Electronics Protection - Summer 2014 - (Page 18)

Feature Access Control Solutions for Railway Infrastructure Greg Breads, Product Manager Dirak, Inc. infrastructure; even then, they may have no way of knowing A common industry challenge faced by manufacturers of outwhich specific enclosure has experienced the break-in. door enclosures is to protect the contents housed against vandalIn spite of the liability of using traditional hardware as security ism. These enclosures present unique risks since they are located for these enclosures, a greater weakness in the current system lies in public areas that are often in remote locations and not under in the entry method. Most enclosures are accessed using a keyed constant surveillance. Since they are in outdoor areas that are entry. Keys, which are created and distributed to many different freely accessible, these enclosures are prime targets for vandals employees and maintenance personnel, run the risk of being lost, and thieves, intending to steal the valuable materials inside. stolen or duplicated. This flawed management system risks a key Infrastructure security is falling into the wrong hands, especially essential for the whether a terminated emrailroad industry. Rail systems ployee or a thief. A key system rely on networks, system does not allow a company to controls and power supplies monitor who possesses and housed inside sheet metal uses the key or control who enclosures located in isolated has access at any given time. areas where unauthorized The standard of utilizing only access is difficult to prevent, mechanical locking leaves a monitor or respond to. Becompany's infrastructure vulcause of their vulnerable ponerable and their enclosures sitions, vandalism and breakdefenseless against countless ins to rail property enclosures possible outcomes. and service cabinets have Mechatronic locks coupled been increasing throughout with an access management the years. The mechanical system are the ideal solution latching solutions that are for the railroad industry to currently used are not sufensure the security of their ficient to offer the high level outdoor enclosures and the of security and protection technical equipment located required. With the continual inside. This solution comrise in break-ins and thefts, bines highly secure mechaniPictured is an example of a rail property enclosure that is located in a remote upgrading the current system cal locking with electronic and vulnerable location, leaving it accessible to vandals and thieves. with a new mechatronic administration and alarm latching solution has become notifications. These locks essential to ensure a higher level of security. This industry cannot provide keyless access and management, often with the use of afford to be reactive in their security measures as the functionality transponder cards. The use of transponder cards removes the of their business is housed within these outdoor enclosures. threat of lost, stolen or duplicated keys and also provides an Vandalism and theft have become both commonplace and audit trail for a company to see which card was used to access costly problems for companies in the public transportation industhe enclosure at any given time. If a transponder card is lost try. As the value of raw materials (such as copper and batteries) or stolen, it can be immediately removed from the system and increases, these enclosures attract more thieves hoping to profit rendered inoperable. Mechatronic lock technology has develfrom the contents. The actions of these criminals drive up comoped even further by now offering concealed latching solutions pany costs. In addition to replacing the stolen raw materials, the for their outdoor enclosures. This allows for completely invisible company will also be forced to repair and replace any external mounting of all catches and hinge components, which removes damage done to the enclosure and its hardware. The resulting all visible points of attack. This system is a considerable deterrent cost to operators is high from the standpoint of maintenance, for vandals, but in the case of a break-in or any disruption to the materials and time lost. More importantly, the larger issue comes enclosure, the system will set off an alarm giving the company all from any vandalism or theft that causes infrastructure failure to necessary information to deal efficiently and effectively with the the system. These railway companies cannot afford to leave their problem in real-time. enclosure protection up to fate, as any damage done internally Dirak has developed two solutions for this industry problem, can have unforeseen and costly consequences. the MLE and MLU mechatronic locks, which allow enclosure The current protective standards vary, yet are limited to tradimanufacturers to achieve a pre-determined level of access preventional outdated locking and latching methods. On these outdoor tion. The MLE (Mechatronic Lock for Enclosures) swinghandle, enclosures the latches used are clearly visible and therefore depending on configuration, can be implemented to allow for vulnerable to attack. More importantly, these mechanical solusingle or dual authentication in either standalone or network tions are not linked to an alarm or detection system. There is no monitored configurations. Tested to an ENV 1627 RC2 level, this signal or warning issued when a unit has been tampered with or latch provides assurance to the owner that protection of at least vandalized. Therefore, a company will be unaware of an attack or three minutes is guaranteed if the vandal is using small tools such a problem until there is a malfunction within their technical as a screwdriver and hammer. Beyond its physical protection, access monitoring is provided at the user's discretion, which can 18 Summer 2014 * www.ElectronicsProtectionMagazine.com http://www.ElectronicsProtectionMagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Electronics Protection - Summer 2014

Editor's Choice
New High Efficiency LED Technology Benefits From Best Practice Thermal Management Design
Passive Thermal Management of Lithium-ion Batteries Using Phase Change Materials
Considerations for Powering Military Applications
How Thermal Ground Plane and Compact Air-Cooled Heat Sinks are Revolutionizing Thermal Management
Access Control Solutions for Railway Infrastructure
20 Data Center Downtime Study Puts Focus on Maximum Protection
Cooling and Shielding in the Right-Sized Enclosure
Enclosures
Thermal
Power
Hardware
EMI/EMC/ESD
Industry News
Calendar of Events

Electronics Protection - Summer 2014