Technology security experts noted that Physical Security and Building Management System have grown beyond just having someone stationed at an entrance of a building complex. It has gone beyond reactionary responses, to preventive measures. That is why organizations and public sectors across the globe are migrating from manual processes and geographically dispersed facilities and personnel to an Internet Protocol based video solution that provides clear video footage to detect threats or criminal activities.

Laurence Summers, National Sales Manager, (High Security, Banking and Commercial Sectors) Quadrant Security Group, United Kingdom, set the tone for the workshop when he noted that an Internet Protocol based video solution that provides clear video footage to detect threats would easily allow users to access, search and review footages from anywhere instantly. This he added is the new direction the management of Physical Security is headed.

He went further by saying; “Adequate deployment of Internet Protocol based Closed Circuit Television System (CCTV), Electronic Access Control System (ACS), Intruder Alarm System (IDS) and Perimeter Detection System (PIDS) are some very important technological innovations that can help in the area of Physical Security and Building Management System. An organization or government agency that currently operates the analogue CCTV for instance can upgrade to the IP based cameras for effective and real time recording. This is because unlike the legacy CCTV, the IP based cameras have video analytic capabilities which mean they can automatically analyze videos or images to detect and determine criminal events not just based on a single but multiple images and can also drill down to chain of events monitored.”

Alan Davis, Head of Systems Engineering, Quadrant Security Group, United Kingdom spoke extensively on Electronic Access Control. He stressed the need for organizations and agencies to implement what he called CREDENTIALS technology. This is a means of personal identification which could be a card, a key held in the persons memory (such as a PIN number), or a unique physical human attribute like a fingerprint known as biometrics… or it could be a combination of all three. All of these however require a device to read the information. These can be card readers, PIN pads and biometric readers. The readers’ in-turn should be connected to a barrier or some form of gateway.

Dafe Oroghi, Senior Pre-Sales Engineer, WECO Systems, spoke on the importance of Single Sign-on Solution as a way of reducing crime and criminal activities in an organization. Speaking on the topic “Leveraging on convergence of Physical and Logical Access security,” he emphasised the need for organizations to ensure identities of employees are protected from theft, cannot be shared, is unique and if stolen or lost, cannot be used by the person who stole it. This he said is possible if organizations can employ what he called the AUTHENTICATION process. This process just involves the migration from the regular username and password to a third factor or an object which cannot be defined by the administrator. These could be any of the following or a combination of PIN CODES, FINGER PRINTS, IRIS SCAN and FACIAL RECOGNITION.

“To achieve this, companies or government agencies must utilise NETWORK and APPLICATION SECURITY to Confirm an employee’s identity, verify if the system he/she is accessing is authorised and approved by the organisation and meets basic security level for antivirus, malware, anti-spyware, OS patch level and necessary services. This would also ensure registry keys and applications are installed and running. Once all of these are established, NETWORK ADMISSION CONTROL can be said to have be achieved” he concluded.

In his closing remarks, Obinna Ekwonwa, Director of Infrastructure Solutions, WECO Systems charged participants to return to their various organizations with a security consciousness that goes beyond dedicated Architecture for Hardware, Applications, and Storage to Virtualized Architecture for Security, Applications, and Storage. “Let us transit from Local storage to Local Data center and Cloud storage. Most importantly, we must develop Centralized security management via IP to deal with the present security challenges in our organizations, agencies and communities.”

WECO Systems is a wholly Nigerian Company built around professional service delivery, customer satisfaction and excellence. We are a full Systems Integration Company with skills cutting across Infrastructure Solutions, Software and Enterprise Applications, Managed Services, Consulting and Advisory Services.

For further information please contact;

Onome Okwah

Head, Corporate Services

WECO Systems International Limited

MOBILE: +234 703 132 3600

Email: ookwah@wecosysgroup.com

WECO Systems International Ltd in conjunction with Cisco Systems Inc. USA, a world leader in networking solutions, security and collaboration technologies, is organizing a workshop titled; “Leveraging on your existing investment to implement Physical Security and Building Management System.”

Scheduled to hold on the 5^th of July, 2011 at the Lagos Oriental Hotel in Lekki, the workshop is focused on taking a deeper look at how IP video surveillance and building/energy management systems can help organizations and governmental agencies protect people and assets as well as facilitate energy management for buildings, organizations and the community.

