Critical infrastructure requires locks that are proven, tested and trusted. Sometimes electronic locking is the right choice; at other times, mechanical locking does the job. Using mechatronic locking technology, one water utility combined both in a single, secure Cliq system controlled by powerful, intuitive software.

O des Aravis is responsible for water capture, storage quality, analysis and delivery of around 700,000m³ annually to homes and businesses in the Aravis Mountains region of France. Protec 2 Cliq key-based access control with programmable, battery-powered keys now secures thirty opening points across their premises. These robust locking devices are suited to protecting high-security openings, including a potentially dangerous room with high-tension electrical cabling and equipment. Similar locks are already deployed at critical infrastructure sites all over Europe.

The mechatronic Cliq system enables the utility’s facility managers to control, modify and trace every important access event. They know who goes where, and when. They are aware of activity affecting all critical doors; it is even impossible to leave one unlocked. Because this is a flexible, key-based system, O des Aravis can also retain some mechanical locks at the site, operated by the same secure keys and with the same Protec 2 high-security disc cylinders. In this wire-free system, each key can be programmed and updated individually to allow access to specific areas at specific times and dates, accommodating constantly changing access requirements and ensuring maximum flexibility. The power is provided by a battery inside the programmable Cliq key.

Intuitive Software
Cliq software makes it easy and intuitive for O des Aravis to manage their entire locking system. “The programming software platform is very simple to use. We can easily grant or forbid access rights to any user,” explains Laurent Schutz, Water and Sanitation Process Manager. The Web Manager software is built to help companies manage complex workflows so system administrators can program, amend or delete keys remotely. It’s a straightforward task to generate time-stamped audit trails for any lock or key, and thereby to track access events in detail. The Web Manager can also generate attendance reports for staff and contractors. Yet despite all these features, the Cliq Web Manager requires minimal IT investment: it runs in the cloud and is accessed via an encrypted connection to a standard web browser.
At O des Aravis, comprehensive audit trails for any lock or key are available on demand. These also synchronize automatically when a user key is updated or revalidated. If a key is lost, a security manager can deactivate it instantly with a couple of clicks, ensuring that buildings and clean water supplies are not put at risk. And constant enhancements are being made too: „There is very good communication about software updates,“ says Laurent Schutz. „It is highly professional.“ We live in a world of diverse threats to our critical infrastructure. Thanks to wireless access control, the refreshing alpine waters are safely locked down for Aravis Mountains residents, winter skiers and summer hikers.

Not Just for Comfy Offices
The Cliq system has already found application in a wide variety of interesting situations, protecting administrative and non-public areas in Berlin‘s television tower, buildings of a Helsinki Energy supplier, parts of a German hospital and the remote locations of a Scottish water supplier, among many others. Safeguarding a water utility‘s premises, for example, involves protecting the property and facilities against attempted security breaches and vandalism, often in remote outdoor locations that are exposed to extreme weather conditions. These systems need to be integrated across different lock types, such as cylinders, padlocks and industrial locks, so that authorized personnel can access specific areas without requiring multiple sets of keys. For that, the Cliq range includes items such as the Abloy PL340 padlock, which is constructed to withstand extreme environmental conditions and provide maximum resistance against attack.

In Switzerland meanwhile, Industrielle Werke Basel needed a security system flexible enough to work across geographically distributed sites of diverse types, from water plants to electricity stations, and a system that could withstand extreme climate and weather conditions including solar radiation, freezing temperatures and heavy rain. In this case, the Cliq intelligent mechatronic locking system combines the best of mechanical security and electronic access control, so users are issued with a single, programmable key that enables them to open just the locks for which the key has authorization. Power for communication between key and cylinder, cabinet lock or padlock comes from a standard battery in each key so no wiring must be run nor power supplies installed – a big advantage with outdoor and remote sites. Depending on the cylinder type and system Cliq locking cylinders are compliant with EN1303, EN12320, and EN15684, and so offer high levels of protection against physical attack. They are also IP rated, those with the SWP label are waterproof, and they are Atex approved for use in potentially explosive areas.