Transit security doesn’t operate on a nine-to-five schedule. From stations and maintenance facilities to operations centers and critical infrastructure, transit agencies must manage complex security environments around the clock.
But what happens when the teams responsible for those systems are operating with limited personnel?
Across the transit industry, security professionals are being asked to manage increasingly sophisticated technology and expanding operational responsibilities, often with lean teams and limited resources.
We asked Mike O’Brien, Director of Minuteman’s Public Safety team and Tim Collins, Director of Hosted Managed Services (HMS) to share their perspectives on the challenges facing transit agencies and how a different approach to security operations can help bridge the gap.
Q1. Mike, what are some of the biggest operational challenges you’re hearing from transit security professionals?
Mike O’Brien: One of the biggest challenges we’re hearing about is staffing. Transit security teams are responsible for significant security infrastructure, often across multiple locations, but they don’t necessarily have the personnel to manage everything that comes with it.
What’s interesting is the reaction when we explain that Minuteman doesn’t just design and install security systems. We also have a specialized Hosted Managed Services team that can help with ongoing operations. That really resonates. These professionals understand the importance of their security technology. What they need is additional support to help manage it effectively.
Q2. Tim, why is managing security operations becoming such a challenge for organizations with limited staff?
Tim Collins: Physical security environments have become increasingly sophisticated. Organizations have invested in access control, video surveillance, alarms, monitoring platforms, and other technologies that provide tremendous capabilities.
But those systems don’t operate themselves. Someone needs to administer them, monitor their health, manage credentials, investigate issues, coordinate service, and ensure everything continues functioning as intended.
When you have a small security team, those responsibilities can become overwhelming. Your personnel end up spending significant time managing the technology instead of focusing on broader security priorities.
That’s an important distinction. The challenge isn’t always that an organization needs more security technology. Sometimes it needs more operational capacity to support what it already has.
Q3. Mike, what makes this especially relevant for transit agencies?
Mike O’Brien: Transit agencies operate in environments where security is constantly in motion. They’re managing stations, maintenance yards, administrative facilities, operations centers, and other infrastructure, often spread across large geographic areas.
Every location has operational requirements, and security teams need visibility into what’s happening across that entire environment. When staffing is limited, even routine administrative responsibilities can become difficult to manage consistently.
From a Public Safety perspective, we want to help agencies think beyond the initial installation. It’s about making sure they have the resources and support structure to keep those systems working effectively over time. That’s where combining our integration expertise with HMS becomes a real advantage.
Q4. Tim, how does Hosted Managed Services help fill that operational gap?
Tim Collins: The most important thing to understand is that HMS is much more than traditional system maintenance or technical support.
We help customers operate their physical security programs.
Through our 24/7/365 Security Operations Center, we provide experienced personnel, established processes, and technical resources that function as an extension of the customer’s security organization.
That can include system administration, proactive health monitoring, alarm management, incident escalation, service coordination, reporting, and ongoing performance management.
For a transit agency operating with a lean security team, that means they don’t have to handle every operational and technical responsibility entirely on their own. We’re not there to replace their security professionals. We’re there to support them, help manage the day-to-day demands, and provide additional operational resources.
It’s really about bringing together three things: people, process, and technology.
When those elements work together, organizations can manage complex security environments more consistently, even when internal resources are limited.
Q5. Looking ahead, what should transit security leaders be thinking about differently?
Mike O’Brien: I think the conversation needs to expand beyond what technology an agency should deploy next. Those investments are important, but agencies also need to consider how they’re going to manage and support that technology over the long term.
Do they have the personnel to handle daily administration? Who is monitoring system performance? What happens when issues arise outside normal business hours? Are their security teams spending time on the responsibilities that matter most?
Those are questions worth asking before making the next major investment.
Tim Collins: I agree. Security operations don’t stop after installation, and neither should the support behind them.
Whether we’re supporting a single critical facility or a complex multi-site enterprise, the goal is to provide a consistent operational model that helps keep systems functioning, security teams informed, and organizations prepared to respond.
For transit agencies, especially those operating with limited personnel, having that additional layer of support can make a meaningful difference.
The question isn’t simply, “Who maintains our security systems?”
It’s “Do we have the people, processes, and resources to operate our security program effectively, 24/7/365?”
Minuteman Security & Life Safety combines specialized Public Safety expertise with Hosted Managed Services to help transit agencies design, implement, manage, and support complex physical security environments.
From security technology integration to ongoing operational support, Minuteman helps organizations extend their capabilities and make the most of their security investments.
Connect with Minuteman’s Public Safety team to learn how Hosted Managed Services can support your transit security operations.