DGCS came to us looking for a way to keep members across their managed estates informed and engaged. The estates portal we built gives residents and occupiers a single place to see what's going on in their estate, access security advice, read estate and company news, and purchase security-related items. The portal is being rolled out to all estates that DGCS manage, so one platform serves every estate with estate-specific content and a consistent experience.
What the Portal Does for Members
The portal is designed so that members are aware of what's happening in their estate and can act on it. They get up-to-date security advice, news (estate-level and DGCS-wide), and the ability to purchase security items—all in one place. Content is tailored per estate where needed, so each community sees the right information. As DGCS rolls the portal out to more estates, the same codebase and infrastructure scale without re-building per site.
Core Features We Delivered
- Estate awareness – Members see what's going on in their estate: updates, notices, and relevant information in one feed.
- Security advice – Clear, actionable security guidance so members know how to stay safe and what to report.
- News – Estate and company news so members stay informed without leaving the portal.
- Purchase security items – Members can browse and buy security-related products (e.g. equipment, upgrades) through the portal.
- Rollout across all DGCS-managed estates – One portal, many estates; content and access are scoped per estate as the rollout continues.
- Secure access – Authentication and permissions so members only see their estate and the right level of content.
Why Next.js and Firestore
We chose Next.js for the front end—fast loads, server-side rendering where it helps, and a straightforward path to add new features as more estates come on board. Google Firestore gives DGCS a real-time, scalable backend: estate-specific content, news, security advice, and product data stay in sync without DGCS running their own servers. Security rules lock down access so members only see data for their estate. The portal is hosted on Netlify, so it's reliable and easy to update as the rollout progresses.
Outcome for DGCS and Their Members
Members across DGCS-managed estates now have a single place to stay aware of their estate, get security advice, read news, and purchase security items. DGCS can roll the portal out to every estate they manage with one codebase and one platform—faster rollouts, consistent experience, and a foundation that grows as the estate portfolio grows.
Interested in a member-facing portal for estates, security, or community? Get in touch to discuss how we can deliver a solution tailored to your managed estates.