The Israeli Company Protecting Critical Infrastructure Globally

Throughout Israel, there are multiple critical sites requiring security and protection systems, from military bases and classified defense projects to power plants, renewable energy infrastructure, petrol refineries and other infrastructure installations. The threat level for these installations is high and complex, where in recent years, there is increased awareness of the need for protecting these installations due to a rise in the threat type and quality: unauthorized entry, burglary, cyber-attacks, and varied terrorist threats.

El-Far operates in this turbulent market, an Israeli defense and security company specializing in perimeter security of strategic installations, Over the past 20 years, El-Far positioned itself as a leading player in this field, and today it operates in 35 different countries and provides security solutions for hundreds of secure installations.

“We see an increasing worldwide awareness of the need to secure critical infrastructure sites, such as natural gas, petrol, power plants, and nuclear reactors”, says Sagi Laron, Joint-CEO in El-Far. “There is a process where organizations and regulatory agencies develop awareness of the need for full command and control of the installation’s perimeters. This happens in airports and seaports, and the entire spectrum of varied infrastructure installations. In Israel, this was already the reality for many years, but terror threats and geo-political changes lead to new approaches in this subject in other countries as well. This change is also expressed by stringent regulatory requirements for protection”.

Eyal Kochav, the Joint-CEO who manages the company together with Laron in the past seven years, says that the world of critical infrastructure security is now further transformed by the rise of cyber-threats. “In all cyber matters, strategic sites must deal with user logins, two-factor authentication, and one-value identification of the various network elements, he explains. “Domains once managed by the organizational IT department, are now combined into the security and deterrent systems, as part of the up-to-date security concept. El-Far implemented, in the past year, such systems and capabilities in its Command and Control software”.

Comprehensive Site Security
El-Far was established in the early 2000’s by a team of R&D experts and veterans of the Israeli defense establishment, led by Brigadier General (ret.) Emi Palant, of blessed memory, formerly Commander of the Israeli Armored Corps and General Manager of the Ministry of Public Security, who passed away a few months ago. Palant is the father of the Joint-CEO Eyal Kochav. “Emi led the company for many years”, says Sagi Laron. “He formulated El-Far’s vision and emphasized the special combination of creativity and significant operational experience typifying the company”.

Today, El-Far manufactures, installs, and operates a wide variety of security and protection systems on a worldwide level. The company’s product portfolio includes among others smart fences, radar systems, video analytics, access control and command and control systems.

“The company’s initial vision, in which light we operate even today, is our commitment to stand at the technological vanguard of advanced security solutions”, emphasizes Eyal Kochav. “El-Far constantly evolves to challenge itself and provide a response to new threats. In the past five years, considering a quick growth in the renewable energy market, we based ourselves as a player providing a comprehensive solution in this domain, as well as for installations in the field of petrol and natural gas, including a unique solution for work in such an explosive environment.

El-Far’s most significant advantage, adds Laron, lies in its ability to provide a comprehensive, holistic solution to its clients: from planning and initial threat analysis stages to delivery, service, and maintenance. “El-Far is unique in the ability to work both on system integration and developing new solutions”, he emphasizes. “We offer our clients a wide variety of advanced and innovative products we developed, combined with leading solutions by other manufacturers in complimentary domains. Additionally, the company enjoys a long-standing reputation, both in Israel and overseas, of its capability for supporting systems and providing maintenance services for many years after installation, while maintaining system responsiveness and operational status”.

To cope with the changing challenges in the world of security
Since its establishment, El-Far gained significant practical experience in protecting critical installations on five continents and in any weather conditions. The company is proud of its experienced research and development department, employing professional engineers, who work around the clock to develop new systems and solutions to cope with the changing challenges in the world of security. “We invest a significant portion of our turn over, along the years, into research and development, and constantly develop new products and sensors”, notes its executives. “We are always ready for new threats and new directions, understanding that the threat map changes constantly. Whomever does not change with that map – will gradually lose its place in the market.

“The main idea behind our solutions is data-fusion”, they adds. “We operate various sensors, both physical and virtual, and produce, through the Command and Control software, a real time status of the site, allowing for correct decision making when managing an event”.

“Today’s security systems become multi-layer”, sums up Eyal Kochav. “There is a growing need to combine smart fences, radars, video analytics, and various means such as drones. The declining price, along the years, of the various security components permits, with correct operational and engineering planning, the formation of bi-layer or tri-layer systems, coping with a wide variety of scenarios. This is the future of critical installation protection”.

In collaboration with El-Far Electronics