An independent CCTV review of an ageing integrity camera network gave the organisation clear vendor-neutral options, a staged roadmap and a specification it can take to market.
THE CHALLENGE
The client uses CCTV across a network of regional and metropolitan venues, mainly to support integrity and evidentiary review rather than general site security. Over time the environment had become fragmented. Much of the equipment was at end of life, software versions varied from site to site and some were no longer supported by the vendor. Recording servers sat in operational areas exposed to dust and water. Because recording was largely motion activated and footage was often requested well after an event, investigators had at times found that no vision had been captured. Archival retention obligations added pressure on storage, and inconsistent maintenance advice from the incumbent supplier left the organisation wanting an independent view before any future procurement.
OUR APPROACH
Agilient was engaged as an adviser with no vendor alignment. The review combined document review with targeted consultation across the organisation’s infrastructure, integrity and IT stakeholders, and site assessments at a sample of representative venues chosen to reflect newer, older and metropolitan operating conditions. Agilient examined camera coverage of integrity-relevant areas, recording and retrieval practices, equipment condition and environment, fault detection, retention and cyber security. The team then tested the option of retaining and upgrading the existing platform against alternative approaches, including on-site, cloud and hybrid storage and the scope to rationalise camera numbers. Findings were framed as target state design principles, so that technology decisions would follow the organisation’s evidentiary and operational needs rather than the preferences of any one supplier.
THE OUTCOME
The review gives the organisation an independent basis for its next CCTV investment and a clear route to market.
- A CCTV Strategy and Options Report covering current state findings, risks and constraints, platform and storage options, target state design principles and a staged network roadmap with order of magnitude cost guidance
- Site assessment findings from the representative venues, used to test assumptions that apply across the wider network
- A performance-based requirements specification covering coverage, evidentiary image quality, retrieval, retention, resilience, cyber security and maintenance, written to support open, competitive procurement and reduce vendor lock-in
Related services: independent CCTV consultant, electronic security consultant, public venues and events security. To discuss a similar project, contact Agilient.