Energy City Qatar signs security deal

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Energy City Qatar (ECQ), the $2.6 billion business hub under development, has signed a partnership agreement with security services provider EMEA Enterprise Solutions on the provision of security services, the company announced at Cityscape today.

Under terms of the agreement, the value of which was not disclosed, EMEA will work with Energy City Qatar and its technology partners to develop, build and operate a security infrastructure for the project.

This will include software, hardware, cameras and personnel, the company said.

"The development of the appropriate technology infrastructure can play a major role in the success and growth of the project," Hisham Al Emadi, Energy City Qatar CEO said at a press conference announcing the agreement today.

"We believe that EMEA will be the right partner in providing the cutting-edge security services necessary to the success of ECQ," he added.

The biggest security risk of the project is that it is an open area meaning privacy issues have to be carefully managed, Ahmad Al Abdullah, chief technology officer at Energy City Qatar, told Arabianbusiness.com.

Admitting that the project, which will be the world's first e-city, is a dream for hackers, Al Abdullah said that EMEA will be working with the other technology partners on the project - which include Microsoft and Cisco - to install intrusion devices to deter hacking attacks.

"You won't stop them so you have to deter them as much as possible," he said.

EMEA's other clients in the region include Doha International Airport, Shell and government agencies.

Part of the new city development in Lusail, located about 15km north of Doha, Energy City Qatar is expected to provide office buildings for 20,000 people and residential buildings for 10,000 people.

The infrastructure for the development should be finished by April 2009 with the overall development slated to be ready by mid-2012.

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