Under lock and key

Technostream's Ibrahim Al Daour speaks to Business Management about security trends in the Middle East and how his company plays a critical role.

What is driving the need for top-notch security locking solutions today, and how does the situation differ in the Middle East? Are there unique challenges?

Ibrahim Al Daour. Security solutions are usually a combination of procedures, software and devices.  Without having a high security locking solution to physically block or control the access of personnel, the security chain will have a major weak link. In other words, procedures and software are the brain; locks are the muscles that act upon the brains set-up. When it comes to the Middle East, two major challenges occur: the environment, which is more humid, sandy, and warmer than where most of those advanced technologies originally come from, like Europe. The other main challenge is that the market has dramatically grown since the past few years in this region; people were very busy completing the job rather than executing the job to perfection, due to the huge number of jobs to be completed within a very short time frame. This has caused the competition to be, in most of the construction projects, rather price-driven and hence overlooking other important factors such as quality and durability.

Can you describe how best to integrate between mechanical and electrical security locks in the physical security systems field?

IAD. It is difficult to define a best way; however, all levels of access control have to be considered in this integration. From the main server in the security room to the cylinder, everything is to be traceable and, wherever applicable, electromechanically integrated. Locks can be over-ridden by keys in several cases, but if the cylinder used is electromechanical, even this overriding procedure is traced. The idea of using advanced electromechanical cylinders is to combine the complicated hard-to-break mechanical combinations of cylinders' components and the uniqueness of electronic key codes provided by the built in micro-electronics; ultimately, optimising the strength of mechanics and the flexibility of electronics.

How do you see the area of physical security locking evolving - are there new developments on the horizon that you are excited about?

IAD. A key word in all security related solutions is 'integration'. It is becoming more and more important to have security solution communicating with each other using a common network platform. Physical security locks and locking solutions are no exception. To achieve such integration, we need to have traceable information that can be transferred over a common network. This has been developed by few leading manufacturers in the world to the cylinder level and it has been successfully applied. The improvement now is to make those cylinders more wirelessly 'networkable' and traceable, and hence, make the deployment, integration with other systems, and maintenance much more convenient and powerful.

Do you have a recent example of how Technostream has improved an organisation's physical security?

AID. A solution was for major petroleum company in the region. The problem in this field is that the plastic seal that is used for sealing the truck's inlets and outlets was easily removed, part of the oil was stolen, and then a new seal was placed, leaving no evidence of abuse. This has cost lots of money by loosing oil and by getting into disputes with the oil dealers. To overcome the problem, we've locked all inlets and outlets by hardened steel padlocks using a mechanical key, which is inserted into a steel box that is installed on the dashboard. The mechanical key can't be removed unless an authorised electromechanical key is inserted into the same box and rotated, when the mechanical key is removed to open the truck's oil outlets, the other key is stuck in the same box until the mechanical key is returned again. All electromechanical keys reports can be extracted from the cylinders at the company's HQ, which be audited and used as evidence incase any dispute occurs. Most importantly, oil is being transferred safely.

Technostream's Director Ibrahim Al Daour graduated from the American University of Sharjah in 2004, holding a degree in Computer Engineering. In 2004, he became the acting Director of Technostream, providing engineering solutions and services in the fields of surveillance, security and access control, dental laboratories and Industrial education equipments and training.