Microsoft controls worldwide physical security operations from three sites
One part of Microsoft Global Security's activities is monitoring physical security at the company's premises around the world. This is carried out from three Global Security Operations Centers (GSOCs), located at Redmond (USA), Reading (UK) and Hyderabad (India), each responsible for their geographical region
The previous approach was decentralised, people-intensive, and involved more than 60 different proprietary systems, inconsistent policies across locations, live video monitoring, VCR recording, and lots of paper.
In contrast, the GSOCs are centralised, automated, highly interoperable, and use generic hardware (notebooks are used so they can be quickly removed if a centre must be evacuated) off-the-shelf software, and digital video. The hardware standardisation means that any workstation can be used for any purpose, though in practice seats are associated with particular functions.
