Command and control, also known as C&C or C2, is the use of a process involving human decision-making combined with technological and physical resources in order to complete missions and solve problems that arise along the way. The term is especially prevalent in military contexts. Think of the faces of Barack Obama and his national security team captured in the now famous 2011 photograph of the White House Situation Room. The highest echelons of the US military were receiving live updates, which allowed them to take command of- and control over the operation that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden. The use of C&C systems is not restricted to military operations of course.
A wide range of scenarios and organizations require command and control capabilities. Examples include, but are not limited to, relief organizations responding to natural disasters, civil search and rescue operations, and crises in management and finance institutions such as bank robberies and cyber-attacks.
C2 AND C4I SOFTWARE
While the concept of command and control has a long history in military practice, modern warfare is very much enmeshed with computers and information technologies. The more complex acronym C4I, namely, Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence, captures this emphasis. A plethora of software applications has begun to address the needs of military and civil organization alike, offering solutions that enable efficient responses to security breaches. For example, assume an organization faces a cyber-attack that effects both its computers (and therefore internal and external communication) and its physical facilities such as plants, machinery, and onsite access codes – how can a manager prepare for the worst-case scenario?
OCTOPUS PSIM COMMAND & CONTROL CENTER
OCTOPUS’ PSIM software offers a unique approach to command and control based on the principles of integration and cloud-based computing. The system unifies multiple security devices and information systems (e.g., alarms, fraud prevention, cyber-attack alerts, safety sensors, entrance monitoring, closed-circuit cameras, as well as open source intelligence and social media) thus allowing managers to evaluate risks and control all the effected information in one place.
