about us

If you are looking for a specialised security integration company with more than 18 years' industry experience and a 360o view of the technology-based security industry to assist you with your requirements, then look no further. No matter the size and the scope of your project, with our permanent staff complement we have all the credentials, certifications, and the expertise you will ever need, so we can handle your project, regardless of size or complexity.

DCS has achieved a Level 1 Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) contributor status. Our BBBEE principles are integrated into the very fabric of DCS and this is evident at all levels.

We don't stop at a great design and installation work, we also stand behind you with the best service and accreditations in the industry. DCS has always worked with the philosophy of offering the best quality workmanship, utilising the best security technology available, and doing it right, the first time.

We are committed to recommend and implement products and strategies proven to maximise security efficiency and minimise intrusion impact.

From start to finish, we will work closely with you to provide complete turn-key project assistance, from planning, budgeting, product selection and support, through to project delivery and completion.

We will be there when you need us. We are also there when others may not be.






Accreditations

Any business wanting to operate as a surveillance or security service provider - be it for the installation, configuration, support and monitoring of CCTV equipment, as well as a control room, or as surveillance operators - may only legally operate with the required certification and affiliations.

DCS is registered with the Private Security Industry Regulation Authority (PSIRA), complies with, and endorses the Private Security Industry Regulation Act, 2001 (Act No 56 of 2001). The primary objective of the Authority is to regulate the private security industry and to exercise effective control over the practice of the occupation of security service providers.

We are a registered member of The South African Qualification & Certification Committee (SAQCC), established to ensure that individuals and companies designing, installing and servicing gas suppression and fire detection systems, and fire protection equipment have the correct training, qualifications and experience, as laid out in SANS 1475.

The FDIA (Fire Detection Installers Association) was formed in June 1999 to provide representation and leadership to the fire detection and gaseous extinguishing system industries. The Gas Extinguishing Division (GED) was incorporated into the FDIA in August 2004. The purpose of the FDIA & GED is to uplift the quality and professionalism within the industry through training and by informing its members, consulting engineers and specifiers of changes and technologies within and affecting the industry.

The Fire System Inspection Bureau (FSIB) was established in 2007 to provide independent services for Commercial and Industrial enterprises to ensure that life and property safety, fire detection and gaseous extinguishing systems are installed in accordance with current South African standards. The leading Insurance Companies and Insurance Brokers have recognised the FSIB (Fire Systems Inspection Bureau) as an independent third-party organisation who have the competency to conduct these tasks. They recommend that all fire detection systems and gaseous extinguishing systems installed in commercial and industrial properties be inspected and certified to be compliant with South African standards and Codes of Practise. The FSIB is recommended by ASIB (Automatic Sprinkler Inspection Bureau) and is a compulsory requirement of the FDIA (Fire Detection Installers Association).

The Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) - a Schedule 3A public entity - was established by Act of Parliament (Act 38 of 2000) to promote a regulatory and developmental framework that builds a construction industry delivery capability for South Africa's social and economic growth, and that delivers to globally competitive standards.

DCS is a certified Rotakin compliant installer. Rotakin is the only device specified in BSI EN 50132-7: 1996 to test CCTV camera performance. It has been adopted and approved by CENELEC, is also recommended in the code of practice NACP 20, and is a SANS Standard approved by the SA Bureau of Standards - SANS 0222-5-1-4







our services

Our technical support teams will work with you to design cost-effective solutions tailored to your exact requirements and expectations throughout your project lifecycle. We help you to minimise risk, meet the latest regulatory requirements and deliver efficient and effective solutions that will help drive value through your business.

Leveraging our best-practice expertise in surveillance, monitoring, cabling infrastructure, and best-of-breed supporting technologies, we can help you to improve security efficiency and lower the impact and likelyhood of a security breach.

