Genetec Security Center

Yes. Security Center supports encrypted directory communication, so its connection to Active Directory can be secured with SSL/TLS rather than transmitting bind credentials and directory queries in the clear. This is the recommended configuration for production deployments and aligns with Genetec’s own hardening guidance for Windows Active Directory integration.

Active Directory security groups are imported into Security Center and associated with Security Center user groups, and it’s those user groups that carry the privilege set — not the AD group directly. Members inherit their privileges from the parent user group they belong to, so an operator’s rights follow automatically from their directory group membership. Privileges can then be refined per partition, where a granted or denied privilege at partition level overrides the inherited baseline. The result is that authorisation is defined once against groups and inherited by users, rather than configured person by person.

Yes. Security Center can delegate authentication to Active Directory, so operators sign in with their existing Windows domain credentials rather than a separate security system username and password. Authentication is validated against the directory at logon, enabling single sign-on with the identities users already hold and removing an extra credential from the lifecycle. This means one fewer password to issue, rotate, and revoke, and it keeps account state — enabled or disabled — governed centrally in Active Directory.

Disabling the domain account blocks access immediately at the authentication layer: because Security Center delegates authentication to Active Directory, the next logon attempt is rejected the moment the directory refuses the credential — the operator can no longer sign in. The user record and its inherited group privileges are then reconciled in Security Center on the next synchronisation cycle, which propagates the disabled state and removes the associated access. So logon is denied instantly, and the account’s standing is fully brought into line at the next sync.

Yes. Security Center supports nested user groups: a user inherits the properties and privileges of every group they belong to; a user can belong to more than one group; and groups can themselves be nested — so inherited authorisation flows down through the hierarchy rather than stopping at a single level. Imported Active Directory security groups are converted to Security Center user groups, so a tiered group structure is carried through to the platform.

Genetec Security Center is a unified physical security platform that combines video surveillance (Omnicast), access control (Synergis), automatic licence plate recognition (AutoVu), intrusion monitoring and communications in a single interface. Because these capabilities are native to a single platform rather than integrated across separate products, events from every system appear on a single timeline within a single administrative environment.

Security Center is deployed on your own infrastructure, on-premises or in hybrid configurations. Security Centre SaaS delivers a unified platform as a cloud service on a hybrid cloud architecture, with automated updates, elastic scalability, and support for cloud-managed appliances and direct-to-cloud devices. Existing on-premises systems can federate into a SaaS deployment, so the two models are a continuum rather than an either/or.

Security Center is built on an open architecture with a broad ecosystem of supported devices from major camera and controller manufacturers. JD Security validates every proposed device against the platform during design, including AXIS Powered by Genetec door controllers that run Synergis software natively on Axis hardware.

In most cases, yes — and often in stages. JD Security engineers phased migrations that reuse compatible cameras, controllers, readers and cabling where the hardware meets the platform’s requirements, so the transition to a unified platform doesn’t require replacing everything at once.

Like any enterprise platform, Security Center benefits from planned maintenance: software updates, cybersecurity hardening, storage health checks and device firmware management. JD Security provides preventative maintenance programmes and supports Genetec Advantage coverage, which keeps the platform current with Genetec’s release cycle.

Security Center 5.14 introduces updates focused on automation, performance and scalability. Key enhancements include:

• Automation: The Automation Report Manager now runs on 64-bit architecture, allowing multiple automated tasks to be triggered simultaneously. Threat level configuration is integrated into the Automation task, and a new “wait for event” feature allows actions to proceed only when specific conditions are met within a defined timeframe.
• Performance: Security Desk and the Media Gateway now run natively on 64-bit architecture, improving video decoding, encoding and dewarping. The Archiver agent also runs on 64-bit architecture, enhancing its ability to handle larger workloads and high-resolution video streams.
• Usability: You can now schedule tasks in local time without converting to UTC or adjusting for daylight saving. Finnish language support has been added.
• Access control: Custom privilege templates are available, along with more granular user privileges for threat level activation. You can email cardholders, users or external recipients directly from Security Center reports.
• Video and ALPR: Add text overlays, images and polygons to visual tracking. ALPR now supports Korean licence plate reads for search and hotlist matching. You can automatically blur faces in high-resolution ALPR.
• Web experience: Security Center 5.14 no longer supports the legacy Security Center Web Client; the Genetec Web App replaces it.
• Storage: Automatic configuration of recording file size is available when enabling cloud storage, and the Zone Manager retention period has increased to 9,999 days.
• Hardware: Support for the Evolis Primacy 2 printer (SSCP version) is included for printing modern credentials. Monitoring inputs and their status are displayed within virtual zones in monitoring tiles and maps.