Panoptec CTO: Security Sector Driving Growth in Control Room Displays
2026-09-17 · via invidis
Panoptec Group, the parent company of video wall specialist Vuwall and control room hardware maker Guntermann & Drunck (G&D), says the security sector is driving significant growth in the command-and-control (C&C) display market. In an interview with invidis, Panoptec CTO Mark Schmidt outlined how the two companies are combining their technology and where he sees the industry heading.
Schmidt says defense, government and surveillance are the strongest growth areas right now, with many new control rooms currently being planned and built. He also points to cybersecurity as a growing driver, with organizations building dedicated control rooms for internal IT monitoring. Through G&D, Panoptec is also active in air traffic control.
Combining video walls with operator desks
Vuwall and G&D became sister companies under Panoptec Group in early 2025. According to Schmidt, Vuwall's strength is in distributing signals across video walls, while G&D focuses on the operator desk experience. The companies have merged this into shared management software that controls both signal distribution and user permissions, letting administrators restrict which operators can view or display specific sources on specific parts of a video wall.
On security, Schmidt says Panoptec's approach differs from typical digital signage practice. Rather than relying on network-level protections across an open system, Panoptec physically separates its networks from customer systems beyond a single handover point, which it says reduces the attack surface. The company says it holds SOC2, ISO 27001, Common Criteria and DODIN APL certifications, plus FIPS 140-3 for encryption between systems. The announcement does not specify which products or deployments carry each certification.
LED growth, but not everywhere
Asked about the broader industry shift from LCD to LED, Schmidt says smaller control rooms still favor LCD for cost and space reasons, particularly where pixel density requirements are modest. But he says larger installations monitoring hundreds of camera feeds are moving toward low pixel pitch LED walls. At the same time, he describes a countertrend toward smaller personal video walls at individual workstations, where operators pull signals for closer inspection while the main wall is reserved for a broad overview.
Schmidt also points to growing demand for 5K displays at workstations and multiview applications, alongside new hardware such as Panoptec's Commandkeyboard Advanced, a keyboard with a built-in display aimed at simplifying operation during high-stress situations. He notes a consolidation trend, with organizations shifting from many small control rooms toward a main control center supported by satellite locations.
On expansion, Schmidt cites G&D's joint venture with CT Square to enter the Indian market, alongside large ongoing projects in Germany involving police, fire departments and government agencies. The announcement does not detail specific contract values or timelines for these projects.
The announcement in full
Reproduced from invidis for reference. Digital Signage Magazine did not write the text below.
Mark Schmidt, CTO of Panoptec Group, talks to invidis about the biggest trends in the control room industry, the synergies between subsidiaries Vuwall and G&D, and the ideal resolution for command-and-control screens.
C&C rooms are a highly specialized digital signage segment — and a highly successful one. Visual solutions providers have reported steady growth in this space for years, driven partly by the volatile global security situation.
Panoptec Group is a major player in the control room industry. The company brings together Vuwall, Guntermann & Drunck, known as G&D, and Tritec, allowing it to offer integrated solutions for managing entire control room ecosystems. invidis spoke with Panoptec CTO Mark Schmidt about the key developments in the command-and-control sector.
invidis: Mark, what makes C&C applications unique?
Mark Schmidt : In control rooms, the goal is always to monitor a situation. That means processing many different types of sources — camera feeds, mapping apps, and other software. Fire and police dispatch centers in particular handle a huge number of signals. The real challenge is bringing all these signals together and visualizing them the right way.
Where do you see growth for control rooms?
We’re seeing strong growth in the security sector — defense, government and surveillance. Many control rooms in this space are currently being planned and equipped. Cybersecurity is also becoming a bigger topic, control rooms for internal IT, for example. Through G&D, we’re also strong in air traffic control.
Since early 2025, G&D and Vuwall have been sister companies under Panoptec Group. What does that mean for your solutions?
In regards to a holistic approach, this has major advantages. Vuwall comes more from the video wall side – how to distribute many signals across a video wall. G&D focuses more on the operator desk – how does an operator actually work with those signals? By combining the two, we can create synergies and streamline solutions.
One example is our management software, which now controls both sides at once. On the signal distribution side, I can save distinctive scenarios. On the user management side, I can assign specific permissions, so individual operators only see certain sources and can only display them in certain areas of the video wall.
Cybersecurity is becoming more pressing across the digital signage industry. That’s certainly a major factor for control rooms too, right?
Of course it’s extremely important to us, but our starting point is different. We physically separate our networks. Data comes together in a customer’s system, but beyond that handover point, we are truly separated from it. That drastically reduces the attack surface — structurally, there is no cross-over between the systems. In some ways, that high level of security is actually a challenge for us.
In digital signage, everything is very open, which makes the system vulnerable but also flexible. In C&C scenarios, we don’t have the option to just tap into a signal somewhere. System A isn’t allowed to communicate with system B, but we still have to display both on the video wall. That’s the challenge: how do you transmit signals without obstacles. Besides of that, we of course hold the key security standards: SOC2, ISO 27001, Common Criteria and DODIN APL, plus FIPS 140-3 for encryption between systems.
Looking at hardware, the whole digital signage industry is shifting from LCD to LED. Does that apply to control rooms too?
Smaller control rooms still use LCD displays, simply because they’re cheaper and need less space. It always depends on how many signals you need to display within a given area. If that area isn’t too large, LCD can still deliver good pixel density.
Overall, the trend is clearly moving toward high-resolution LED walls. If you need to monitor hundreds of camera feeds, you need a low pixel pitch. But there’s also a shift away from very large walls toward personal video walls. When an operator wants to see details, they pull the signal directly to their desk, where they can go much deeper than on the video wall. The wall itself is there for the big picture.
What does that mean for control room equipment?
We’re seeing more 5K displays at workstations, along with growing demand for multiview applications. We’re also developing new solutions ourselves — for example, our Commandkeyboard Advanced, a keyboard with a built-in display. That makes operation more intuitive, especially in situations which are stressful for the operator.
Control rooms are increasingly being consolidated. In the past, there were many small control rooms. Now there are several satellite locations but one main control center. Overall, everything is getting bigger.
G&D recently announced a joint venture with CT Square to enter the Indian market. What other regions have potential?
India is a very interesting market for us, but we have many installations worldwide. Right now, there are also very large projects in Germany, including police stations, fire departments and government agencies.