YQB invests in security systems to safeguard passengers and operations
With over 10 airlines and 360 weekly flights, Québec City Jean-Lesage International Airport (YQB) is the second busiest airport in the province of Québec. The airport upgraded its security systems to the unified security platform, Security Center, to oversee hundreds of doors, 60 perimeter gates, and over 2000 cardholders.
The company
Located 20 minutes from the center of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, the Québec City Jean-Lesage International Airport (YQB) welcomes approximately 1.6 million passengers every year. Over a decade ago, the Quebec airport underwent a major expansion to accommodate a growing demand for regional and international flights. For the security team, the expansion was an opportunity to review its existing security equipment, and invest in a more flexible and scalable IP platform that could accommodate any future growth.
The challenge
Always focused on improving the customer experience, the airport actively invests in technology to enhance airport efficiency and safety. The airport wanted to be able to keep some existing hardware investments and have the freedom to select any preferred hardware later on; an open architecture system was a top requirement. They also wanted the ability to integrate video with other key business and security systems to give operators a bird’s-eye-view of the entire airport from a single application.
The solution
Unified threat management
All door events, possible perimeter intrusions or alarms are sent to operators who quickly access nearby cameras to see what is happening, and follow procedures to handle incidents.
Mission-critical technologies
The open-architecture security platform allowed the airport to add biometric iris-scan and fingerprint technologies, enabling multiple layers of authentication and authorization.
Lawful cardholder privileges
Cardholders are assigned to groups with specific privileges which are set in accordance with federally-mandated regulations called the Restricted Area Identity Card Program.
Primed for greater expansion
By 2018, the airport will double in size and total camera counts are expected to reach 500. The flexibility and scalability of Security Center platform is instrumental in this growth.
“The Security Center platform makes it faster for our agents to process and manage incidents. The system doesn’t save agents, but it helps us be more efficient with the resources that we have.”
David Robin, Manager of Safety and Security, Québec City Airport
Results
A phased upgrade first started with moving all video cameras over to the Omnicast IP video surveillance system of Security Center, and then involved implementing the Synergis IP access control system. Today, operators at the Quebec City airport manage over 230 cameras and hundreds of doors, 60 perimeter gates, and over 2000 cardholders from the unified security platform, Security Center.
Managing all systems from a single platform has helped security and operations officials identify unusual behavior or possible security issues before they escalate into active threats or cause major delays. Common bottlenecks at the airport, such as at security screening or curbside pick-up and drop-off areas are actively monitored. If lines or cars are backed up, operators can dispatch more staff to help move things along.