At the intersection of George and Margaret Streets, the MET Centre and 60 Margaret Street occupy a prominent position in the heart of Sydney’s CBD.

It is a complex, high-traffic commercial environment where office tenants, visitors, retailers, contractors, loading facilities, car parks and building services all operate simultaneously. Behind that activity, the security infrastructure needs to perform continuously — protecting people and property without interfering with the day-to-day operation of the asset.

When the building’s security technology reached the point where a major modernisation was required, Micron Group was tasked with delivering something far more substantial than a conventional CCTV replacement.

With a project value of over $1,000,000, Micron Group engineered and delivered a new integrated security ecosystem spanning video surveillance, access control, alarms, servers, networking, fibre communications, structured cabling, resilient power and security management.

At its centre are three of the industry’s leading platforms: Genetec Security Center, Hanwha Wisenet intelligent surveillance and Inner Range Integriti access control.

The result is a modern, highly connected security environment designed around the operational needs of a premium Sydney commercial asset.

Engineering the Complete Security Environment
One of the most important decisions Micron Group made was to approach the upgrade as a whole-of-system project.

Modern security is no longer simply about cameras and card readers. Every field device ultimately relies on communications networks, servers, software, power infrastructure and increasingly sophisticated integrations operating behind the scenes.

Micron Group developed the detailed technology solution around this principle, selecting the platforms, designing the supporting infrastructure and developing the migration and integration strategy required to bring the entire environment together.

Enterprise CCTV and Video Management
For video surveillance, Micron selected Genetec Security Center as the new enterprise Video Management System, supported by Genetec Streamvault and Dell PowerEdge server infrastructure.

The Genetec platform provides the security team with a powerful central environment for viewing and retrieving video, managing events, monitoring system health and presenting relevant information through operator workstations and video-wall displays.

Across the property, the new surveillance system is built primarily around Hanwha Wisenet IP cameras, including intelligent multi-sensor technology capable of providing multiple fields of view from a single location.

Rather than simply increasing the quantity of cameras, Micron focused on selecting the right camera technology for each location. Specialist wide-angle and multi-sensor cameras provide broader coverage in challenging areas while helping minimise unnecessary visual clutter throughout the building.

Advanced camera technology also provides a platform for intelligent analytics including people, vehicle, movement and occupancy detection — taking CCTV beyond passive recording and towards greater situational awareness.

Bringing CCTV and Access Control Together
Alongside the CCTV transformation, Micron Group replaced the building’s legacy access-control environment with Inner Range Integriti.

Integriti provides the new foundation for access control, intrusion monitoring and alarm management across the property, incorporating intelligent controllers and the wider network of readers, doors, gates, locking devices and security inputs required throughout a major commercial building.

The real strength of the solution comes from the way Micron Group integrated Integriti and Genetec.

A bidirectional high-level integration connects the two platforms, allowing access-control events and CCTV to work together rather than forcing security operators to manage two disconnected systems.

When a relevant access or alarm event occurs, associated CCTV can be brought immediately into the operator’s workflow. Live and recorded video can be linked directly with security events, while actions and information can move between the two platforms.

This dramatically improves the context available to the security team. Instead of receiving an alarm, determining its location and then manually searching for the appropriate camera, the technology can help bring the event and the relevant visual information together.

An alarm becomes more than an alert. It becomes visual intelligence.

The Infrastructure Behind the Intelligence
Supporting the new security environment is an equally significant communications upgrade.

Micron Group installed a dedicated security network incorporating optical fibre, Cat6 structured cabling, professional managed network switching, security distribution nodes and UPS-backed infrastructure.

This backbone provides the high-speed connectivity required between cameras, security controllers, servers and operator systems throughout the property.

The importance of this infrastructure is easy to underestimate because much of it is never seen by tenants or visitors. But for Micron Group, it is one of the most critical parts of the project.

Enterprise CCTV and access-control systems are now sophisticated IP technology platforms. Their reliability is directly linked to the integrity of the network, communications and electrical infrastructure beneath them.

By combining in-house expertise across electronic security, electrical systems, data communications, fibre optics and networking, Micron Group was able to deliver the project as one coordinated technology solution rather than a collection of separate trade packages.

Transforming Security Without Stopping the Building
Delivering the technology was only half of the challenge. The MET Centre and 60 Margaret Street remained fully operational throughout the upgrade.

Security systems within an occupied CBD building cannot simply be switched off while an entirely new platform is installed. Access-controlled doors must continue operating. Cameras need to remain available. Tenants, visitors, security personnel and building operations must continue largely unaffected.

Micron Group therefore developed a carefully staged migration strategy.

A significant amount of the Genetec and Integriti server configuration, licensing and programming was completed off-site before major field changeovers commenced.

The new communications backbone, servers and security infrastructure were then progressively established while the incumbent systems continued operating.

Once the new environment was ready, cameras, access-controlled doors and associated field equipment could be progressively migrated to the new platforms, followed by advanced programming, system integration, testing and commissioning.

Running the old and new environments through the transition substantially reduced operational risk and allowed Micron Group to undertake a major technology transformation without compromising the security of the building.

The challenge is not simply making the new system work. It is keeping the building working while you change it.

Built for the Next Generation of Building Security
The completed MET Centre upgrade provides far more than new cameras and access control.

It establishes a scalable technology platform on which the building’s security environment can continue to evolve.

Genetec provides the enterprise video-management foundation. Hanwha delivers intelligent IP surveillance. Integriti manages access control and alarms. A dedicated fibre and IP network connects the infrastructure, while high-level integration allows these systems to communicate intelligently.

Behind all of it is the engineering undertaken by Micron Group to make the individual technologies operate as one complete environment.

Micron Group’s role went beyond product installation. The team developed the detailed solution, selected and coordinated the technology platforms, engineered the supporting network and communications infrastructure, developed the migration methodology, programmed and integrated the systems and carried the project through commissioning and handover.

For one of Sydney CBD’s best-known commercial addresses, the outcome is a security environment that is more intelligent, connected, resilient and prepared for what comes next.