Essential Features That Power Effective Control Room Software

While focused on ensuring smooth operations and completing routine tasks, control rooms at critical infrastructure companies experience moments when they must put out fires caused unexpected situations including equipment failure, accidents, natural calamities, or even cyber-attacks, etc. 

For instance, operators in a utilities control room scramble as news of a major power generation incident surfaces. Monitors light up with real-time grid data and alarm feeds showing cascading outages across the network. Operators rely on emergency communications solutions to coordinate field crews, grid engineers, and emergency responders in real time. Amid the urgency, they work to stabilize the system, protect critical services, and keep the public and key stakeholders informed, striving tirelessly to restore power and maintain safety. 

In the frenzy, every decision is critical, every second vital. 

As the nerve centers of any operation, control rooms must maintain real-time oversight and ensure swift deployment of recovery plans during emergencies. 

Reliable and seamless communication among the operators necessitates a Critical Infrastructure Communications System with the features outlined in this article. 

Which Ten Features Are Essential in a Critical Infrastructure Communications System?

Operators understand how to maintain efficient operations in a control room. At Enghouse, we have spoken extensively with these operators to understand their working environment and requirements. Based on their input, the features listed below are critical to providing clear visibility and ease of access for performing their core functions from a communication perspective. Let’s dive in.

• Resilience and reliability
• Touchscreen-enabled interface
• Color-coded call indicators
• Flexibility
• Clear visibility of team members’ status
• Advanced call features
• Call history
• Call recordings
• Comprehensive contact directory
• Scheduled conferences

1. Resilience and Reliability

Control room solutions operate under high-pressure conditions, where a failure in the critical infrastructure communication system delay emergency response.

While disruptions and accidents are beyond anyone’s control, steps can be taken to ensure continuous communication in critical environments.

Auto-failover and geo-redundancy are foundational requirements for mission critical communication systems operating in control rooms. . Geo-redundant data centers are facilities strategically located in different geographic regions. They duplicate data and services across multiple sites to maintain continuous serviceability, even if one location experiences a failure.

2. TouchScreen-Enabled Interface

Managing multiple screens ranks high among the top challenges control room operators face, such as too much non-critical data, too many screens, and outdated systems 1. Each screen has its mouse and keyboard, adding to the clutter and making it difficult to work efficiently in a cramped workspace.

While a reliable communication system is crucial in any control room, a clutter-free interface without extra devices makes essential practical sense.

A modern control room software platform with a touchscreen interface is ideal for high-stress environments, especially in emergency communication systems. Such an application can consolidate all necessary tools into a user-friendly interface and help operators carry out their tasks.

3. Color-Coded Call Indicators

Control rooms often handle various calls; swiftly distinguishing between them is crucial. Emergency and priority calls, in particular, need to be identified and responded to quickly.

Critical Infrastructure Communications software with color-coded call indicators provides visual cues that help operators prioritize calls, especially during high-volume periods. Additionally, these solutions can include distinct alerting sounds to differentiate between calls.

This feature enhances situational awareness and streamlines call management, promptly addressing critical issues.

4. Flexibility

Control room environments are dynamic, often requiring adjustments to workflows, call handling, and team structures. Lack of flexibility in the Critical Infrastructure Communications software can hinder adaptation to these changes.

Selecting a flexible CICS platform enables operators or administrators to configure the virtual control room environment to meet their needs. This should include modifying workflows and scaling resources according to current demands.

5. Clear Visibility of Team Members’ Status

Operators using dispatch communication systems should know team status in real time to coordinate effectively. This helps them manage incoming and outgoing communication and oversee operations effectively.

CICS software that provides operators and team members with clear visibility and real-time updates on others’ availability, status, and current tasks can enhance coordination. This leads to improved team performance and faster response times.

6. Advanced Call Features

Basic call-handling features may not meet the complex needs of a control room, where advanced functionalities are often required to manage high volumes of calls and diverse scenarios effectively.

For instance, during a call surge with limited operator availability, features like call parking and subsequent call transfers to other team members can help manage the surge.

Additionally, choosing CICS software that offers features like efficient routing and automated responses (e.g., options to leave a voicemail or request a callback in case of unavailability) can enhance the ability to manage and process calls efficiently.

These features ensure that emergency and priority calls are handled promptly and resources are allocated effectively.

7. Call History

Access to comprehensive call history is necessary for control room staff to track and review past interactions, which can impact follow-up actions.

A Critical Infrastructure Communications System with a call history feature can allow operators to view records of past calls, including call details, recordings, and caller information, which can help them retrieve necessary information.

