Datapath powered SENTRY Video Walls were selected for use in the operations headquarters for surveillance and monitoring of the 2024 Olympic Games.

The Games were held from 26 July to 11 August, and the Paralympic Games from 28 August to 8 September. The Paris Olympic Games were “a success in terms of security and organisation, a sporting success and a popular success”, said President Emmanuel Macron at the end of the Games, addressing a gathering of professionals involved in their organisation at the Élysée Palace.

More than 11 million visitors came to the Olympic venues for the events and celebrations. A record 9.5 million tickets were sold, and 1.7 million tourists visited Paris and the surrounding towns during the first week of the games.

The outcomes are a unanimous referendum, by all involved, to say that the Olympic Games were a blowout success on many different levels.  

President Macron thanked all those who helped make the Olympics a success, saying that members of law enforcement kept athletes and spectators safe. “Hundreds of acts were prevented,” said the French president.

The success on the security and safety front is due largely to an impressive mobilisation of all services of the Ministries of Armed Forces and Interior.

Security was the utmost priority and the Datapath powered Sentry Video Walls ensured superior information security, flexible real time video and images in which video can be distributed to any room and also allow for easy scenario selection as well as easy setup and use. 

The SENTRY hardware-secured video wall system, powered by Datapath’s VSN V3 video wall controller, is designed and manufactured for use in multi-domain network environments, specifically command centres. 

These cutting-edge video wall solutions are trusted, certified and in use by the French Ministry of Defense and NATO nations and have been positioned in numerous facilities across the French Air Force, Army, Navy, and Special Forces. 

They enable the integration of information from various networks with different levels of classification (UNCLASS, SECRET, TOP SECRET), allowing the command structure to view all critical data simultaneously while maintaining a physical network segregation. 

“In the 15 years that Sentry Video Walls have been on the market, they have evolved into highly respected and unparalleled global security solutions for use in command centres and in the field,” Sentry Business Unit Manager, Emmanuel Delorme. “We are honoured that our video walls have been selected as a primary tool in keeping the 2024 Olympics safe and secure. It confirms our commitment to the future development of advanced security products”

This hardware-centric approach to cybersecurity eliminates vulnerabilities of software solutions thus ensuring virtually no hacking or leaks. Hardware secure cybersecurity involves the use of physical devices to enhance the security of computer systems.

This includes specialised hardware components and appliances designed to provide robust security functions. It avoids shared hardware configurations which could lead to data breaches and leaks. 

In today’s cyber-reliant world, the challenge lies in managing secure command centre applications that use information from segregated networks with different security classification levels. Conventional commercial display systems cannot do this. 

“For my Center of Operation, the installation of a wall of eight screens in the Joint Operation Center was a major added value,” added LtCol Sebastien, Chief of the Center of Operations. “These screens, whose layout is comparable to what can be found in operations, notably in American headquarters, made it possible for me to anticipate and monitor the build-up of the Olympic games, while at the same time being able to deal immediately with incidents and accidents in subordinate units, thanks to a copy of the Geovisu mapping software.

“It’s clear that the installation of this system has improved the flow of information, boosted the responsiveness of the operations center’s staff, and enabled us to take better account of the situations we were faced with.

“At the end of the Olympic games, in mid-September, when we return to the normal-situation format (Sentinelle operation), I recommend that this video walls be installed on the premises of the Quartier Général des Loges (QGL).

“In this way, the Sentinelle Joint Staff will be able, as was the case for us during the Olympic Games, to monitor delicate situations, coordinate the action of units in the field and have the tools needed to accomplish the mission right in front of them, for the entire CO.”

For the Olympic headquarters, three SENTRY video walls powered by Datapath’s VSN V3, and numerous standalone screens were installed, totalling over 50 screens.

This extensive setup will further support the joint staff of the SENTINELLE operation, which is responsible for securing the French homeland.  

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