INFORMACAST & EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM BUYER S GUIDE

Transcription

1 INFORMACAST & EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM BUYER S GUIDE

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: Keeping Everyone Safe and Informed Why Your Organization Needs an Emergency Notification System...4 How Much Does an Emergency Notification System Cost?...5 The Problem with Mobile Alerts for Mass Notification...6 Calling vs. Broadcasting to Phones for Emergency Notification...7 Three Common Mistakes to Avoid When Purchasing... 8 Will InformaCast Work with My Phones?...9 What are the Network Requirements for InformaCast?...10 Which InformaCast Service Level is Right for You? How Much Does InformaCast Cost? Conclusion

3 INTRODUCTION Keeping Everyone Safe and Informed An organization s top priority should always be its people, and to keep people safe organizations need tools that enhance safety and security. An emergency notification system helps spread the word quickly to keep people safe and informed, but how do you know which system will be the best fit for your organization? As with any critical investment, it s important to have all the facts before making a decision. In this ebook, we will outline everything an organization needs to know about emergency notification systems, and the questions they should be asking to make an informed purchasing decision. 3

4 Why Your Organization Needs an Emergency Mass Notification System (EMNS) SPEED AND REACH How do you communicate with people during an emergency? It s a deceptively simple question, and you may think you know the answer. Maybe your organization has phones, or alarms, or addresses. You might use text messaging or panic buttons, but each of these methods when used on their own are unable to achieve the ultimate goal of communicating during an emergency: reaching everyone, quickly. The bottom line is, one method of communication is never going to be enough to guarantee everyone is being reached. Getting most of your population may seem sufficient, but would you want to be one of the few that doesn t receive a critical message? WHAT AN EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION SYSTEM DOES The abilities of any robust notification system should help improve the speed and reach of an organization s emergency messages. When a crisis situation occurs every second counts. Leaders don t want to waste time worrying about what kind of message they are going to craft or what people need to be notified. An EMNS can offer the ability to prebuild messages and groups so when an event begins, messages can be sent knowing they include appropriate instructions and are reaching the right people. An EMNS can also tie into existing technology, minimizing the need to log into different systems. This saves time, and helps leverage technology investments. A connected network of devices can include overhead paging, digital signage, desktop computers, desk phones and mobile devices, so that with one press of a button, each device can relay critical information, increasing the chances everyone receives the message. ANSWERING THE WHY Now you know what an EMNS can do, but you still might not understand the why. For any organization, the chance someone may miss a message that impacts their safety shouldn t be an acceptable outcome. Organizations have an obligation to provide a safe environment for the people that come through that space as part of their duty of care, and need to take the proper steps to make sure that space meets this expectation. It s important to assess what measures your organization currently has in place and what gaps you need to fill, because without the proper preparations, organizations are putting themselves and their people at risk. 4

5 How Much Does an Emergency Notification System Cost? FINDING THE BEST VALUE An emergency notification system is a significant investment for any organization. While safety and security should always be a top priority, the cost of implementing a system like this will always be a critical factor. But what differentiates various emergency notification vendors and how does that impact pricing? We can t provide a detailed rundown of pricing for every emergency notification vendor out there; as you probably already know, there are quite a few. Here, we will outline the factors that can raise or lower the cost of an emergency notification system, and the questions to ask to ensure you re getting the best value for your dollar. WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO? First and foremost, you need to understand what your organization is trying to accomplish. Is it trying to fulfill a government requirement? If so, there may be very specific functions you need to consider, regardless of how much they cost. Are you trying to reach people within a specific area, or wherever they are? This will have a big impact on price. Mobile solutions are often less expensive, but what you gain in dollars, you lose in functionality and reach. It s important to take an apples-to-apples approach when comparing emergency notification systems. Two solutions may have the same price, but it s important to look deeper to see exactly what functionality each offers. Does it only send SMS text messages? Or can it go beyond that and also send s, push notifications and phone calls? What are the situation management capabilities of the system, including message confirmation, escalation and reporting? You can see how even though the price may be the same, the value is much different. KEEPING COSTS DOWN If you re looking at an inexpensive mobile solution, be sure to consider the two most important factors: speed and reach. Sending bulk SMS text messages is of limited effectiveness because you re only leveraging one way of communicating with people. You may supplement this with another communication tool, but now you ve invested in two solutions, and it may take twice as long to get your message out. It s always a good idea to look for emergency notification systems that can integrate with your existing technology. Whether it s IP phones, IP speakers, desktop computers or some other piece of technology, you can get more bang for your buck by connecting with what you already own. This keeps the cost down and ties everything together. Be sure to ask the EMNS vendor to demonstrate integration capabilities and look for how the systems are managed. Ideally, you want to look for a solution that can reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. This won t always be the least expensive option, but safety should always be the chief concern. 5

