Risk assessment is an everyday part of the job for security operators. Agility, quick response, and the ability to pivot is an important practice even under regular circumstances, let alone during a global pandemic.
While each operations center has unique operating processes, there are many similarities in how security operations centers shifted to operate during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assessing Risks
In the immediate aftermath as the pandemic unfolded, security practitioners had to throw out the playbook. A key part of security operations, however, proved useful: risk assessment. Just like in any other critical event situation, operators determined response based on the data at hand and assessed the risk vs. opportunity.
When it came to staffing security operations centers during the pandemic, leaders had to reevaluate what was critical and what risk factors were involved. For example, if operator staff had pre-existing conditions or vulnerable family members, they would be given as many tasks as possible to do at home, while a different, smaller team remained in the operations center.
The major types of risk involved in risk management include operational risk, cyber risk, and brand and reputation risks. When the pandemic and lockdowns arrived, security operations centers needed to assess all of these risks to make the best decision for their employees, customers, and company.
An Expanding Focus on Safety
It’s easy to think that security’s main focus is on protecting assets or preventing crime. But a key part of security operations is ensuring the safety of an organization’s staff. During the pandemic, operators leaned harder into this element of their scope, and ensuring safety entered a vital role in security operations. By tracking who might be most at risk as well as up-to-date protocols and developments, security operators provided decision-makers with key intel needed to make decisions about employee safety.
Information is Key
As in any critical event, keeping up-to-date with as much relevant information as possible was necessary for security operators during the COVID-19 pandemic. Security operations centers take in information from myriad sources, cut out misinformation, and analyze context to create actionable intel. Reports on information updates as well as quick response to alerts allowed security practitioners to set up their senior leaders for success in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Video Walls for Information Management
Operators in a security operations deal with a massive amount of information. Efficient and effective management of vital information is facilitated by a large, central video wall. Video walls within operations centers contribute to operator awareness and collaboration by displaying key assets where they are visible to everyone in the room. The video wall system can also be designed to share this data with other locations such as conference rooms or other site locations for greater collaboration opportunities.
Constant Technologies SOCs
The video wall technology used for security operations centers is key. In comparison to other installation environments, SOCs require more rigorous and durable technology that can withstand 24/7 use.
An experienced video wall integrator like Constant Technologies can pick and choose from among the most advanced technologies to create a system with the best processors, switchers, screens, and other components for your video wall’s specific use case.
In addition, when it comes to a security operations center — especially during a pandemic– careful planning and design is paramount. Every detail plays into the overall effectiveness of the space. Constant Technologies takes a custom approach to each project to guarantee optimizing your SOC to best provide for your organization. As a turnkey operations center provider, Constant offers design consultation, complete video wall integration, custom console furniture, installation, and service. We also take current precautions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic into consideration when planning out a space, creating partitions between operator consoles and offering “de-densified” console layouts.
To learn more about our SOC solutions and how we optimize them during the pandemic, contact us today. We offer a free design and budget consultation to start your project.
About Constant:
Constant Technologies, Inc. provides AV integration for 24/7 video walls and custom operation center furniture. With 30+ years of experience, we can work with sensitive environments in the public and private sectors. Constant designs and installs projects of all scopes and sizes around the world. We also offer long-term service and support. We create solutions with the highest levels of security, aesthetics and functionality in mind.
