The Technology Is Only Part of the Control Room

Winsted Upgrades Security Operations for the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

When we talk about designing a security system, most of the conversation naturally centers around the technology - cameras, access control, video management, analytics, servers and displays.

But there is another important part of the system that can be easy to overlook:

The environment where people actually operate it.

Winsted's recent project at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C. is a great example of what can happen when the control room itself is treated as part of the security solution.

From Makeshift to Mission-Critical

The museum's existing security room wasn't originally designed to function as a command center. Two standard desks had been pushed together to create workstations, equipment occupied valuable floor space, cable management was difficult, and operators had to move around the room to access the technology they needed.

For a team responsible for monitoring and protecting a busy facility, those seemingly physical problems can quickly become operational ones.

Winsted worked closely with the museum's security team to redesign the space around the way its officers actually work.

The solution included customized sit-stand consoles designed specifically for the dimensions of the room, along with integrated equipment racks underneath the workstations. Moving the equipment beneath the consoles eliminated a large, noisy rack and helped free up half of the room's square footage.

The result was a cleaner, quieter and more comfortable command center that gave operators a better environment for staying focused on their surveillance responsibilities.

Designing Around the Operator

That's what makes this project particularly interesting.

A modern security operation can have outstanding technology, but someone still has to interact with it. Operators may spend hours at a workstation monitoring video, responding to alarms, investigating events and coordinating responses.

Console placement, monitor positioning, ergonomics, cable management, equipment accessibility and even noise can all influence that experience.

A well-designed control room brings the physical workspace and the security technology together as one system.

And as the International Spy Museum project demonstrates, improving that environment doesn't necessarily require a larger room. Sometimes the opportunity is simply to make the existing space work harder.

See the Transformation

Winsted specializes in designing mission-critical control room environments around the people, technology and operational requirements inside them.

The International Spy Museum project is a great example of what's possible when control room design is considered early in the conversation.

Planning a new command center or wondering what could be done with an existing space? Contact your local TPI representative to learn more about Winsted and start the conversation.

Read the full case study here: https://www.winsted.com/resources/case-studies/international-spy-museum/