More than 50 guests, five partners, one theme: security from the door to the control room. On 11 November 2026, Honeywell, Barco, G4S, Haselmaier and controlrooms jointly hosted KRITIS 360° at the Riesenrad Panorama in the Vienna Prater. Here are the takeaways that matter for control room operators.
A full room, five talks, a look behind the scenes and, to close the day, a ride on the Vienna Giant Ferris Wheel. If you could not be there, this is the short version – including the video of the day.
Why the control room is at the centre
Access control, video, intrusion and fire alarms, building management: everything converges in the control room. It is the room with the highest privileges – and therefore the most valuable target in the entire security chain. That is exactly where the new obligations apply.
In Austria, the NISG 2026 – the national implementation of the EU NIS2 Directive – has applied since 1 October 2026. Entities in scope must register by 31 December 2026, and essential entities face fines of up to €10 million or 2% of worldwide turnover. On top of that, the RKEG (implementing the EU CER Directive) has required physical protection of critical entities since 1 March 2026. Our NIS2 checklist for control rooms shows what this means in practice.
The talks at a glance
Honeywell: the basics of KRITIS, NIS2, DORA and the CRA
Helmut Ratz (Honeywell) mapped out the regulations that now hit critical infrastructure operators at the same time. Two points stand out for control rooms: Honeywell recommends that rooms with security-relevant equipment should only be entered with two-factor authentication. And the Cyber Resilience Act also covers access control, cameras and alarm systems – reporting obligations have applied since 11 September 2026, full application follows on 11 December 2027. See also our article on the Cyber Resilience Act for KVM systems.
controlrooms: AI in the control room?
Erich Strasser showed what AI can already do in control room operations and where its limits are. He put three questions to the audience: Are you already using AI? Where could you imagine it in your control room? Where do you see the biggest problems? His rule of thumb after more than 25 years of building control rooms: AI suggests, a human decides – and there must always be a way to stop it. For high-risk AI, the EU AI Act makes exactly that mandatory from 2 December 2027.
Barco: Security meets CTRL
Thomas Petz (Barco Control Rooms) walked through a scenario: 03:40, the control room has to be evacuated. Whether operations stop or continue from the backup control room is an architecture decision. His three messages:
- The control room is IT and belongs in IT security governance.
- Networking is not the risk – uncontrolled networking is: get the sources out of the room, grant access by identity instead of by port, encrypt and log everything.
- Resilience means connected sites, not thicker walls.
How this works technically: Why KVM over IT is the paradigm shift your control room needs.
G4S: Digital Security Guard
Lukas Loidl (G4S) showed how an alarm receiving centre certified to EN 50518 delivers security remotely, around the clock. Relevant for operators with their own control rooms: an external centre can step in as redundancy – at night, at weekends or during peak load.
Haselmaier: wood meets technology
Haselmaier showed why a control room console is more than furniture: viewing distances, reach zones, an accessible technical side and the room climate decide how well an operator gets through a night shift. A modern control room reduces physical and mental strain and builds acceptance in the team. More on this: control room consoles for 24/7 operation.
Impressions
What operators should take away
- Check your registration: entities in scope of the Austrian NISG 2026 must register by 31 December 2026.
- Include the control room: it belongs in the IT security concept – with identity-based access, encryption and logging.
- Plan for the worst case: who takes over at 03:40 when the room has to be cleared? A backup control room must be technically prepared before it is needed.
- AI with a stop button: before any AI project, decide which data may leave the building and who can stop the AI.
Control room solutions from a single source
controlrooms has been planning, building and servicing control rooms for more than 25 years: from analysis and planning to video walls, KVM and consoles through to 24/7 service – one responsible company instead of many trades. Planning a new control room or preparing an existing one for NIS2? Talk to us.
FAQ about KRITIS 360°
What was KRITIS 360°?
A professional event on the security of critical infrastructure on 11 November 2026 at the Riesenrad Panorama in the Vienna Prater, jointly organised by Honeywell, Barco, G4S, Haselmaier and controlrooms, with more than 50 guests.
By when do entities in Austria have to register under the NISG 2026?
The NISG 2026 has applied since 1 October 2026. Registration must take place within three months, i.e. by 31 December 2026.
How does a control room stay operational during an evacuation?
If the source computers sit in the data centre and the workstations are connected via KVM over IT, operators can log in to a prepared backup control room with the same rights and continue working.