Speaking at the press conference to announce the event, Obinna Ekwonwa, Director of Infrastructural Services, WECO Systems International Limited, said it is the organizers believe that at the end of this workshop, invited guest who are drawn mainly from the Country’s leading Banks and the Oil & Gas sector would gain wide knowledge on how IP video surveillance and building/energy management systems can help their organizations protect its people and assets as well as facilitate energy management for their buildings, organizations and their operating communities at large.

He added that “in partnering with Cisco Systems, we shall be exploring how Cisco’s network-centric and open-architecture Physical Security solutions can help our invited guests leverage on their existing infrastructure to enhance security of lives and assets in their respective organizations.”

He continued by saying, “we are also bringing in Laurence Summers, a seasoned professional in the area of Physical Security and Building Management System from Quadrant Security group in the United Kingdom. He shall be leading the discussion on how IP Convergence utilizes Physical Security and Energy Management as a tool for organizational growth and development. Quadrant Security’s long term experience in the creation of innovative electronic solutions to security threats has benefited all areas of the Oil and Gas industry. This is the experience the workshop would tap into.”

Corroborating what Obinna Ekwonwa said, Olukayode Olabanji, Manager Network Solutions also of WECO Systems added that; “In today’s Nigeria, Physical Security and Building

Management Solutions are becoming more and more imperative due to increase in crimes (armed robbery and kidnapping) as well as subtle terrorism. This workshop would provide answers to some of these issues by addressing how Cisco-Smart can help organizations especially in the under-listed areas;”

• Transform how their buildings are built, operated, monitored, and controlled for lower costs and a better work environment
• Use Single Sign-On Solution (integration of Physical Security to Network Security) as a protective tool for its people and assets
• Reduce energy consumption across global operations with sustainable IP network solutions

Chuks MBA, Manager Enterprise Accounts in the Energy sector for Cisco Nigeria spoke about the unique technologies available from Cisco in the area of Physical Security and Building Management System. He said as a trusted advisor and networked physical security user, the company has helped forward-thinking organizations maximize the value of their systems, personnel and applications for more than twenty (20) years. He summed it up by saying Cisco Physical Security Solutions meets the uncompromising needs of many safety and security minded organizations today

When asked about the requirement for attending this workshop, Obinna Ekwonwa responded by saying; attendance is strictly by invitation and our invited guests are strategic decision makers in the areas of IT, Risk Management & Compliance, Security Units and Facility Managers drawn from Leading Banks and the Oil & Gas sector of the Nigerian economy.

WECO Systems is a wholly Nigerian Company built around professional service delivery, customer satisfaction and excellence. We are a full Systems Integration Company with skills cutting across Infrastructure Solutions, Software and Enterprise Applications, Managed Services, Consulting and Advisory Services.

For further information please contact;

Onome Okwah

Head, Corporate Services

WECO Systems International Limited

MOBILE: +234 703 132 3600

Email: ookwah@wecosysgroup.com

Business Challenge

Improve service levels and reduce costs by providing a central repository for information about the bank that customers could access easily using Cisco’s Unified IP Contact Centre solution to provide a professional platform for interaction with both existing and new customers.

Business Results

Customers now have one single number to call if they wish to contact the bank, making it much easier for them to obtain the information that they need. Customers experience fewer delays when they first call Diamond Bank, their questions are answered more efficiently, and the quality of their interactions with the bank has been greatly enhanced, resulting in increased customer satisfaction levels.

This approach has helped to optimize the branch environment, resulting in improved branch productivity because staff can concentrate on their own work, and on serving customers, instead of answering the telephone. This is particularly important during promotional campaigns, which generate an additional 525 – 900% of incoming calls.

The investment in Cisco Unified IP Contact Centre made good sense financially and from a technology perspective because Diamond Bank already uses an end-to-end Cisco network.

Network Solution

Diamond Bank was able to overlay Cisco Unified IP Contact Centre onto its existing network quickly and smoothly because the bank had already deployed a network based on the Cisco Service-Oriented Network Architecture framework. This provided a platform on which the bank could not only integrate and virtualize network services such as security, mobility, and identity but also deliver business applications to its employees securely and efficiently.

Cisco Partner Adds Value

After discussing its requirements with several potential suppliers, Diamond Bank chose Cisco Tier One Systems Integrator, Weco Systems, because of the company’s networking expertise and ability to recommend solutions that aligned with the bank’s business objectives. Weco Systems gave advice on the readiness of the bank’s existing infrastructure to support its projected growth and the associated increase in network traffic. The Cisco partner then produced an end-to-end specification that covered critical elements such as core processing requirements in the data centre, security, and branch connectivity.

