culture.