News

Keeping Oil and Gas Facilities Safe and Secure

Risk Assistance Group

Companies operating in high-risk geo-political locations that are violence-prone must take extra precautions to ensure the safety of their employees, assets and infrastructure. To this end, they often enlist the help of firms like the Risk Assistance Group, which provides turn-key security solutions for managing logistics and keeping the supply chain safe.

During a recent facilities upgrade at the headquarters of a high-profile client, one of the largest drilling companies in Mexico, the Risk Assistance Group chose to install RGB Spectrum’s MediaWall 4200 Display Processor with SinglePoint KvM control to add advanced display processing capabilities to the client’s expanded security system.

For a drilling company located at the intersection of territories controlled by powerful drug cartels, the ability to securely monitor and control its oil and gas facilities is of the utmost importance. With 320 operational hydraulic fracturing wells, nearly 2000 employees, subcontractors and service providers, and miles of pipeline and other infrastructure, this oil and gas company relies on the state-of-the-art technologies deployed by the Risk Assistance Group to keep their workers and facilities safe.

According to President/Owner Pierre de Hail, both Risk Assistance Group and the customer have been thrilled with the capabilities of the MediaWall system. “When compared to other display processing products on the market, we found RGB Spectrum’s MediaWall Display Processor to be a feature-packed value proposition offering us all of the video wall functionality that we needed with the secure reliability needed to do business in Mexico” de Hail observed.

Located within the company’s Security Operations Center (SOC), the eight-monitor video wall is used to display video feeds from 30 IP-based CCTV cameras that monitor all areas of the facility. In addition, operators can display information from GPS systems tracking the movements of a fleet of 80 vehicles, as well as visualizations, live news feeds, web pages, and access control spreadsheets on the video wall.

System inputs are displayed in up to 12 windows of any size and configuration, and preset layouts allow operators to quickly and easily re-arrange the video wall output. For maximum flexibility, windows can be displayed anywhere on the video wall, including across monitor bezels, and can also be overlapped and resized as needed. The real-time nature of the MediaWall’s graphics and video processing ensures that every pixel that enters the system is displayed on the video wall with no delay or dropped frames.

The room is equipped with two control stations, each with two-24 inch monitors. The SinglePoint KvM functionality added to the processor provides a single operator with integrated control over the control station monitors and all displayed sources on the video wall using a single keyboard and mouse. In addition, the SinglePoint KvM system enables users to remotely control security system components as well as access required information from displayed computers and applications.

The SOC operates on a 24/7 basis to ensure that the facility’s security systems are not breached. To prevent unauthorized access and tampering, the MediaWall processor is installed in a highly-secure equipment room along with servers for the CCTV cameras and access control systems. In this highly restricted environment, the risk management company needed a video wall processor that was built from the ground up for continuous 24/7 operation, without any traditional PC vulnerabilities.

“The particular socio-political environment of Mexico means that we cannot rely on the government to assist with our security needs. Since we must operate single-handedly, the MediaWall Display Processor is the centerpiece of our security system. It is a powerful tool that helps us respond in a timely manner to even the most extreme security situations” remarked de Hail. “Secure reliability, exceptional visual quality and full layout flexibility coupled with stellar customer service, training and technical support make the MediaWall processor a winner! Everyone who sees our Security Operations facility is impressed with the system, and we look forward to adding a second RGB Spectrum video wall to monitor our operations in the near future.”

About Risk Assistance Group

The Risk Assistance Group is a risk management firm that specializes in providing security logistical assistance to corporations operating overseas, especially in high-threat environments. It provides services to protect ALL corporate interests against ANY outside threat (security, financial, political, cultural, labor related, etc.), by working with a network of international security sector, support service companies, and affiliate agencies. The Risk Assistance Group works only through referrals and does not release information about its clients. Because of the persistent threat caused by terrorists and transnational organized-crime groups seeking to target multinational corporations as well as their providers, the Risk Assistance Group keeps a very low profile and does not publicize its services other than through the referrals of existing clients. As a result, the Risk Assistance Group does not offer a website.

RGB Spectrum is a leading designer and manufacturer of mission-critical, real-time audio-visual solutions for a civilian, government, and military client base. The company offers integrated hardware, software, and control systems to satisfy the most demanding requirements. Since 1987, RGB Spectrum has been dedicated to helping its customers achieve Better Decisions. Faster.