8.Call Recordings

In the high-stakes environment of control rooms, having call recordings is essential for compliance and dispute resolution.

Historical recordings also allow operators to review planning calls, which can be particularly lengthy. Operators can re-listen to parts of the conversation, clarifying and reinforcing their understanding, which is crucial for planning and safety.

Without recordings, valuable information and insights could be lost.

9. Comprehensive Contact Directory

In control rooms, quickly accessing contact information for team members and external stakeholders is crucial. The lack of an organized directory can lead to delayed communication.

For instance, a control room that manages critical infrastructure should have a directory with contact information for all personnel needed for planning, maintenance, incident recovery, and disaster management. Moreover, the communication application should allow contacting these personnel with the click of a button within the tool.

The software should also have intuitive interfaces for adding or editing contacts.

10. Scheduled Conferencing

In control room situations, planning and maintenance calls often require the participation of people across various job roles and locations. These could include engineers on-site who need to be part of the call.

Your CICS software should allow users to add contacts from the directory and set a meeting time. The software should notify participants at the scheduled time and facilitate them joining the call.

This feature addresses a significant issue for operators, eliminating the need to manually call engineers on-site and ask them to join the calls.

What Makes Enghouse CICS for Control Rooms Stand Out?

No one understands control rooms better than operators. Enghouse designed its Critical Infrastructure Communications System after understanding the requirements and taking extensive operator feedback. This solution, designed for operators, is packed with features tailored to meet the unique demands of control room environments:

• Touchscreen-Enabled interface: Designed for control rooms, this application provides ease of access, eliminating the need for additional hardware. The rugged yet user-friendly interface ensures durability in challenging environments.
• Resilience and Reliability: Built with auto-failover capabilities and deployed across geo-redundant data centers, Enghouse CICS ensures continuous operation and robust performance even during system failures.
• Flexibility: Control room environments require adjustments to workflows, call handling, and team structures. Enghouse CICS allows administrators to configure the virtual control room environment, modify workflows, and scale resources using an intuitive web interface.
• Clear visibility of team members’ status: This feature offers real-time updates of call assignments and team member availability, allowing operators to manage communications effectively and share the load when necessary.
  

• Color-coded call indicators: Provides visual cues for different call types, ensuring emergency calls are prioritized and immediately addressed.
• Advanced call features: Includes efficient routing, call parking, and automated responses for optimal call management.
• Call history: Tracks and reviews past interactions with comprehensive call records.
• Call recordings: Ensures compliance and aids in planning by recording all calls.
• Comprehensive contact directory: Quickly accesses contact information with the ability to add or edit contacts and integrate contacts from third-party systems.
• Deployment Models: Offers a variety of deployment models, including on-premise, cloud-based and hybrid solutions.
• Enghouse CICS as a Service: This deployment model offers a private cloud with enhanced security, scalability, and other cloud benefits while reducing the complexity of setup and maintenance.

In addition to the features, the level of configuration offered sets the  Enghouse Critical Infrastructure Communications System apart from other solutions in the market. At Enghouse, we recognize that every control room is different and has its unique needs. We customize the Enghouse CICS solution based on understanding your current operations, ensuring a smooth transition through extensive testing and training. 

Designed for high-stakes environments, mission critical communication systems must combine intuitive interfaces with features that minimize operational disruptions. Want to know how this solution will enhance your control room’s communication experience? Click here to schedule a demo and learn more:

 Elevate my control room communication. 

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Which features should you look for in critical infrastructure communications software?
   The key features for control room software should include resilience and reliability, a touchscreen-enabled interface, color-coded call indicators, flexibility, and advanced call features.
2. What is the most crucial aspect to look for in critical infrastructure communications software?
   The most crucial aspects are resilience and reliability. The software must guarantee continuous operation and robust performance, even during adjacent system failures, ensuring effective communication in high-pressure control room environments.
3. Which is the best critical infrastructure communications software?
   Enghouse Interactive’s Critical Infrastructure Communications System for Control Rooms is the ideal solution. It offers auto-failover, operational flexibility, advanced features, and customizable configurations tailored to unique control room needs, ensuring robust and reliable communication.

Find out more:

• Learn about Enghouse CICS
• Brochure: Enghouse CICS

About the Author

Vinay Patel VP of Product Management
Enghouse Interactive
LinkedIn

Vinay is a seasoned Professional Services expert specializing in control room and critical infrastructure systems. He supports Enghouse clients through the development, implementation, and optimization of mission-critical environments, ensuring seamless performance, operational resilience, and measurable results in safety, security, and efficiency.