Industry Professional

Global Expansion

Paramount Pictures seeks right operations for enhanced security and asset protection

Founded in 1912, and with many successful films to its name including “The Godfather,” “Indiana Jones,” “Transformers,” and “Mission: Impossible,” Paramount Pictures is one of America’s oldest movie studios.

With 10 critical security systems including perimeter protection, fire alarm, intrusion, access control and video surveillance systems using different operating systems, the company needed a way to centrally monitor and manage incidents for improved response times and better overall protection. With these disparate systems, it took multiple operators in the command center to respond to an incident, not including the responders on the ground, which meant that Paramount needed a more efficient and effective way to respond.

For the highest level of security possible, Paramount chose to invest in enterprise command center software (ECCS) by SureView Systems to consolidate all of its security and life safety systems across the globe in a simple, effective and centrally manageable security management solution. Paramount combined emergency management, emergency response and business continuity under the Business Resiliency Group to more effectively identify risks and mitigation practices, and to expand the role of its private command center beyond the monitoring of its production lots to providing 24/7 monitoring of global operations.

Adding Something Simple

The SureView Immix CC enterprise platform met the company’s need for a simple, user-friendly interface that wasn’t over-complicated and didn’t require a lot of time to install, configure and learn. The platform also is UL certified for alarm monitoring.

Using the new system, two operators, an analyst and a supervisor centrally monitor security systems across Paramount’s global operations 24/7, including all offices, production lots, warehouses, active film shoots and more than 250 traveling executives and team members each day.

The company has integrated the platform with a majority of its existing security systems, and is currently adding its emergency notification and dispatch systems. With support from SureView, Paramount’s in-house IT department managed the installation, which was seamless and completed on time. Representatives from SureView were a part of the installation and training process from the beginning. After just a couple of hours of training, users were up and running on the Immix CC platform.

Paramount’s new platform now has an intuitive operator interface, which streamlines incident management across all disparate systems within the enterprise, and helps boost the command center’s overall productivity.

Prioritizing by Importance

Paramount’s security officials can now see when alarms are activated and they are prioritized by importance. Before Immix CC, security operators would have hundreds of alarms coming in at any given time. The platform has acted as a smart system that presents only the most critical alarms—not every door that is held open too long—and has reduced the number of incoming alarms by approximately 90 percent. Now, operators can process alerts in minutes, improving efficiencies and, more importantly, response time to emergency incidents.

The platform’s scripting engine has proven extremely useful. Paramount was interested in the new command center platform that allowed security officials build custom decision trees for operators to follow to ensure a single, streamlined response to similar incidents. With a script in hand, operators can more easily and quickly respond appropriately to any incident.

“Paramount made it very clear that they were seeking something different,” said Graham Johnson, Group CEO, SureView Systems. “We showed them our Immix CC framework which from the ground up, was developed to be easy to install, set up, operate and maintain. From start to substantial completion, this project took less than 120 days to move into a full production environment, which is important to a large enterprise such as Paramount.”

Most importantly, the platform has helped Paramount streamline security operations to boost the safety and security of employees, and better protect its assets.

This article originally appeared in the December 2015 issue of Security Today.

Featured

  • Security Today Announces The Govies Government Security Award Winners for 2025

    Security Today is pleased to announce the 2025 winners in The Govies Government Security Awards. The awards honor outstanding government security products in a variety of categories. Read Now

  • Survey: 60 Percent of Organizations Using AI in IT Infrastructure

    Netwrix, a cybersecurity provider focused on data and identity threats, today announced the release of its annual global 2025 Cybersecurity Trends Report based on a global survey of 2,150 IT and security professionals from 121 countries. It reveals that 60% of organizations are already using artificial intelligence (AI) in their IT infrastructure and 30% are considering implementing AI. Read Now

  • New Research Reveals Global Video Surveillance Industry Perspectives on AI

    Axis Communications, the global industry leader in video surveillance, has released its latest research report, ‘The State of AI in Video Surveillance,’ which explores global industry perspectives on the use of AI in the security industry and beyond. The report reveals current attitudes on AI technologies thanks to in-depth interviews with AI experts from Axis’ global network and a comprehensive survey of more than 5,800 respondents, including distributors, channel partners, and end customers across 68 countries. The resulting insights cover AI integration and the opportunities and challenges that exist with regard to security, safety, business intelligence, and operational efficiency. Read Now

  • SIA Urges Tariff Relief for Security Industry Products

    Today, the Security Industry Association has sent a letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick requesting relief from tariffs for security industry products and asking that the Trump administration formulate a process that allows companies to apply for product-specific exemptions. The security industry is an important segment of the U.S. economy, contributing over $430 billion in total economic impact and supporting over 2.1 million jobs. Read Now

  • Report Shows Cybercriminals Continue Pivot to Stealthier Tactics

    IBM recently released the 2025 X-Force Threat Intelligence Index highlighting that cybercriminals continued to pivot to stealthier tactics, with lower-profile credential theft spiking, while ransomware attacks on enterprises declined. IBM X-Force observed an 84% increase in emails delivering infostealers in 2024 compared to the prior year, a method threat actors relied heavily on to scale identity attacks. Read Now

New Products

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

  • AC Nio

    AC Nio

    Aiphone, a leading international manufacturer of intercom, access control, and emergency communication products, has introduced the AC Nio, its access control management software, an important addition to its new line of access control solutions.

  • Hanwha QNO-7012R

    Hanwha QNO-7012R

    The Q Series cameras are equipped with an Open Platform chipset for easy and seamless integration with third-party systems and solutions, and analog video output (CVBS) support for easy camera positioning during installation. A suite of on-board intelligent video analytics covers tampering, directional/virtual line detection, defocus detection, enter/exit, and motion detection.