For many multi-site UK organisations, legacy infrastructure and fragmented security systems continue to create operational and cybersecurity challenges.
That was the context facing Charlie Bigham’s when Mike Calverley joined as Head of IT in 2023, with a mandate to modernise systems and achieve Cyber Essentials Plus certification.
A key area of concern was an ageing, unpatched CCTV system across sites in London and Somerset. “Making Bigham’s safe was a key priority – and that meant rethinking everything, including CCTV”, explained Mike.
To address this, Mike turned to SEiNG, a cloud-first video surveillance as a service (VSaaS) platform designed to modernise legacy surveillance systems, improve security posture, and simplify management.
The challenge of ageing CCTV infrastructure
The existing decades old surveillance system at Charlie Bigham’s presented a range of operational and security challenges. Outdated cameras and unmanaged switches created both cyber and infrastructure risks, with unpatched components leaving the system vulnerable.
Access control was also a concern. Footage could be viewed by anyone within the business, highlighting a lack of governance and restricted permissions. In addition, the reliance on on-premises servers required ongoing maintenance, diverting IT resources away from higher-value strategic projects.
The system was also difficult and costly to scale, with limited vendor support and no clear accountability. Across two sites in Wells and London, fragmented CCTV setups made it challenging to gain consistent visibility or manage footage effectively.
Given Mike’s cloud-first IT strategy, these limitations made a strong case for moving to a cloud-based CCTV solution to modernise the infrastructure and improve control across both sites.
Why SEiNG was the right fit for scalable CCTV security
As a fully managed cloud CCTV platform that works with any ONVIF/RTSP camera, SEiNG was built to solve many of the challenges Mike was facing around his legacy on-prem system.
Cloud-first security
As a true cloud VSaaS, SEiNG processes and analyses all footage in its UK cloud: no NVRs needed. This removes the unpatched hardware vulnerabilities, enables enterprise-grade features like AI-analytics for any camera, and ticks a GDPR compliance box where footage stays in the country.
The Cloud-first nature of SEiNG was a key differentiator to Mike. “SEiNG enabled us to retire on-premise servers at both our Quarry site in Wells and Park Royal London – this supported our Cyber Essentials Plus objectives and modernised our CCTV platform”.
It also meant that Mike could keep existing cameras where possible, without limiting functionality of the system. This saves upfront costs and reduces e-waste.
Exec-approved pricing
To his Exec team, SEiNG’s pricing structure – which involves a simple to manage monthly payment and no upfront costs for the system – was just as important.
Mike explains: “when you start talking about a CCTV project, the reaction can cause a nervousness around costs, whereas this cloud solution allows us to pay for support and the software on a monthly subscription model”.
Often, cloud CCTV results in a lower total cost of ownership compared to on-prem systems, due to the fact there are no upfront costs for servers, no unexpected maintenance fees, plus IT time saved through automatic updates and a fully managed service. This makes it an easy win for the IT budget.
Improved compliance with role-based CCTV access
One of the challenges Mike faced with the previous CCTV system is that anyone in the business could see the footage. Securing access was a priority, and a must-have for Cyber Essentials Plus.
SEiNG integrates seamlessly with Microsoft 365 through Single Sign-On (SSO) and 2-factor authentication, simplifying access management while automatically revoking permissions when employees leave. This saves considerable IT time and helps meet Cyber Essentials Plus requirements.
SEiNG also provides granular role-based access control, ensuring HR, Health & Safety, and Site Managers only see the CCTV footage relevant to their roles—improving governance, reducing risk, and enhancing GDPR compliance.
“For me, the big tick is the security side. SEiNG solves a problem that is a real threat to businesses in the 21st century: cybersecurity.”
Saving IT time with proactive CCTV support
SEiNG delivers hassle-free, automatic upgrades that remove the burden of manual maintenance from Mike’s IT team, ensuring the system continuously evolves to address emerging security risks without disruption.
In addition, SEiNG provides proactive, ongoing monitoring and support—identifying and resolving issues before they become problems—marking a significant improvement on Charlie Bigham’s previous reactive, hands-off vendor model and giving the team greater confidence and operational resilience.
How SEiNG was deployed across multiple sites
One of the benefits of Cloud CCTV is that deployment is faster than with an on-prem system. Due to the age of the previous CCTV system, SEiNG’s integration partner AlertSystems provided a comprehensive audit of Mike’s existing cameras to ensure coverage was optimised before getting started.
“It was all straightforward – AlertSystems mapped out where we had cameras and checked them as we had some old ones we knew didn’t work. Made life very easy”.
SEiNG’s deployment approach also leverages a Red Hat–based architecture, enabling patchable, software-driven installations without the need for additional on-site servers or complex infrastructure. Instead, cameras connect via a Secured By Design accredited cloud gateway, a small plug-and-play device which manages communication between on-site hardware and the cloud environment.
