Phased Migration: De-Risking Public Sector Access Control

A major Metropolitan Borough Council that is part of a large regional combined authority faced a critical security challenge across its extensive estate of public and civic buildings. Their existing access control system had reached its End-of-Life (EOL).

This EOL status meant the Council was exposed to significant and unacceptable risks: no new firmware or security updates, reliance on scarce replacement parts and an inability to scale to meet new operational and security requirements.

The central requirement was to find a high-security, multi-site solution that could be justified under a tight public sector capital budget, making cost-efficiency, longevity, and a low Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) paramount.

The Challenge

The core challenge was to modernise the security infrastructure without forcing a n expensive and disruptive overhaul of the entire estate. This involved addressing several critical areas: 

• Migration Risk: Safely migrating the entire system from the old ACC fieldbus architecture to a modern IP-based system without requiring a complete rip-and-replace of peripheral hardware (readers, cabling).
• Operational Continuity: Sites – including administrative headquarters, community hubs, and public venues – are in constant use. A “big-bang” cutover was impossible, necessitating a seamless, phased deployment with minimal downtime.
• Procurement Scrutiny: As a public sector entity, the investment had to be fully defensible on the grounds of value, risk mitigation, and long-term cost-efficiency against established incumbents.
• Integration Complexity: The new system needed to integrate seamlessly with the Council’s existing ecosystem, including CCTV, alarm systems and local authority HR/identity directories.

The Solution

The Council selected the JanusC4 platform for its robust architecture and its ability to manage complex migrations. The solution centered on a phased, cost-effective transition:

Phased Migration Strategy: A collaborative strategy was developed to move the highest-risk sites first. JanusC4’s ability to coexist with the legacy architecture during the transition guaranteed operational continuity.

Cost-Efficient Deployment: A critical element was compatibility, which allowed the team to reuse existing readers, wiring and door hardware. This dramatically reduced the capital expenditure and made the solution significantly more cost-competitive.

Modular JC4 Controllers: The controllers were deployed as a robust, modular and modern foundation, capable of supporting the multi-site, centralised control requirements of the entire civic estate.

Integration and Testing: Comprehensive testing was undertaken to ensure seamless integration with the Council’s existing security systems, enabling unified management and coordinated responses
to security events.

The Results and Benefits

The successful migration transformed the Council’s security into a future-ready, scalable asset. JanusC4 enhanced security and compliance while achieving predictable operational savings by eliminating reliance on obsolete parts. The project delivered seamless, centralised management across all sites and was a budget success with minimal disruption, thanks to phased, off-hours cutovers.

A Modern Approach to Public Sector Security

This project is a powerful demonstration of how public sector organisations – despite tight budgetary constraints – can achieve state-of-the-art security through smart migration planning.

• Legacy Risk Mitigation: It provides a clear blueprint for safely replacing obsolete, end-of-life systems without the risk of massive, sudden disruption.
• Competitive Excellence: The success shows that superior technical design, emphasising hardware reuse, can outcompete larger incumbents based on value and cost discipline.
• Scalable Model: JC4’s phased migration and integration success makes this a reference model for other councils and public agencies across the region facing similar legacy access control challenges.