Perimeter Security Systems

Sterlite's firewall implementation: Standardizing perimeter security

With the objective of implementing a consistent enterprise-wide IT policy, Sterlite Technologies Ltd. recently deployed a firewall implementation with distributed threat management systems wedded to a home-grown, single-instance central policy control system. “A situation existed where even though a common pan-organization policy was being implemented, the interpretation was inconsistent across locations, leading to dilution of the IT policy,” says Jawed Ahmed, CISO at Sterlite Technologies. 

Sterlite in its present avatar is an amalgamation of three different organizations. Having operated as independent units in the past, the support functions of these businesses — particularly IT — worked in isolation. In addition, from three locations in 2006, Sterlite had grown to 11 physical locations over the years.

Sterlite thus needed a robust solution for centralized single-instance control of unified threat management (UTM) devices — scalable, yet inexpensive. Previously, Sterlite used firewalls provided by vendors such as Fortinet. Sterlite’s infosec policy, framed by Ernst & Young in 2007, while robust, wilted under the challenge of implementation due to its dependence on local control. The firewall implementation was further spurred by the need for central control/logging and user mobility.

A lack of suitable off-the-shelf solutions prompted Sterlite to develop an in-house firewall implementation — integrating high-end UTMs to a home-grown logging and control solution. No solution offered centralized policy control; those that did, needed changes to be made individually for locations.

Software development for the firewall implementation was done in-house by Ahmed and his team. “The rough edges were polished at the prototype stage itself, so no major issues were faced when the project went live,” explains Ahmed.  Only hardware was procured from vendors.

Software: Sterlite’s home-grown solution for its firewall implementation is based on shell scripts. It leverages the shell access provided through the secure shell (SSH) protocol to UTMs, by manufacturers. Using this, configuration files can be downloaded, modified and uploaded. A central repository of configuration files is maintained at Sterlite’s Pune control center.

The system connects to individual firewalls every 20 minutes, and checks firewall configuration files’ timestamps against those on the central server, updating them as necessary. The firewall policies can be controlled and modified (using shell script) via a Web interface.

CIAS security systems, best perimeter protection ever

CIAS security systems, best perimeter protection ever  

Article by CIAS Elettronica - Extreme Security

CIAS , the Italian company in the perimeter protection field since 1974, is today a market leader in Security Systems, presenting its security equipments and perimeter protection solutions that embed microwave , active infrared and Doppler systems technologies , combined with the best cabling and data collecting systems along with a today unique digital signal Fuzzy Logic analysis , that gives security perimeter protection products effective intelligence and reliability. The company's score, committed in research and development of best technology ever, is to find out how is it possible to obtain maximum protection with minimum of false alarms with a perimeter protection solution?

Protection intelligence

Security starts with outer perimeter protection: ISC inertial fence protection systems are CIAS sensors that can be installed easily and quickly on a pre-existing structure (fence, fascias, perimeter walls or corridors), looped together using a UV resistant cable, covering up to 64 zones without length limit. It offers remote configuration, monitoring and management, detecting all the different typical perimeter intrusions attempts such as climbing, cutting and uplifting. The system can provide automatic adjustment of its sensibility using informations coming from a weather station analysis.

A Microwave barrier is one of the most reliable and safe intrusion detectors used for outdoor perimeter protection. CIAS microwave systems like ERMO 482 , CORAL and MANTA work developing an electromagnetic beam using high frequency microwaves that creates an invisible but sensitive protection wall in outdoor open spaces. Potential intrusions are detected by a variation within the beam, and the system monitors signals also using special behaviourism analysis models based on Fuzzy Logic for a higher level of security. In case of real intrusion, an alarm signal is sent to be treated in analogue or digital form. CIAS microwave perimeter protection barriers always give maximum and excellent results in intrusion protection, ranging and adapting a solution from severe security requirements sites, as for prisons, power plants and refineries, military sites and airports, as well as for civilian and commercial applications, such as villas, balconies, terraces, small industries and shopping malls.

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