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OPERATIONS      
May | June 2026      AirportImprovement.com
SFO
the network infrastructure for all the systems 
integrated within the new space. Sachin 
Kattepura Rajegowda, the company’s 
principal engineer and aviation technical lead, 
says NetXperts played a key role in designing 
the next-generation system by enforcing 
secure data segmentation using a Zero Trust 
framework combined with role-based access 
control policies. That means the system is 
highly restricted, using advanced cybersecurity to protect SFO 
from potential vulnerabilities.  
“We recommended implementing a hyperscale secure network 
backbone for the AIOC infrastructure to support all three operational 
domains while enabling seamless integration of next-generation 
capabilities,” Rajegowda explains. “The design delivers secure, 
yet flexible, access for all users and systems. To meet compliance 
requirements, NetXperts and SFO-ITT [the airport’s information 
technology department] enforced strict segmentation between 
secure law enforcement environments and general-purpose 
networks using virtual routing and forwarding isolation, micro-
segmentation and controlled inter-domain policy enforcement.”
Another unique aspect of the AIOC is its fully ad hoc 
workstation design. Any authorized user can operate from 
any position without loss of access to required applications or 
operational data, allowing for secure continuity of operations. At 
the same time, strict controls are enforced through identity-based 
access and policy-driven segmentation, ensuring users can only 
access the data and applications they are explicitly authorized to 
use, notes Rajegowda. 
Gathering Around the Hearth
At the heart of the AIOC is the “Hearth Wall,” a central gathering 
place with comfortable couches and several screens displaying 
real-time information about airside operations, roadway conditions, 
customer needs, security checkpoint wait times, weather advisories, 
an airfield overview showing the position of every airplane on the 
ground, and more. Additionally, any integrated system within the 
environment can share its display to the dashboard to facilitate 
collaborative decision-making, incident response and triage. A live 
audio feed of SFO’s control tower is broadcast in the background to 
keep everyone up to date about air traffic.
“This focus on collaboration from the team helped resolve some 
of the differences in working environments that we were going 
through,” Gardini says. “All the different groups have different ways 
of working, but we wanted to have one spot where they could 
freely collaborate and not worry about bothering their neighbors.” 
SACHIN KATTEPURA RAJEGOWDA

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