6 The Problem with Mobile Alerts for Emergency Notification WHY SETTLING FOR LESS ISN T AN OPTION The emergency mass notification industry is largely centered around sending bulk SMS text messages to mobile phones. Maybe your organization is already using this kind of tool to send mass messages. It s a necessary component of an emergency mass notification system, but by itself, it s insufficient. Research done at Western Washington University shows that mobile notifications are only ~80 percent effective. That may sound ok, but what if you re one of the 20 percent that didn t receive an alert? What if that alert contained critical information about an active shooter, or the need to take shelter from an approaching storm? Would your organization still think 80 percent was good enough? Many factors can prevent mobile notifications from reaching 100 percent of their intended audience. Some organizations don t have everyone s phone numbers in the system. Mobile phones are often on silent or otherwise out of sight. Sometimes it s as simple as being in a building with poor cellular coverage. COMBAT INEFFECTIVE NOTIFICATIONS The key to achieving 100 percent reach is to supplement mobile mass notification with additional communication methods, such as in-building notifications, specifically audio and visual broadcasts to existing overhead paging or public address systems, desktop alerts, digital signage and desktop phones. Using multiple channels, i.e. in-building communications as well as mobile notifications, has the added benefit of increasing the sense of urgency perceived by the recipient. Some systems will also utilize GPS to establish an area of interest for emergency notifications. Using GPS coordinates, you can define an area that can include an entire campus or whatever area you think is pertinent. Then, using the GPS in people s mobile phones, you can configure to system to send alerts to everyone inside that area, or be alerted when someone (like faculty) or something (approaching severe weather) enters the area. By combining in-building notification methods with mobile notifications, your critical alerts will be received far faster and will reach much closer to 100 percent of your desired population. Achieving the highest level of speed and reach should be the goal of any mass notification system. 6

7 Calling vs. Broadcasting to Phones for Emergency Notification AVOID FAILED CALLS Occasionally, we hear how other mass notification providers claim they can reach desk phones by placing a call through their telephone. This may seem like a simple solution, but the hidden complications can have severe consequences. Several factors will contribute to large numbers of simultaneous calls failing to get through; the most common being trunking capacity. This is the number of phone lines that are connected from a phone system to the outside world. Very few organizations (businesses, schools, hospitals, etc.) pay for an active outside phone line for every phone. The typical ratio is four phones for every outside line. That means, when a mass notification service provider tries to call all of an organization s phones at once, 75 percent of these calls will be blocked due to lack of trunking capacity. If the mass notification system is smart enough, it will try repeatedly until it reaches every phone. However, a lot of time will have passed while those calls are being placed, which is far from ideal if an emergency is unfolding. And if all of the trunking capacity is being used, no outbound phone calls can be made to 911 or anywhere else. Even if an organization had trunk capacity for 100 percent of its people, most phone systems would perceive hundreds or thousands of simultaneous phone calls as a denial of service attack. Their response would be to block many of these calls. BROADCASTING RELIEVES THE PRESSURE Emergency notification systems that utilize broadcasting are able to overcome the challenges of calling. Using a single multicast audio stream across the internal network allows phones to play the audio stream via their speakers or the handset. This uses zero phone trunk capacity. There is no need for the end user to answer the phone because the audio is automatically broadcast via the speakerphone. Consider an enterprise-class emergency notification system that reaches mobile phones and on-premises devices like Cisco phones, computer desktops, overhead paging and digital signage, all with the press of a button, and without using any phone trunk capacity. 7

8 3 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Purchasing an Emergency Notification System GETTING EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED With an emergency notification system, it is important to be confident in your purchase. You want to know that messages are reaching as many people as possible. Since safety in such a high priority, we ve put together a list of the top three mistakes to avoid when evaluating and purchasing an emergency mass notification system. NOT REQUIRING A THOROUGH DEMONSTRATION It can seem like all the information you need about a product is available on a vendor s website. However, a thorough demonstration can add a better level of understanding to what a product is capable of doing. If the vendor says, it can do that, then ask them to show it. This is especially true when reviewing on-premises notification functionality. This is because most EMNS vendors are built around a cloud-based delivery model, or notification-as-a-service. For most of them, it s not standard to reach communication devices inside your network, such as desk phones, computer desktops, overhead paging systems and digital signage. They may be able to do it through a third party integration, but it s not something they do natively. That means demonstrating it isn t easy. Ask to see it. This will separate the contenders from the pretenders. PURCHASING BECAUSE OTHER GROUPS USE IT FOR BULK SMS TEXT MESSAGING You may know of an emergency notification product used by a nearby local government entity and think, since it works well for them, it will work well for your organization. Notifying citizens of a city or county is a worthwhile and necessary service, but these types of systems are often centered around bulk SMS text messaging. Comparing these public notification systems to mass notification solutions for a business, school or hospital is really comparing apples and oranges. Why? Because any system used by a business, school or hospital should be doing more than bulk SMS text messaging. You want to reach as close to 100 percent of your people in one minute or less, and with bulk SMS text messaging, that simply isn t possible. NOT UNDERSTANDING WHAT S INCLUDED AND WHAT S EXTRA The distinction between what a system does and what it can do isn t always clear. This is another instance of when an EMNS vendor says, we can do that, you need to make them back up what they are saying. They may not be lying in the strictest sense of the word, but they re not being exactly forthright. They may be able to make this functionality happen with a statement of work for professional services and/or custom software development, but this is really something you need to know up front, before signing a service agreement. Getting this clarified can be the difference between making your budget or going over. 8

