Greenfield terminal - ICT from fiber to software
First ICT lead of a greenfield deep-water container terminal. Now its ICT Integrations Manager: TOS, ERP and the data flows between them.
The situation
A new deep-water port terminal starting operations with no IT function. I came in as its first ICT lead, and through the build phase its only one: responsible for everything between the fiber in the ground and the software the operation runs on.
The role now
My title today is ICT Integrations Manager (contract). A dedicated IT manager now runs day-to-day IT, and my role focuses on integrations: the terminal operating system (TOS), the ERP, and the systems and data flows between them. I lead the procurement of the TOS and the ERP, from requirements and RFIs to vendor shortlisting and contract terms. I report to senior management, and I built a weekly CEO-level IT reporting workbook.
I’m also responsible for maintenance of the terminal’s heavy-equipment fleet: the maintenance programme for the container handlers, the maintenance workshop, digitising the spare parts inventory, and the maintenance contractors. The workshop is my design: container-based, with an inspection pit.
In addition, I support operations in the terminal: calling vessels in, supervising cargo operations. So I specified the systems described here, and I work inside the operation they serve. Requirements came off shifts rather than out of interviews, and I saw which of them held in use.
What I built
A segmented network from edge to access: a virtualized edge firewall, an L3 core, a self-healing fiber ring across the yard, and enterprise wireless. A ~30-camera IP CCTV estate on an open-source NVR, and biometric access control.
On the governance side: an ISO 27001-aligned ISMS I wrote, email authentication hardened through to DMARC enforcement, and incident response when it was needed.
Alongside the infrastructure, custom operational software: gate pass management, HSE induction, and groundwork for a terminal operating system.
Stack & infrastructure
This section stays at capability level on purpose - naming vendors or products would help identify the site. The shape is conventional: enterprise network hardware, open source where it serves (the NVR among it), and custom software written for the terminal’s own workflows.
Outcome
A terminal that went from bare ground to operating with enterprise-grade ICT, the work of one person through the build phase, with documentation good enough to hand over. Day-to-day IT now has a dedicated manager, and my role focuses on integrations, procurement and maintenance.