In his first blog for Infologue.com, James Bagguley, technical services director and co-owner at Amulet, details the benefits and phases of command centre design consultation and implementation.
Maintaining total visibility of any estate can be a challenge. Many of us have an image in our head of a command centre or control room, built up from different encounters as civilians and security professionals: Wandering into a corner shop and looking up to see ourselves in the CCTV monitors, spotting a camera in the corner of the bank, or seeing the high-tech, high-concept monitoring galleries in Hollywood blockbusters.
Extensive industrial estates, sleek corporate offices or compact high-rise facilities might have some of these features, but designing a suitable command centre is unique to each space and its requirements. A comprehensive communication hub is vital to transforming an organisation’s emergency procedures and incident response times. Getting it right requires clear strategy, in-depth planning and communication with customers to understand their daily security realities.
Working with a security partner who already has officers on the ground and understands an estate through and through creates a collaborative and in-depth design process. Effective command centre design and control is more than plugging in and connecting a few cameras; it requires a staged approach in tune with and supportive of onsite teams in their ongoing operations.
Stage one: Assessing estates and consulting teams
The first phase requires questions, and a lot of them. Security partners need to ask how the estate functions daily, understand the most prevalent security threats based on estate size and location, and understand its already established workflow, including how emergencies are currently flagged and escalated.
To answer these questions, providers should build a rapport with onsite teams, shadow their daily operations, and conduct workshops with key stakeholders to establish their top priorities.
This early diagnostic step ensures the command centre is fit for purpose, its technology is integrated for the people who rely on it, and that it is aligned with organisational priorities and compliance needs.
Stage two: Technical specifications and planning
With operational requirements clearly defined, detailed infrastructure planning needs to transform technical design into a functional reality. The aim is to develop an information flow, with the use of advanced 3D design tools.
These create comprehensive visualisations of the proposed space, ensuring optimal configuration before implementation begins. Critical components may include:
- Interactive alarm pop-up systems: For rapid incident triage, featuring voice alerts in addition to visuals
- Fire alarm activation: Linked to CCTV for immediate response capabilities
- Video walls: Situated for optimal sightlines
- Voice over Internet Protocol communications: Integrated to provide direct-to-field connectivity
- Embedded INVAC (invacuation) and EVAC (evacuation) workflows: To provide comprehensive emergency procedures
- Mapping functions: Important for larger estates, for quick navigation during emergencies
These systems need to align with National Security Inspectorate standards, covering the design, installation and maintenance of intruder and Hold Up Alarm Systems, CCTV surveillance and access control systems, alongside GDPR data protection regulations.
These systems should be mapped out to streamline information for operators, with 3D design optimising layout for enhanced situational awareness.
Stage three: Implementation and deployment
The third stage of development hinges on two key factors: precision and collaboration. Infrastructure needs an uninterruptible power supply for resilience, networking capacity to scale with the integrated technology, secure airlock and environmental controls for asset and data protection, and redundancy planning to maintain operations in all conditions.
Systems integration brings together CCTV, access control, fire and intruder alarms, and intercoms into one intuitive interface. This also needs to tackle any legacy systems to combine them with up-to-date infrastructure. Part of that process requires close collaboration with both estate managers and IT specialists, so that these new systems securely integrate with the wider organisational structure.
The goal is to create a centralised hub that enhances rather than disrupts existing security operations, to provide operators with comprehensive oversight. All the while, these systems need to be reliable, round-the-clock and user-friendly for colleagues.
Stage four: Adaptability planning
The security landscape never stands still. Command centres built today need to anticipate tomorrow’s challenges, from evolving cyber threats to shifting legislative requirements.
Consider the upcoming Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act – Martyn’s Law – which will mandate enhanced security protocols for venues. The specific requirements of its enforcement are not yet defined, so command centres designed with modular capabilities in mind are best placed to accommodate compliance demands.
Beyond regulatory compliance, operational needs evolve, too. What begins as basic CCTV monitoring often expands to include access management, environmental controls, and emergency coordination. Scalable infrastructure – from power distribution to network capacity – ensures these expansions enhance rather than compromise existing operations.
The most successful command centres incorporate predictive maintenance protocols from day one, preventing the equipment failures that create security vulnerabilities. Regular system health monitoring and proactive component replacement maintain operational integrity while avoiding the costs of emergency repairs.
Strategic investments give competitive advantages
The return on investment for these made-to-measure command centres becomes evident over time, as incident response times reduce and regulatory compliance is enhanced. When emergencies occur, having centralised command capabilities can mean the difference between managed resolution and operational nightmare.
For some smaller organisations where an entire space and fit-out isn’t viable, there are remote options. Self-contained mobile command centres operating out of vans can provide ideal monitoring solutions for one-off events like street parties or celebrations after sporting events.
An estate’s command centre shouldn’t consist of a few screens, uncomfortably placed in a cramped room. These spaces are the eyes, ears and voice of your estate, providing a comprehensive, live overview.
Successful installations need to be thorough at every stage, from full operational analysis to ongoing system maintenance, upkeep, and planning for change. Security challenges change daily, making it essential to have infrastructure that provides a solid foundation to protect people, assets and business continuity.