City of San Antonio Plans to Open First Security Operations Center

City of San Antonio Plans to Open First Security Operations Center

The city expects to share the new center with CPS Energy, San Antonio Water System and VIA Metropolitan Transit, according to the San Antonio Business Journal. For security purposes, the organizations’ data streams would be kept separate.

  • By Jessica Davis
  • Feb 06, 2019

The city of San Antonio plans to open its first security operations center in the coming year. The new center would help monitor the city’s vast computer infrastructure 24/7.

The city expects to share the new center with CPS Energy, San Antonio Water System and VIA Metropolitan Transit, according to the San Antonio Business Journal. For security purposes, the organizations’ data streams would be kept separate.

Local leaders are looking for a secure place to house the operations center.

“We’re still in the beginning stages considering a physical location, what types of capabilities we would like to have that we’d have to maintain,” said Patsy Boozer, chief information security officer at the city of San Antonio. “It’s more cost effective for us to have a shared concept.”

A security operations center, or SOC, is an office where agents monitor traffic in and out of a computer network around the clock, in real time. The agencies also plan to collaborate on an information sharing and analysis organization, in which they would share threat intelligence data with the goal of reducing the prevalence of malware.

The city of San Antonio has more than 12,000 employees, which means it needs to secure tens of thousands of internet-connected devices. CPS Energy’s grid infrastructure supports a power system across the county as the only local electricity provider, and San Antonio Water System plans to implement smart meters in the future, which will likely also be internet-connected.

The new center will likely leverage software with artificial intelligence that might be able to identify network traffic anomalies more quickly and alert agencies to potential problems.

According to Boozer, while all of these municipal agencies employ people to deflect outside attacks to computer infrastructure, bad actors trying to access infrastructure most commonly try to access computer systems via phishing emails.

“A lot of what we see come through are phishing attempts, but our employees have been well-trained,” Boozer said. "We even have a phishing notification system through our [Microsoft] Outlook to report it."

 

About the Author

Jessica Davis is the Associate Content Editor for 1105 Media.

Featured

  • From Surveillance to Intelligence

    Years ago, it would have been significantly more expensive to run an analytic like that — requiring a custom-built solution with burdensome infrastructure demands — but modern edge devices have made it accessible to everyone. It also saves time, which is a critical factor if a missing child is involved. Video compression technology has played a critical role as well. Over the years, significant advancements have been made in video coding standards — including H.263, MPEG formats, and H.264—alongside compression optimization technologies developed by IP video manufacturers to improve efficiency without sacrificing quality. The open-source AV1 codec developed by the Alliance for Open Media—a consortium including Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Amazon and others — is already the preferred decoder for cloud-based applications, and is quickly becoming the standard for video compression of all types. Read Now

  • Cost: Reactive vs. Proactive Security

    Security breaches often happen despite the availability of tools to prevent them. To combat this problem, the industry is shifting from reactive correction to proactive protection. This article will examine why so many security leaders have realized they must “lead before the breach” – not after. Read Now

  • Achieving Clear Audio

    In today’s ever-changing world of security and risk management, effective communication via an intercom and door entry communication system is a critical communication tool to keep a facility’s staff, visitors and vendors safe. Read Now

  • Beyond Apps: Access Control for Today’s Residents

    The modern resident lives in an app-saturated world. From banking to grocery delivery, fitness tracking to ridesharing, nearly every service demands another download. But when it comes to accessing the place you live, most people do not want to clutter their phone with yet another app, especially if its only purpose is to open a door. Read Now

  • Survey: 48 Percent of Worshippers Feel Less Safe Attending In-Person Services

    Almost half (48%) of those who attend religious services say they feel less safe attending in-person due to rising acts of violence at places of worship. In fact, 39% report these safety concerns have led them to change how often they attend in-person services, according to new research from Verkada conducted online by The Harris Poll among 1,123 U.S. adults who attend a religious service or event at least once a month. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • Compact IP Video Intercom

    Viking’s X-205 Series of intercoms provide HD IP video and two-way voice communication - all wrapped up in an attractive compact chassis.

  • PE80 Series

    PE80 Series by SARGENT / ED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin

    ASSA ABLOY, a global leader in access solutions, has announced the launch of two next generation exit devices from long-standing leaders in the premium exit device market: the PE80 Series by SARGENT and the PED4000/PED5000 Series by Corbin Russwin. These new exit devices boast industry-first features that are specifically designed to provide enhanced safety, security and convenience, setting new standards for exit solutions. The SARGENT PE80 and Corbin Russwin PED4000/PED5000 Series exit devices are engineered to meet the ever-evolving needs of modern buildings. Featuring the high strength, security and durability that ASSA ABLOY is known for, the new exit devices deliver several innovative, industry-first features in addition to elegant design finishes for every opening.

  • 4K Video Decoder

    3xLOGIC’s VH-DECODER-4K is perfect for use in organizations of all sizes in diverse vertical sectors such as retail, leisure and hospitality, education and commercial premises.