9 Will My Phones Work with InformaCast Emergency Notification System? THE BIG QUESTION An emergency mass notification system should be easy to use and work well with an organization s other existing technology. That s why we ve built our InformaCast emergency notification software to work with Cisco phones many organizations already have in place. InformaCast works with many different Cisco phones and we offer a full list of compatible models. But we re often asked, Can I still use InformaCast if I don t have Cisco phones? The short answer is yes. However, there will be some differences in functionality. First, the InformaCast Advanced notification system will not send broadcasts to non-cisco phones. That being said, there are still plenty of features available to handle intruder alerts, automated emergency weather notification, panic buttons, internet of things integration and more. With non-cisco phones, InformaCast is able to send a mass notification to computer desktops, digital signage, analog overhead paging systems, InformaCast-compatible IP speakers, and mobile phones (via InformaCast Mobile). To trigger a mass notification from a non-cisco phone system, a SIP trunk must be configured between the phone system and InformaCast. Also, the CallAware feature for 911 alerting will only work on Cisco phone systems. THE MOBILE OPTION The other option is to look at InformaCast Mobile. While InformaCast Advanced connects to endpoints, InformaCast Mobile loads user information that can include mobile phone numbers and addresses. So regardless of what kind of landline phones your organization is using, you can reach people directly on their mobile devices through push notifications via the InformaCast Mobile app, SMS text messages, s or phones calls. While we advocate organizations using as many communication methods as possible to share information, if your people are often away from their desks, InformaCast Mobile can reach them on their mobile phones. BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER If your organization needs to utilize on-premises and mobile devices to reach people, InformaCast Fusion combines the functionalities of InformaCast Mobile and Advanced in a single platform. You can manage messages and send to desktop computers, digital signage, IP speakers, mobile devices and more to achieve the speed and reach needed to keep people informed during a crisis. The single interface minimizes the need to log in and out of different systems, drastically decreasing the time it takes to reach your people. While the ability to reach non-cisco phones will still be limited, the capabilities of InformaCast Fusion to bring together disparate systems in a single interface far exceeds the capabilities of other emergency notification systems, and offers better speed and reach than a mobile-only notification system. 9

10 What are the Network Requirements for InformaCast? MINIMIZE STARTUP TIME When people ask us what the network requirements are for InformaCast, we know what they are really asking is, How much work is it going to take to integrate this in my organization? It s a fair question, especially when it comes to a component as critical as a mass notification system. No one wants to spend all their time setting up a system; they want to plug it in and get it working. We try and make InformaCast as easy as possible to set up and start using, but as with any new technology, how smoothly the setup process goes relies on a number of factors. USING COMPATIBLE TECHNOLOGY Before you begin, be sure to consult our online compatibility matrix to understand what technology your organization needs to have in place to work with InformaCast. Singlewire Software is a Cisco partner and our InformaCast emergency notification system is compatible with many different Cisco phone models and versions of CUCM. You ll want to make sure your organization has VMware and that the version you are running is supported. Also, take a look at our ecosystem partners, to see what other devices can be tied into InformaCast. RUNNING MULTICAST To realize the full benefits of InformaCast, multicast must be enabled. Multicast is a technology that allows traffic to scale across a network. InformaCast puts a single multicast audio stream on a network that any endpoint can request, which allows InformaCast to scale a broadcast to thousands of devices quickly and efficiently. If your organization is not running multicast, you can also look at using a paging gateway. Different InformaCast features utilize different network ports to ensure traffic will route and firewalls will be configured correctly. You can learn more by reading our online port manifest. HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS Once multicast is running and you know your phones will work with InformaCast, it is also a good idea to look at the hardware requirements. It is necessary to deploy InformaCast on hardware supported by VMware ESXi because it provides the lowest overhead of the VMware products. These are the minimal requirements your organization needs to have in place to run InformaCast. If you have more questions, please reach out to our sales team or browse the Resources section of our website. 10