SMART-Surveillance

HD IP CCTV Systems I Analogue CCTV Systems I Thermal Imaging I Video Analytics I Integrated CCTV Systems

ACCESS-Control

Proximity Card Systems I Biometric Systems I Access Control Integration I Boom Gates

FIRE/ALARM-Systems

Fire Detection I Fire Suppression I Fire Prevention I Smoke Detection (Vesda) I Addressable Fire Detection Systems I Alarms

STRUCTURED-Cabling & Networking

Voice-, Data-, and Communications Cabling I Cable Plant Certification I Edge & Core Switches I Copper, Fibre & Wireless Links

SERVER ROOM-Construction

Racking I Power management I Fire Suppression & Detection I Environmental Monitoring I Access Flooring I Air-conditioning I Access Control & Security

SECURITY-Operations Centre

Biometric System I Security Guard I Smoke Detector I Physical Security I Physical Damage I Theft I Unauthorised Entry I Human Intervention I Emergencies

PROJECT-Management

Biometric System I Security Guard I Smoke Detector I Physical Security I Physical Damage I Theft I Unauthorised Entry I Human Intervention I Emergencies

There are many reasons why you should choose DCS, and it is better to be safe than sorry.

We've got you covered, so please don't hesitate to contact us to arrange for a consultative meeting.





DCS POPI Act Privacy Notice

This Notice explains how DCS obtains, uses and discloses your personal information, as is required by the Protection of Personal Information Act (the POPI Act).

At DCS we are committed to protecting your privacy and to ensure that your personal information is collected and used properly, lawfully and transparently.

The information we collect

DCS collects and processes your personal information to provide you with access to our services, to help us improve our offerings to you, and for certain other purposes explained below. The type of information we collect will depend on the purpose for which it is collected and used. We will only collect information that we need for that specific purpose.

We collect information directly from you where you provide us with your personal details, for example, when you purchase services from us or when you submit enquiries to us or contact us. Where possible, we will inform you what information you are required to provide to us and what information is optional.

How we use your information

DCS will use your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected or agreed with you, for example:

  • To provide our services to you, to carry out the transaction you requested and to maintain our relationship;
  • To confirm and verify your identity or to verify that you are an authorised user for security purposes;
  • For the detection and prevention of fraud, crime, money laundering or other malpractice;
  • To conduct market or customer satisfaction research or for statistical analysis;
  • For audit and record keeping purposes;
  • li>In connection with legal proceedings.

Disclosure of information

DCS may disclose your personal information to our service providers who are involved in the delivery of services to you. We have agreements in place to ensure that they comply with these privacy terms.

We may also disclose your information:

  • Where we have a duty or a right to disclose in terms of law or industry codes;
  • Where we believe it is necessary to protect our rights.

Information Security

We are legally obliged to provide adequate protection for the personal information we hold and to stop unauthorised access and use of personal information. We will, on an ongoing basis, continue to review our security controls and related processes to ensure that your personal information is secure.

The DCS security policies and procedures cover:

  • Physical security;
  • Computer and network security;
  • Access to personal information;
  • Secure communications;
  • Security in contracting out activities or functions;
  • Retention and disposal of information;
  • Acceptable usage of personal information;
  • Governance and regulatory issues;
  • Monitoring access and usage of private information;
  • Investigating and reacting to security incidents.

When we contract with third parties, we impose appropriate security, privacy and confidentiality obligations on them to ensure that personal information that we remain responsible for, is kept secure. We may need to transfer your personal information to another country for processing or storage. We will ensure that anyone to whom we pass your personal information agrees to treat your information with the same level of protection as we are obliged to do.

Your rights: access to information

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information we hold about you. To do this, simply contact us at the numbers/addresses listed below and specify what information you would like. We will take all reasonable steps to confirm your identity before providing details of your personal information.

Correction of your information

You have the right to ask us to update, correct or delete your personal information. You may do this by contacting us at the numbers/addresses provided. We will take all reasonable steps to confirm your identity before making changes to personal information we may hold about you.

Changes to this Notice

Please note that we may amend this Notice from time to time. Please check this website periodically to inform yourself of any changes.

contact us

contact information

  • Monday - Friday: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
  • Address: 98 William Road, Norwood, Johannesburg 2051
  • Phone: 011 646 0950
  • Fax: 086 631 6549
  • Email: errolb@dcsafrica.co.za

leave us a message

© Data Connectivity Solutions - All rights reserved



































PRODUCTS OF CHOICE

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PRODUCTS OF CHOICE

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PRODUCTS OF CHOICE

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PRODUCTS OF CHOICE

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Overview of a Server Room

A server room is an important area for many small- to medium businesses that is set up to house computer servers and other equipment. These rooms may have been originally designed specifically for this purpose, or they may have been created as the need for one came up. Either way, a good server room will provide an environment where computer equipment can safely operate in one location so that networking and other activities are made easier and more effective.