Product List

Cisco Catalyst 6513 Switches (network core), Cisco Catalyst 4500 Series Switches, Cisco Catalyst 2950 Switches, Cisco 7600 Series Routers, Cisco 2811 Integrated Services Routers, Security and VPN, Cisco PIX 525 Security Appliance, Cisco Intrusion Prevention System, Voice and IP Communications, Cisco Unified IP Contact Centre, Cisco Unified IP Phones 7940G and 7971G

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Project Details

Access bank Unified Contact Centre Enterprise integration with Oracle Siebel CRM.

The project was awarded in 2007 and commenced implementation, the 1st of its kind in Sub Sahara Africa.

This project included Weco, Somiracle and Accenture as the PMO.

We installed the Cisco UCCE solution with telephone banking and integration of Cisco UCCE with Siebel CRM.

There were 2 project management teams both the technical (Weco) and the global PMO (Accenture).

The project was completed in August of 2008.

Access Bank has built on the voice infrastructure of this Contact centre for an IP Telephony rollout for the entire bank. Weco’s partnership mind-set was what made us advise on “leveraging existing infrastructure”.

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Project Details

This was a Telco grade installation with contact centre calls of over 5,000/day.

The major components of this solution was IPT, IPCC, Email integration Manager, Web integration manager, Fax integration and Unity voice mail.

The IVR scripts was done in 5 major languages namely, Hausa, Ibo, Yoruba, English and Pidgin, the essence of the contact centre was to have a multi channel contact centre where you can communicate through various channels.

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Project Details

The Brass LNG project was awarded in 2008 by ACCL.

This included: APC Infrastructure X solution, Cisco Data Centre, Unified Collaboration, IP CCTV, logical and Physical Access Control, installation and integration of Petra Chillers.

We built the data centre with APC cooling, UPS Systems and racks, this solution had In row units with fans and condensers with a CDU (Central Distribution Unit) for Cold and hot water distribution within the systems, we integrated the APC cooling units with a Petra Chiller for Cold water supply through a controlled valve system. The cold supply is distributed and the warm water is returned back to the Chiller and all this happens within a controlled environment.

The data centre was built on Cisco infrastructure for the routing and switching, IP Telephony with enterprise call managers and voice messaging system, the logical and physical access systems were integrated back into the data centre for Single-Sign-on capabilities.

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The annual Cisco Partner Summit global awards are designed to recognize the exemplary channel partners that have continuously distinguished themselves through best-in-class business practices. These awards serves to reward partners who stood-out in the industry’s areas of consideration which include innovative practices, applications successes, unique programmes, problem-solving and sales approaches.

Presenting the award to WECO Systems, Pim Versteeg, Vice President, Emerging Markets Central at Cisco said; “Cisco is proud to partner with so many well-respected and industry-leading organizations worldwide, and it is my privilege to recognize WECO Systems International Limited as the winner of our IBLM (Services) Partner of the Year, 2010 in Emerging Central Market which is made-up of the entire Africa region and part of Middle East. As a multiple award winner over the years, this one further confirms WECO Systems performance and expertise as a Cisco channel partner.”

Receiving the award, Mr. Uchenna Obidike (CEO WECO Systems International Limited) expressed his gratitude for the award by saying; “This is a splendid endorsement of our expertise in partnering with the world’s technology industry leaders for the growth of our clients businesses. We are proud to fly the Nigerian flag as the only Nigerian Cisco partner to be recognised here today. It is a testament of the good work delivered by our well motivated workforce who strives daily to go beyond our partners/clients expectations by walking-the-talk through quality services. I am truly proud of them.”

The Installed Base Lifecycle Management (IBLM) is designed to create new opportunities and increase competitive differentiation through sales and services for clients’ business requirements. It helps Cisco through its partners handle clients’ systems integration needs like services and maintenance through-out the lifecycle of a project.

WECO Systems is a full Systems Integration company with skills cutting across Infrastructure Solutions, Software and Enterprise Applications, Managed Services,

Consulting and Advisory Services. We have over the years built our reputation around professional service delivery, customer satisfaction and excellence. We are a Tier One and Gold partner of major Original Equipment Manufacturers like Cisco, MicroSoft, Redline Communications, Oracle, etc.

Onome Okwah

Head, Corporate Services

WECO Systems International Limited

MOBILE: +234 703 132 3600

Email: ookwah@wecosysgroup.com