The Louvre has announced plans to overhaul its security infrastructure following a high-profile break-in at the museum’s Apollo Gallery in October that resulted in the theft of the Crown Jewels, valued at €88m ($102.5m).
The public entity managing the museum has launched a public tender worth €57m ($66.4m) in a bid to “renovate the museum’s safety and security infrastructure with new software systems, network equipment and safety technologies.”
Some of the key missions include:
- Establishing a new digital safety management system encompassing the remote management of connected safety mechanisms and the deployment of cybersecurity solutions
- Deploying an IT and physical security monitoring software solution capable of consolidating and correlating data from various security-related business applications, that includes “an intuitive, user-friendly human-machine interface (HMI) to ensure seamless operation” and integrates third-party vendor systems, including incident logging, internal telephone networks and in-house public address systems
- Revamping the CCTV network, deploying new surveillance cameras and establishing a central video management system (VMS)
- Creating new access control mechanisms in line with certifications vetted by the French Cybersecurity Agency (ANSSI) and deploying a monitoring solution to centrally manage access controls
- Renovating the intrusion detection systems (IDS) and the close-proximity artwork detection systems
In the procurement call notification, the Louvre specified that all hardware and software must be interoperable and sufficiently scalable and open to adapt to technological advancements and avoid vendor lock-in or closed-system limitations.
No suspension of activity is planned. The modernizations works will happen either while the museum is open to visitors or during closure times.
Companies have until December 10 to apply and show interest in providing solutions in line with the Louvre’s needs.
On October 22, just three days after the heist, Louvre director Laurence des Cars described the heist as a "brutal theft” before the members of the French Senate’s Culture Committee. She added that the incident "has deeply shaken the museum’s staff" and "profoundly shocked our fellow citizens, as well as all those, here and abroad, who cherish the Louvre and revere its collections."
Infosecurity has contacted the Louvre, but the museum declined to share any further information.