Size of a Server Room

In ICT communities, most people consider a server room to be a relatively small area, i.e. a store room or office space. When a room gets significantly larger than that and begins to house computer equipment, it can become a data centre. Technically speaking, however, a server room can be virtually any size.

Server rooms can also be just about any shape. In many situations, a server room likely served another purpose such as a storage area, print shop, or office space. Because of this, the room may be laid out in a non-standard way. The reason this is important is that it can impact the planning for managing the environment, including airflow and cooling.

Unique design aspects of a Server Room

When small businesses are growing and start to need computer servers and other equipment, it is not uncommon for a business to designate a specific area to place them. In most situations, this is a small, temporary, out of the way location that will really only be able to house a small amount of equipment. Keeping computer equipment operating properly is not the specific purpose of the design of these computer closets.

The design or upgrade of an area to a server room need to adhere to standards, i.e. Uptime Institute and TIA 942 - (1)(2). With a specific design, you can avoid problems that can come with a new server room. A server room must have some, or even all, of the following design aspects added in order to allow technical equipment to operate properly:

  • Precise Environmental Control - A server room should have sensors throughout the area that measure both temperature and humidity. the environmental control systems should also be able to keep the entire room at the desired levels.

  • Airflow Planning - Servers and other computer equipment generate a lot of heat. A good airflow plan helps to avoid hot spots and eliminates heat from the area so it doesn't cause damage.

  • Fire Suppression System - If a fire occurs, you don't want to have to spray a server room with water. The water would damage all the equipment, resulting in a huge disaster. There are quite a few options for this type of system including Inergen systems, Novec systems, and FM-200 systems. These are all designed to extinguish fires while keeping computer equipment safe.

  • Cable Management Solutions - Server rooms can end up with kilometres of cables. Designing the room to allow cables to properly run through ducting and trays on the top of the racking, through the ceiling, or under the floor, helps to keep cabling tidy and manageable.

  • Redundant Power Sources - Having redundant and back-up power sources is important not only to ensure the equipment remains up and running at all times, but also to avoid power surges that could damage the servers and other items in the room.

  • Physical Security - Server rooms house expensive equipment. In addition, the stored data in these rooms can be invaluable. Having the necessary physical security in place to keep it safe is essential.

  • DMARK Location - Server rooms typically have multiple data circuits coming in, often from multiple different telephone companies. Having one location (the DMARK point) where the telco's responsibility ends and passes off to the business is important.

What equipment goes in a Server Room?

Once a server room is physically set-up and ready to go, it is time to start installing the actual equipment. Of course, each server room is going to have different things housed within it based on the needs of the company that is setting it up. The following are among the different things you'll find in most server rooms today:

  • Server Racks - Server racks are installed within a server room and used to house the physical equipment. These racks provide physical protection, improved temperature control, and many other benefits.

  • Computer Servers - Of course, this room is going to house servers. These could be stand-alone servers, blade servers, or even equipment for virtual servers. Housing all of them properly is crucial to ensure they run correctly.

  • Routers & Switches - Routers, switches, and other networking equipment are essential for sending, receiving, and routing the data that comes in and out of the server room.

  • Network Cabling - Server rooms will often have multiple types of network cabling including copper and fibre optic cables.

  • Cable Management Equipment - Starting from the server racks, and along the entire path that cables run, it is important to secure cables in place. Cable management equipment includes zip ties, installed eyelets, and a variety of other items to guide and protect cables.

    • Designing or retrofitting a room to operate as a server room is a major undertaking. When done properly, however, it will give your business a centralised location to keep a wide range of equipment safe. It also makes it easier to manage the physical computer equipment and software used to power your business.





















































    Security Operations Centre (SOC)

    An increasing focus on security coupled with the growing threat of nefarious activities means that the need for quick and effective response has never been greater. This demand is, in turn, driving a requirement for managed real-time alerting, event correlation, analysis and auditing.

