The Parliament of Iceland unifies its security on a single technological platform

El Parlamento de Islandia, Alpingi, one of the oldest democratic institutions in the world, takes a decisive step in modernizing its security by unifying all its technological infrastructure through the Genetec Security Center platform that integrates video surveillance, access control, intrusion and IoT into a single system.

The security renewal project of the Icelandic Parliament connects historic and modern buildings under a single system, improving both protection and operational efficiency. The Icelandic parliamentary complex presents a unique challenge by combining buildings dating from 1881 with others much more recent. This architectural diversity required a solution capable of adapting to different environments without compromising security.

Omar Orn Hauksson, Parliament's security manager, states that “our oldest building dates from 1881, which poses a security challenge. Now it is much easier to manage the entire system. It is large, but it is much easier to work with a single platform than with three or four independent systems”.

Before the implementation, Parliament operated with multiple independent intrusion solutions, incendios, control de accesos y videovigilancia. After an initial pilot phase, el integrador Hafnes carried out a complete renovation.

“We started with a few doors and cameras to test the system. Then we demonstrated its full potential and completely replaced the existing infrastructure”, points out Haflidi Jonsson, CEO of the company. “With Genetec, The Parliament understood that it could unify all systems under the same environment and greatly facilitate the work of security personnel”.

The solution integrates multiple technologies within the Genetec Security Center platform, including: video surveillance with IP cameras, access control, intrusion detection, fire alarm systems and IoT sensors (water, temperature, motion).

IoT and advanced visualization

One of the key aspects of the project has been the integration of IoT sensors, which allow monitor multiple variables in real time within historic and modern buildings. “All sensors (water, temperature, motion) are integrated into the IoT plugin, which allows us to visualize their exact location and facilitate security personnel intervention”, adds Jonsson.

Besides, the Parliament uses advanced tools such as Genetec Mission Control para la gestión de incidentes, Genetec Sipelia para comunicaciones y Genetec Clearance para el intercambio de información entre entidades. La plataforma también destaca por su capacidad de integración con múltiples fabricantes, incluyendo tecnologías de control de accesos de STid y sistemas de videovigilancia IP, lo que ha permitido aprovechar infraestructuras existentes.

“Genetec ha sido un auténtico punto de inflexión. Nos ha abierto los ojos sobre todo lo que se puede lograr con los sistemas de seguridad cuando se integran en una única plataforma”, afirma Jonsson. “La posibilidad de trabajar con diferentes fabricantes y evolucionar el sistema es clave para nuestros clientes”.

Finally, Hauksson reconoce que “queremos estar a la vanguardia de la seguridad en Islandia, y creo que podemos decir que estamos en el nivel más alto. Confío plenamente en Genetec. Es un sistema robusto, versátil y con un gran soporte”.