Flexibility was another key benefit, with SEiNG’s vendor-neutral approach allowing Charlie Bigham’s to deploy the most appropriate camera for each environment rather than being restricted to proprietary hardware. This ensured the system could be tailored to operational needs across different sites, from standard coverage areas to more demanding industrial conditions.
Ruggedised camera units were deployed in demanding environments such as the effluent plant, ensuring reliable performance in harsh operational conditions where traditional equipment would struggle. In addition, a mobile outdoor camera was installed at the Wells site to live-stream the £3 million building extension, allowing teams in London to view progress in real time and stay closely connected to on-site developments.
Despite one of its sites – the Quarry – being rural, SEiNG was up and running as planned, with no connectivity challenges.
As Mike noted: “We’re in a quarry, and if anyone should have connectivity issues, it should be us — but we don’t. We’ve never had a problem with the cloud service.”
Business impact of SEiNG cloud CCTV at Charlie Bigham’s
Swapping a legacy on-prem CCTV system for SEiNG’s VSaaS hasn’t just brought peace of mind for Mike – it’s delivered measurable, practical benefits across Charlie Bigham’s beyond security. From supporting cybersecurity compliance to making day-to-day operations smoother and more collaborative, SEiNG has become a key part of how Charlie Bigham’s runs its sites.
“It’s solving real problems in our business and turning CCTV – which people sometimes think is a burden that no one looks at – into something genuinely interesting and useful in ways that help manufacturing businesses”.
Here’s how SEiNG is making an impact across the business.
Enhancing food safety compliance with real-time CCTV monitoring
As a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, Charlie Bigham’s take food quality seriously. As such, they have tools like metal detectors and weighing equipment in their veg-prep area, with CCTV backed by SEiNG now forming an additional layer of oversight.
“Those cameras help us ensure procedures are being followed and they play an important role in adding to the quality of our food, even though we have other protection systems in place”.
This added visibility not only strengthens compliance with internal food safety standards but also supports continuous improvement by helping teams identify and maintain best practice across production processes.
Footage as engagement
Charlie Bigham’s have been undergoing a £3,000,000 extension at their Wells site, to expand their packing area. Wanting to show the London team the progress of the extension, Mike needed a way to stream the build. He achieved this using a video wall – a feature that allows users to share live footage via a secure, view-only weblink.
“We set up a weatherproof camera outside, and I streamed it in real-time to a screen in London. It brought people together as we’d joke about the builders having their cups of tea and we’d even see nature walking around the quarry”.
This turned CCTV from a purely security tool into a way of improving transparency and engagement across sites, helping teams feel more connected and involved in major business developments in real time.
Improving workforce efficiency with smarter CCTV case management
Charlie Bigham’s previous CCTV system required personnel to continuously monitor and look through footage for investigations. This isn’t necessary with SEiNG, as footage is accessible to those who need it with filters, notifications and trackable ‘Cases’.
“Now when we need to look at footage, HR or the security guard handles it – our Site Services Manager doesn’t have to trawl through CCTV anymore”.
This reduces administrative burden across the business and frees up key personnel to focus on higher-value tasks, whilst making investigations faster and more collaborative.
Enabling secure remote monitoring of critical site operations
Accessible via an internet browser, SEiNG enables users to securely monitor footage off-site from any device. This is where Single Sign On adds value, as remote users can authenticate and securely access the footage needed.
For Bigham’s, this is especially useful for the team who work for the effluent plant and need to keep an eye on the wastewater before it goes back into the system.
“Our old cameras always broke because of the fumes from the effluent, but AlertSystems set us up with some ruggedised ones. We then give the guys that work in the effluent plant access to their own SEiNG video walls so they can see the effluent plant cameras from home. That’s a big win again”.
This remote visibility improves operational resilience by reducing reliance on physical site presence, ensuring critical processes can be monitored without interruption. Plus, it supports workplaces looking to implement remote or hybrid working for roles previously required onsite.
Future-proofing cloud CCTV with continuous innovation
Calverley concludes: “When I look at my portfolio of IT solutions, I’m using Microsoft Azure as my infrastructure platform, Microsoft 365 as our collaboration ecosystem, and SEiNG as our CCTV solution. I have a portfolio of top-tier products, and SEiNG is right up there with the best world-class applications and solutions”
With new features on the horizon, SEiNG continues to evolve – and Mike is keen to explore what’s next. “SEiNG is an agile business; they listen to customers and have a fast turnaround of development. It’s a smart product with a smart team”.
This ongoing development ensures Charlie Bigham’s CCTV infrastructure is not just modern today, but continuously future-proofed—giving the business long-term confidence that its security, compliance, and operational insight will keep pace with industry demands.