    Rapid response time is crucial, and employees monitoring a Security Operations Centre (SOC) or Command Centre must have all the necessary tools to react quickly to situations when they arise. In some cases, a SOC employee may need to actively monitor CCTV security cameras and be able to quickly dispatch security officers to a physical location. Every second count when a threat must be quickly found and negated.

    A Security Operations Centre (SOC) provides a central location to deal with a variety of security issues on an organisational and technical level. A SOC is a centralised unit, supervised by on-site staff, which allows real-time monitoring and controlling of events for your organisation.

    Maintaining an efficient Security Operations Centre requires certain processes and resources, and the DCS Security Operations Centre (SOC) provides the needed security expertise, threat intelligence and automation, resulting in a higher level of efficiency being achieved. This, in turn, assists our clients in responding to incidents faster and much more successfully, without having to invest in the dedicated manpower, equipment and operational costs to establish a dedicated, in-house Security Operations Centre (SOC).

    Our intelligent 24/7 Monitoring Services and our advanced alerting services provide full contextual analysis behind issues and our accredited experts manage the noise and identify events that matter.

    There is a range of services provided, such as collecting, analysing and storing audit logs to securely transmit data back to SOC for analysis and mitigation, and providing full contextual analysis behind raw event data. We also assist you in achieving compliance with increasing legislation, while offering them more effective identification and mitigation of security risks, coupled to expert advice in managing configurations, changes and migrations.

    Our team will work with you to determine and design the best surveillance system and help you determine what Security Operations Centre (SOC) solution will be best for your business requirements.


















































    Project Management

    DCS embarks on a variety of projects as part of our business activities. Some projects revolve around installing new- or upgrading equipment, while others allow us to meet customer deadlines for service work. The critical path of a project provides us with information regarding its key tasks. We analyse critical paths to create an employee work schedule. In our view, the critical path is the most important component of the project schedule.

    Creating a critical path involves identifying all of the tasks necessary to complete the project and determining which tasks control the completion of the project. DCS creates a critical path by detailing each task required and identifying which ones rely on the completion of other tasks. The critical path consists of the series of tasks that take the longest to complete, and thus sets the maximum length of time required to complete the project.

    Understanding the critical path of the project allows our project managers to prioritise which tasks require a greater focus. Those tasks falling along the critical path directly impact the ability of DCS to complete the project on time. Any delay in these tasks set back the project completion date. Tasks not on the critical path may be delayed without affecting the completion date of the project. For this reason, critical path tasks incur a higher priority in the use of our resources.

    The critical path also gives DCS the ability to assign deadlines to each task. Our employees need to complete each task on the critical path by the deadline to maintain the project schedule. Tasks along the critical path determine the deadlines required. The deadlines assigned to critical path tasks must coordinate to facilitate completion of the final project on time. After assigning these deadlines, we assign deadlines to the remaining tasks.

    The critical path method has three main benefits for project managers:

    • Identifies the most important tasks: It identifies the tasks that you will have to closely manage. If any of the tasks on the critical path take more time than their estimated durations, start later than planned, or finish later than planned, then your whole project will be affected.

    • Helps reduce timelines: If, after the initial analysis predicts a completion time, there is interest in completing the project in a shorter time frame, because it becomes clear which task or tasks are candidates for duration reduction. When the results from a critical path method are displayed in a waterfall format, it is clear to see where the tasks fall in the overall timeframe. You can visualise the critical path activities (they are usually highlighted), as well as task durations and their sequences. This provides a new level of insight into your project's timeline, giving you more understanding about which task durations you can modify, and which must stay the same.

    • Compares planned with actual: The critical path method can also be used to compare planned progress with actual progress. As the project proceeds, the baseline schedule developed from the initial critical path analysis can be used to track schedule progress. Throughout a project, the project manager can identify tasks that have already been completed, the predicted remaining durations for in-progress tasks, and any planned changes to future task sequences and durations. The result will be an updated schedule, which, when displayed against the original baseline, will provide a visual means of comparing planned with actual progress.

      •