Cybersecurity has never been more important. Increasingly, organizations are coming under attack from new and much more sophisticated methods, making it imperative that information streams be rigorously monitored. For this reason, command and control centers have become vital security hubs in many applications—airport and transit security, computer and data security, event and facility security, and more. However, despite advances in technology, there are significant challenges in command center environments that impede the monitoring and decision-making process.
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First, it’s imperative to highlight how essential the operators or users are to the command center environment. To optimize decisions, they must be equipped with the right tools and comfortable in their use. At the heart of effective design is the mission to improve productivity via workstation and video wall tools, so operators can quickly diagnose, react, and resolve abnormal situations in a timely manner, whether in prevention mode or crisis management mode.
It’s not uncommon for command center operators to need to monitor and access multiple information streams to make accurate mission-critical decisions. While having many more sources of information and data than ever before is beneficial, it does pose the unique challenge in the ability to manage and visualize content quickly and efficiently.
When New Meets Legacy
Operators are flooded with data from disparate sources and networks as well as IP-based streams. Fundamental and frequent changes in operating systems like Windows are innovative but massively disruptive. In addition, users may already be working with a video management system (VMS) like Genetec or Milestone, which presents the issue of managing different software applications.
Adding to the challenge is the need to visualize the right information at the right time and at the right location on the screen. Often, the large amount of information to be managed requires more and more monitors. Essential systems are permanently connected to designated screens and operated directly from there—but other screens are often assigned additional information and used only when necessary.
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All essential information must be visualized on the large main screen. Of course, it would be most desirable that only the most critical information be displayed—and only displayed during the active work phase (query, decision, alerts, support, resolution). The biggest challenge of all is managing all the data coming from different systems efficiently while ensuring users see what they need to see when they need to see it without compromising the data.
It’s no question that technology brings with it many benefits, but it also means that employees are charged with constantly learning new technology and how it integrates with legacy equipment. In addition, security operation centers (SOCs) typically utilize a software-based VMS to manage the security infrastructure. The VMS is the primary tool, and although optimized for desktop work at the operator station, it is not designed to manage content on video walls, which is where operators need to share information with others. The video wall is also used to show general information valuable to all operators that is not part of the VMS, such as social media feeds, weather information, cable TV, and maps.
Further, the video wall is typically managed through a separate software application. This requires switching between the VMS and the video wall management system, which is not only cumbersome and time consuming, but also impacts operations and response time.
To stay on top of trends and develop streamlined workflows that improve decision making, organizations should seek out an interoperable platform that can handle both old and new technology—and be prepared for upcoming new technology with an open architecture. In addition, the platform should address any interoperability issues, providing centralized management and VMS integration.
Automation and Unattended Monitoring
Organizations run more smoothly when operators and stakeholders can easily share content between workstations, between operators and the video wall, and between the video wall/operator workstations and other screens in the building. Command center design should rely on an ecosystem that harmoniously brings together all sources and technology in one platform, and allows all displays in the entire organization to share content between them (preferably with drag-and-drop operation). With ease of use, facilities can decrease staff turnover and make training faster and easier.
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Delivering a simple, straightforward operational experience also demands a new way to process the increasing amount of data. With so much information to process, it is impossible for the human eye to catch it all. That’s where automation comes in. There are two ways to increase productivity through visualization automation: unattended monitoring and customized automation.
Some form of automation is already built into most monitoring software systems. However, the best video wall management solution will boast automation features capable of triggering events based on a combination of signals from different systems that are not directly related.
Let’s take a traffic monitoring center, for example. An alarm might be triggered by a failed traffic light from a traffic light synchronization system. At the same time, a VMS detects a stalled vehicle in the area. Imagine a system that can process such a combination of events to trigger a more critical response than each of these individually. It would greatly increase productivity. This can be done with color detection software that detects a change of color on a screen or video wall from a combination of color changes coming from multiple applications at once.
Customized automation provides an easy way to program repetitive tasks, such as opening a layout on a specific video wall or switching the audio signal to a specific channel, or even readjusting the video wall layouts and room lighting to work shift changes. From a control panel, such commands can be programmed to be done at a touch of button. This delivers the benefit of giving operators the freedom to change layouts and control devices with a simple touch, improving response times in urgent situations.
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Visualization and video wall technology gives stakeholders critical information on a single display surface, be it from single or multiple sources. This common operational picture is at the heart of a timely and comprehensive response. Simplifying workflows in control centers with a single platform to control and manage all devices offers simplicity, flexibility, interoperability, and scalability to AV deployments.
