What Happened?
SoFi Stadium and the roughly 1.2 million square meter Hollywood Park in Inglewood near Los Angeles have shifted their physical security to a unified platform. Going forward, operators will rely on Genetec Security Center as the standard solution, bringing together video surveillance, access control, automatic license plate recognition (ALPR), and other security systems across the entire site. The rollout covers the approximately 288,000 square meter stadium grounds as well as the entire Hollywood Park area.
The Details
SoFi Stadium ranks among the most significant venues worldwide. With 70,000 seats, it is the largest stadium in the National Football League (NFL) and home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers. It recently served as a host venue for major soccer events, and in 2028 it is also set to host events at the Summer Olympic Games.
To manage events of this scale, security teams operating from three control centers oversee more than 3,000 cameras, 700 readers, and numerous other systems and sensors. Nick Bermensolo, Vice President of Security and Safety at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, describes the benefit of this unification: "Genetec Security Center has improved our response times, since we now receive all the necessary information on a single platform. This allows us to quickly grasp the situation and make decisions immediately."
A central aspect of the project is the closer integration of IT and security operations. Security Center runs on an isolated network and is connected to central servers. During major events, the IT team monitors system performance from the Network Operations Center to ensure smooth operation, while security personnel can focus on day-to-day operations. Paul Maldonado, Vice President of IT Infrastructure and Operations at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park, highlights the provider's dual expertise: "The Genetec team brings not only expertise in physical security but also in IT systems. This has allowed us to implement a reliable and powerful security platform at scale."
Context
The project exemplifies how major event organizers with complex properties are turning to consolidated security architectures rather than operating separate standalone solutions for video, access control, and license plate recognition in parallel. Particularly at venues of this scale—with multiple control centers, thousands of cameras, and hundreds of readers—integrating different systems on a single platform becomes a decisive factor for response speed and situational clarity in emergencies.
The close collaboration between the security and IT departments is also noteworthy. The operators emphasize that a reliable, scalable, and secure platform must address both physical security requirements and network and cybersecurity considerations. Given upcoming major events such as the 2028 Summer Olympic Games, this unification is gaining additional significance as the venue prepares for international attention and correspondingly high security requirements.
Practical Tips
- When planning security infrastructure for large properties, it is worth assessing early on whether a unified platform for video, access control, and license plate recognition makes sense, rather than operating isolated standalone systems.
- Close involvement of the IT department in security operations can help reliably monitor system performance and availability, especially during major events.
- An isolated network with centralized server connectivity can help enhance operational reliability and cybersecurity.
- Managing operations across multiple control centers requires a platform that centrally consolidates information to enable quick decision-making based on situational awareness.
Outlook
According to both teams, they are already working to further leverage the potential of Genetec Security Center. Plans include testing AI-powered tools and further expanding automation. The platform is intended to remain flexible and scalable to meet future cybersecurity and network technology requirements. Paul Maldonado sums up the strategic direction: "Genetec has really helped us establish a technology standard. Genetec Security Center is reliable and IT-secure, integrates well into our network, and reduces the workload for both IT and security. These are exactly the kinds of technologies we want to continue relying on company-wide going forward."
With the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympic Games on the horizon, the further development of this security architecture at SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park is likely to gain significance as a reference project for other operators of major event venues.
