Providing advice on the refurbishment and upgrade of existing surveillance and control apparatus – so-called ‘retro-fit’

Challenges include not only maintaining security while upgrades proceed, but also managing stress levels of operational staff.

Retro-fitting systems in older facilities, through the replacement and upgrading of existing componentry, can be a risky, time-consuming affair. Difficulties often arise where outdated proprietary systems are to be replaced by those provided by a new service provider. Moreover, retro-fits are made exceedingly more difficult as systems must remain on-line while upgrading takes place. Prisoners, for example, cannot be sent home while work proceeds, nor can the security of cities, factories, wharves, hotels, casinos or art galleries be left in abeyance while upgrades occur. Challenges include not only maintaining security while upgrades proceed, but also managing stress levels of operational staff and others affected during system changeovers. Depending on the size and complexity of the project, control room operators particularly are faced with operating both old and new systems simultaneously during changeover periods.

We lead your design team through this matrix of operational issues so that your retro-fit is properly integrated with your existing systems, is ‘state-of-the-art’ in terms of its application and
infrastructure, and provides a defined and cost effective upgrade path for future refurbishment.


Installation of new security systems at ‘greenfield’ sites.

Clients get best value by engaging CTG Security Matrix very early in the design process.

CTG Security Matrix provides state-of-the-art security planning and advice for any organisation or enterprise with a need to install security systems in new facilities. Where this is the case, clients get best value by engaging CTG Security Matrix very early in the design process. Far too often, security installation is seen by architects and project managers as a ‘bolt on’ – something that can be done after construction, like decorative painting or interior fit-out. By engaging CTG Security Matrix as your operational security advisors and as a member of your principal design team, we can make recommendations about security design, procurement and installation which will not only equip your project with world-leading security and control systems, but save you money both short and long term.

It is important to note that we are not tied to any proprietary system or supplier; our advice is based on what works, reliably, for each project’s individual needs, and is most cost effective for the client. Because we liaise with a network of companies world-wide, our knowledge of the latest developments in security is constantly updated, allowing us to critically evaluate each development and make recommendations accordingly.

Like all technology, security apparatus has a lifecycle: security systems generally require replacement every seven years or so, as new technologies appearing on the market activate the renewal process. We will work with your architectural team to jointly design a system which will be right for your project, and most importantly, provide a path to easy maintenance and efficient upgrades.

Advice in control room design: simplicity and elegance and with an eye to detail.

Innovations in a CTG Security Matrix designed control room assure clients that our service provides a value far beyond the bricks and mortar and electronics of security installation.

Simply put, control rooms designed by current members of CTG Security Matrix, provide operational staff with instant, reliable, automatic, multi-camera-visual coverage of the security ‘theatre’. We have found that the ‘reverse engineering’ principle, namely, first determine the operational requirement and then engineer the solution, is often a more effective strategy than modifying operational requirements to fit a supplier’s recommendation. Our policies demand that designs and procedures be standardised on best practices, with technicians able to repeat complex configurations without reinventing the wheel.

A unique aspect of CTG Security Matrix’s control room design philosophy is simplicity combined with operational efficiency and elegance of the control room space. We take very seriously the principle that ‘there’s a place for everything, and everything in its place’ very seriously. Control rooms built under our advice are masterpieces of organisation design, not just a bundle of monitors and computers assembled in any available room.

Our advice is aimed at ease of serviceability. The kilometres of cabling required for security devices to interface with computer systems are meticulously laid out, and can easily be viewed in critical areas under a practical ‘see-through’ floor, which can be easily removed for cable maintenance. No more gigantic ‘spaghetti’ bundles of cabling confronting maintenance crews with no indication of which wire leads where.

Our advice also takes into account the comfort of control room staff with a “crew comfort station” incorporated into the middle of the control room – allowing operators to prepare food and drinks without leaving the control room, whilst at the same time continuing to monitor equipment.

There are many other innovations in a CTG Security Matrix designed control room – indeed, too many to mention here – but clients can be assured that our service provides a value far beyond the bricks and mortar and electronics of security installation.

Infrastructure Documentation

CTG Security Matrix recommends a novel ‘street directory’ method of documentation, giving new competing companies the opportunity of engaging in plant and equipment maintenance.

One of the key issues common to security installations worldwide is the management of cable infrastructures, and detailed documentation layouts.

At a recent retro-fit project undertaken by SA DCS, and carried out by personnel currently members of CTG Security Matrix, more than 2700 system components, consisting of more than 100 cameras, power systems, associated circuit distribution breakers, intercoms, public address speakers and so on were successfully retro-fitted and integrated.

Making the retro-fit difficult was a lack of detailed and effective documentation to guide us - a deficiency often resulting in clients becoming ‘captive’ to a narrow band of suppliers whose solutions may or may not be entirely suitable.

In order to widen market competition and to avoid monopolistic type control, CTG Security Matrix recommends the utilisation of a novel ‘street directory’ method of documentation, which gives new competing companies the opportunity of engaging in plant and equipment maintenance.

Our documentation records all relevant details pertaining to the location of system devices, their integrated paths and overall system configuration. These documents are also linked directly to an electronic ‘help desk’ database, which highlights patterned breakdowns and fault trends. The help desk also allows in-house remedies to be effected. By adopting this method, clients report that cost reduction/savings have been notable with impressive falls in numbers of breakdowns, which in turn enhances security.