Broadband stand

Not surprisingly, Bill Briggs - the head of security for Dixons Stores Group (DSG) International - brought his company's disaster recovery plans into action seven months ago when the Buncefield Oil Terminal blast rocked Hertfordshire to its core. Dixons' Head Office, you see, is but a stone's throw from the site, sitting proudly on Maylands Avenue in the heart of Hemel Hempstead's Industrial Park.

Although there was "extensive damage" to the Dixons buildings when the blasts occurred in the small hours of 11 December, sound contingency planning meant the company was soon up-and-running without any disruption to customers and supply chain partners alike.

Although occurrences like this are few and far between, Briggs needs to be on his toes at all times. Ultimately, he is in charge of security and monitoring for no less than 1,130 Dixons sites right across the UK and Ireland, encompassing not only Dixons' own outlets but those of its famous High Street brands (including Currys, The Link and PC World).

In view of the British Retail Consortium's latest Retail Crime Survey results, which show a rising tide of violence against staff and increases in internal shrinkage, Briggs must be ready to respond to any challenge.

Prior to last Christmas and the Buncefield explosion, like many other end users Briggs had to cope with the introduction of PD6662. "There was a recognition that we needed to enhance the performance and resilience of our alarm monitoring infrastructure even before the new legislation came along," suggested Briggs. "Of course, we were also keen to meet the operational guidelines laid down by the new European Standards as soon as possible. We just weren't sure of how to do so."

Employing the corporate network

When the idea of using Dixons' existing corporate data systems network to solve the upgrade dilemma was first mooted, several eyebrows were raised. Not least by Briggs and Paul Harte - DSG International's security support services manager and the man in charge of the company's Stevenage-based Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC).

"Although WebWayOne and our installer Kings Security suggested this to us, we didn't know if that would be a viable proposition," Briggs told SMT. "There was also a question of logistics. How could we achieve a workable, network-based alarm monitoring solution that would meet necessarily tough performance criteria while also guaranteeing some form of return on investment by way of savings in the telecommunications area?" A tough ‘ask'.

With IP-based alarm monitoring one of the many fledgling IT-related technology solutions now beginning to flood the market, it would be a brave decision for Briggs to take - not to say a difficult one to justify to his Board of Directors. The solution would also have to be adaptable - with added value a ‘must have' bonus - for any future enhancements.

Decisions had to be made long before last October's introduction of the new standards, and extensive testing of the final solution carried out to determine system viability.

Briggs and Harte already benefited from an installed base of ICM and Honeywell alarm panels (the latter in the form of the ever-popular Galaxy Series units). It was then a case of ‘bolting-on' WebWayOne's 2424 Broadband solution, which is designed for connection to all alarm panels via either simple outputs, modem connection or serial data interface.

This particular solution boasts full remote upload and download capabilities and, for the Dixons project, is ‘framed' by the deployment of both Galaxy Gold and ICM security management support packages.

In truth, WebWay 2424 provides an ‘intelligent link' between the alarm system and Dixons' monitoring station. Security communicators connect to the alarm system via a serial data cable. According to Briggs, this "affords the best possible solution for us, as well as the simplest installation procedure for Kings." The initial pilot trials were so successful that the roll-out programme was eventually compressed into a window of around eight weeks. At the roll-out's peak, Kings engineers were installing 30 to 40 units per day. One engineer installed seven units in a single day.

The majority of installations will demand a standard three-wire alarm panel cable connected to the A, B and ground of the system, feeding into the screw terminal block of the WebWay communicators. Other alarm transmission systems connect to PIN outputs, requiring additional equipment for upload and download functions. "WebWay 2424 removes the need for chargeable calls to panels for remote engineering because it understands the integration requirements needed to deliver these functions over the IP or GPRS paths."

For this project, the main tasks for the Kings' engineers were to make certain of a good signal on the GPRS links and the correct operation of the system in terms of it ‘feeding' the ARC with information.

High-speed Gateway linkages

All of Dixons' stores are connected to the primary ARC in Stevenage, but there's also a ‘hot standby' ARC facility at a different (unnamed) location. Each Gateway is used to commission the protected premises, and then maintain a continuous dialogue with each alarm system. A high-speed link between Gateways ensures that operation will be seamless in the event of a line, Gateway or ARC failure. That kind of back-up is vital.

For this project, the Gateway system has a third link to UK Monitoring, which is continuously updated on the state of the network. In fact, this third site can be ‘initiated' within seconds to replace either of the active Gateways running the network. Installing the Gateways at the ARCs offers independent links from two major mobile network providers - Orange, Vodafone and O2 are WebWay's chosen partners, with the secondary SIM provider made available to ensure the best reception and operation of the dedicated radio network - as well as two independent links from Dixons' own network (thereby allowing the choice of four transmission paths).

As for the audio streams, these are digitised and then transported across the Dixons corporate network, saving on line costs while also improving on audible quality. Given that all signals are in a digital format, the ARC operators can store, recall and analyse a given incident within seconds.

It's fair to say that security systems are most successfully installed through a series of partnerships, from the installer through to the alarm equipment manufacturer, then on to the end user and the ARC. The system must be integral to the business, provide a reliable service and be supported by an efficient technical back-up team.

Showing a good deal of foresight here, WebWay works with its alarm panel manufacturing partners to identify a message that can be sent to the alarm system by way of indicating either primary or secondary line failure. Existing alarm signalling systems, on the other hand, require additional PIN connections to be made to the alarm panel. More time is taken over the installation, and it's then more prone to errors.

Proof of the pudding

Dixons' original security signalling network has been upgraded from digital communicators without line monitoring to a dual path, EN 50136-compliant system.

Fully-operational since last November, the set-up has - in the words of Paul Harte - "dramatically reduced" recurring line rental costs, while confirming its robust qualities during and after the Buncefield disaster.

"We now have a continuously-polled IP network with GPRS back-up and automatic recourse to digital audio verification in the event of an incident," added Harte.

Alarm monitoring systems that rely on PIN connections alone are no longer adequate, it seems. "The EN Standard is definitely driving closer integration between transmitters and alarm panels," continued Briggs.

"For me, the IP route has changed the way in which we look at remotely-monitored systems. They used to be a necessity, but with the IP function alongside they can also be revenue generators. That is a great message security managers can take to their Board."