FROM THE GROUND UP TO NEW HEIGHTS: Talking Cloud-Based Physical Security Strategies & Solutions with Sonoma County Water Agency’s Corey Jahn
Utility Security’s Editor-in-Chief Curtis Marquardt Jr. recently sat down to talk with Sonoma County Water Agency’s Corey Jahn. The two talked about Jahn taking on the role of building a physical security solution from scratch, how to get organizational buy-in, implementing cloud-based security solutions and how cameras and AI can be used to track the patterns of fish.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
Thank you for joining me today, Corey. Can you tell our Utility Security subscribers more about Sonoma County Water Agency and your role at the organization?
Corey Jahn:
Yes, thanks for having me. Sonoma County Water Agency is a wholesale water company, and we’re also responsible for wastewater and flood control—and we have an environmental resources division. Our agency wears a lot of different hats.
My position started just over two years ago, when it was determined that an official security group needed to be established in a formal capacity. Before that, it was more of a task delegated to various team members who already had other responsibilities.
Like with a lot of critical infrastructure in the past, security wasn’t necessarily overlooked, but it wasn’t given a lot of forethought, design or dedicated planning. It was more reactive—we would do this or that and piece things together as we went along.
With the start of my position, it became a ground-up restart of what the physical security program would look like. Over the past few years, we’ve been slowly updating everything—essentially starting from scratch.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
Wow! So truly a blank slate sort of start for a physical security program.
Corey Jahn:
Yes, definitely.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
It must have been pretty busy for the last couple of years I would imagine?
Corey Jahn:
It definitely has. It’s definitely been busy but it’s also been exciting and rewarding to see a lot of progress.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
What drew you into this profession? What is it about security that you enjoy?
Corey Jahn:
I’m very much into planning and my mind naturally goes to how to find the best way to secure things. That comes from being interested in law enforcement as a child and kind of working my way through that. Then rolling into the security side, it just all played together. And it’s something I love to do. I love being able to plan, look ahead and execute the visions that I have for different sites.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
It sounds like the organization took a great step in the right direction in going with a dedicated professional that solely focuses on physical security versus one person taking on the physical security hat with two or three other hats. What was that experience like coming in with a blank slate and building out a physical security plan?
Corey Jahn:
Yeah, it was definitely an interesting experience—both in terms of the actual build-out and planning, and also from an organizational standpoint. I think this aligns with what’s happening across a lot of infrastructure, with security being implemented more intentionally.
It’s not something that a lot of people outside the field fully understand or even think about, so there are a lot of teaching moments—explaining what we’re doing, why we’re doing it and helping familiarize other employees with our goals and overall approach. It’s about building that relationship and mutual understanding.
There’s definitely a dynamic relationship like I’m sure is the case with other entities as well—where people have very personal relationships with their jobs and the things they have control over. So when security steps in, if it’s not handled the right way, it can create tension or even animosity.
So it’s really about building it out and showing that we’re here to help—communicating what we’re trying to do and demonstrating that we’re all in this together. It’s about developing a healthy relationship with the different divisions, entities and people that make up the organization.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
The key to success is communication as they say, and getting that buy-in up front sounds like a great way to kick things off. I imagine there’s definitely some resistance when something new is introduced like that. Let me switch gears a bit and dive deeper into Sonoma County Water Agency’s physical security. Can you paint a picture of the area and the types of assets you’re tasked with securing? You’re in wine country—does that present any unique challenges? I’d love to hear a little more detail about what you’re working to protect over there.
Corey Jahn:
So we have a multitude of different sites throughout the county within our water production, sanitation, and administrative department, each with different needs and functions.This includes our water production and treatment facilities, water storage tanks, booster stations, wastewater treatment facilities and lift stations—as well as our administrative, operations, and education buildings.
It’s definitely a mix. I think our use case is pretty interesting because, while all of the equipment has a security need, much of it is also actively used for operations and other essential tasks within the organization. That creates a unique role for security, especially in how we’ve implemented a lot of the physical security measures, including with our cloud-based solutions.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
So, let’s talk about your use of cloud-based physical security solutions. Tell our folks more about that initiative.
Corey Jahn:
When I came in, the security systems we had were very antiquated, and they didn’t work well together at all—no commonality, nothing integrated. So right off the bat, having that interoperability really drew us in.
The cloud-based functionality was another huge factor. It gave us the ability to manage more remote sites and handle the unique challenges we face in some of our areas—things we simply couldn’t do with older systems.
And honestly, the biggest benefit for me personally is the ability to access our command center and system information from anywhere. If I’m driving down the road or at home and an alarm goes off, I can just pull out my phone and connect to everything we have, right then and there. It adds a whole new level of simplicity and makes the job so much easier—having eyes on what’s happening, wherever I am, is a game-changer compared to what we had before.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
Can you talk a little more about the system you’re using? What components are in place, how do they work together and how does your team interact with all the different parts of the system?
Corey Jahn:
Yeah, of course. I think at this point, we’re either using or actively testing almost everything our vendor, Verkada, has to offer in some way, shape or form. We started out with just cameras—replacing the old legacy systems we had—and gradually began implementing those across our sites.
Since then, it’s evolved into a full transition. We’re currently finishing up a complete swap of all our access control systems. We also began using video alarm capabilities to monitor areas like our fleet parking lots, where we had been experiencing some issues. That expanded into integrating alarms with our access control systems and we’ve continued to broaden that as we roll out coverage to more sites going forward.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
Okay, so you mentioned earlier that one of the reasons you chose this solution was because some of your in-house systems weren’t communicating with each other. What are some of the other benefits you’ve seen since making the switch? It sounds like ease of use might be one of them—can you talk more about that?
Corey Jahn:
Definitely. Ease of use and overall clarity—better optics—are major advantages. The best example I can give is when we have a video alarm that picks up suspicious activity in our fleet parking lot. With just a couple of clicks, we can check who badged in and quickly determine whether it was one of our employees or not.
From there, we can track activity across multiple cameras and systems to see what was happening before and after the event. That gives us the ability to make better judgments about whether something is a real threat, just normal business or a random event that doesn’t pose a risk.
So, I think the ease of use and the visibility the system gives us really allows us to understand what’s happening in a much clearer, more real-time way.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
Okay, so I know that when some organizations implement a new system, they involve multiple departments and sometimes find more than one use case for the technology. Are you using this equipment for safety initiatives or in other areas of the organization outside of traditional security?
Corey Jahn:
Yeah, of course. Like I mentioned, a lot of our devices are used for both security and operational needs. For example, we have cameras set up to provide visuals in areas where we store chemicals or other hazardous materials. In the event of a leak or incident, we can see what’s happening in the room and check whether any employees are present—helping with both safety and accountability.
We also have cameras positioned in various locations across our sites to support different operational needs. Including our operations team being able to monitor water levels at our treatment ponds—or other facilities that are prone to flooding during storms. Our operators also use the intercom system to allow secure deliveries to certain areas, which supports both safety and operational efficiency.
And one of the most popular uses has nothing to do with traditional security. Our fisheries team uses a camera on the fish ladder to track fish movements up and down the river using AI. It’s been a really helpful tool for their environmental monitoring work.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
Oh, wow—that’s a lot of different solutions. So, I know that whenever you’re implementing or installing a completely new system, it can be a big lift. There’s training involved, you need to get buy-in from other departments, and you’re probably also working to justify the expense to leadership. What was that process like for you? What made it successful, and what kind of strategies did you use to make it all come together effectively?
Corey Jahn:
From the start, it was a slow build-out—a gradual rollout of what we were doing. That process required a lot of exposure and communication, showing the rest of the organization what we were working on.
The real turning point came when we started seeing results. Incidents that had been happening either decreased or stopped altogether—and people began to notice the difference. As that momentum built, we were able to expand further.
Employees who hadn’t been directly involved in the rollout started seeing the impact firsthand—improvements to security, operations and even the day-to-day ease of their work.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
I’m glad you phrased it that way because it leads right into my next question, which is about results. Now that you’re on the other side of implementing this system, do you have any security success stories you can share? Have you seen any financial impacts or other measurable gains? You mentioned efficiency earlier—that definitely sounds like one area of improvement—but are there any other benefits you’d like to highlight?
Corey Jahn:
When we first started implementing the cameras, we were dealing with a string of vandalism and theft—particularly targeting our fleet vehicles. The gas tanks were being ruptured to steal fuel, and it was becoming a recurring issue.
As we built out camera coverage to monitor the fleet parking lot and added in the alarm capabilities, we had one incident that really demonstrated the system’s effectiveness. We captured a clear image of the individual responsible, shared it with the sheriff’s department and they were able to make an arrest. That incident effectively put a stop to the thefts.
Beyond that, the visual presence of the system itself has had a big impact. One of our most used solutions are PTZ cameras which use AI to identify and follow individuals who come onto our property, and I think that alone acts as a strong deterrent. If someone enters the area with bad intentions and realizes a camera is actively tracking them, it definitely makes them think twice.
Seeing the system work in real time—actually stopping incidents like theft and vandalism—was a huge boost and really validated what we were doing.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
Okay, final question—just looking ahead a bit. As we mentioned at the start of this interview, you came into this role with a blank slate. What future security initiatives are you considering implementing? What are you working on now that you’re excited about?
Corey Jahn:
We still have a lot of areas that are in the process of being built out or planned for the future. There are several sites that haven’t had strong electronic security in the past, so we’re actively working on rolling out solutions to those locations.
We’re also planning future upgrades for new sites and buildings that are still in development. There’s a lot of exciting work ahead—more build-out, more design and more construction. It’s a big task, but it’s exciting to see it all coming together.
Curtis Marquardt Jr.:
It sounds like you’re in a really exciting position to make impactful and meaningful changes—moving the security needle in a big way at your organization. Congratulations on taking on something with a bit of a blank slate and already making such strong progress. Wishing you the best of luck as you continue building it out! Thank you so much for taking time to speak to our subscribers today!
Corey Jahn:
Thank you. I appreciate the kind words and I appreciate the opportunity to talk security!