11 Which InformaCast Service Level is Right for You? FINDING THE BEST SOLUTION FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION It s important that the emergency notification solution you choose does everything you need. Our Informa- Cast emergency notification software is available at four different service levels: Basic, Advanced, Mobile and Fusion. Each has a unique set of capabilities to cater to a variety of different needs. DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION HAVE CISCO IP PHONES? As a Cisco Technology Developer Partner, our InformaCast software comes pre-built into Cisco IP phones. With Cisco phones, organizations have automatic access to InformaCast Basic, which can be used for live paging for up to 50 phones. Having Cisco phones is also the best foundation for using InformaCast Advanced and InformaCast Fusion. DO YOU NEED TO REACH LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE SIMULTANEOUSLY? We live in uncertain times, and it s important for organizations to fulfill their Duty of Care by preparing for any type of situation they may encounter. The needs of your organization will vary depending on its size and industry, but there are a few foundational questions to consider that apply to any group. When an emergency occurs, how are you communicating with your people? Each InformaCast service level offers different ways to send mass notifications to large groups of people. For larger organizations with other communication technologies, InformaCast Advanced expands the capabilities of InformaCast Basic to reach all on-premises devices with live and recorded audio messages. It can send to IP speakers, digital signage, desktop computers and more to fully leverage existing technology by turning each piece into a powerful emergency notification tool. If your organization consists of people who are frequently outside of your facilities, or your facilities are spread across a wide area, being able to reach people on their mobile devices is critical. InformaCast Mobile features a mobile app and web console to administer and send mass notifications. Notifications can be sent as s, SMS text messages and push notifications directly to mobile devices. Mobile notifications can also ask for a confirmation response to know who needs assistance during a crisis, and the mobile tracking feature can pinpoint the location of those asking for help. (Cont. on next page) 11

12 Which InformaCast Service Level is Right for You? (Cont.) However, if your organization wants to offer complete speed and reach to ensure that every device is being utilized to share critical information in the event of an emergency, InformaCast Fusion is the best solution. In one interface, you can manage multiple message templates and groups and connect with both onpremises and mobile devices. It offers all the capabilities of InformaCast Advanced and InformaCast Mobile in a single package, and minimizes the need to log into different systems to send messages. It also offers automatic updates, so your organization will always be using the latest features. When an emergency occurs, it is vital that information that keeps people safe spreads as quickly as possible. Using InformaCast Fusion offers the best option for tying all systems together and achieving maximum reach for your messages. WILL THIS BE A CAPITAL OR OPERATIONAL EXPENSE? Beyond the capabilities of each of the service levels, there is also a difference on how each is sold. Depending on your organization, this kind of investment may need to be a capital expense or an operational expense. This will impact what level is right for you. As an operational expense, InformaCast Advanced, Mobile and Fusion are sold as subscription-based licenses. However, for a capital expense, Advanced is the only option that is sold as a perpetual license. Visit our website or see the chart of the final page of this ebook to learn more about the capabilities of each service level. 12

13 How Much Does InformaCast Cost? COST-EFFECTIVE EMERGENCY NOTIFICATION We ve always preferred speaking with potential customers to understand their needs and give them the best idea of what implementing InformaCast would cost. Because, like many other vendors, the pricing is going to fluctuate due to a variety of different factors. While that is still the case, we understand that today s consumers like to have as much information as possible before making a purchasing decision. We ve put together this pricing guide to provide an estimate of how much customers can expect to pay for our various InformaCast Service Levels. UNDERSTANDING THE DIFFERENCE InformaCast is available in four service levels, and it s important to know what each one can do before discussing how much each costs. InformaCast Basic allows organizations with Cisco IP phones to send a live-audio page to up to 50 phones at once. This is a free solution included with Cisco IP phones. InformaCast Advanced sends alert to on-premises devices. InformaCast Mobile sends alerts to mobile devices, and InformaCast Fusion combines the capabilities of InformaCast Advanced and InformaCast Mobile to send notifications to all on-premises and mobile devices from a single interface. The different functionalities of each service level result in different pricing options. InformaCast Advanced is sold as an annual subscription based on the number of endpoints an organization is trying to reach. Pricing starts around $9.80 per endpoint for a pack of 250 endpoints, and can go as low as $6.30 per endpoint for a pack of 5,000 endpoints. InformaCast Mobile and InformaCast Fusion subscriptions are sold by the number of users. Each user can have multiple phones numbers and addresses associated with them to leverage multiple communication methods. InformaCast Mobile pricing starts at around $5.00 per user for a pack of 250 users, and can go down to $1.75 per user for 5,000 users. InformaCast Fusion starts around $11.00 per user and can be as little as $6.80 per user for 5,000. (Cont. on next page) 13

14 How Much Does InformaCast Cost? (Cont.) While InformaCast Fusion is more expensive than InformaCast Mobile, remember that it greatly increases the reach of emergency notifications by sending to on-premises and mobile devices. It also operates in a single interface, increasing the speed at which alerts are sent and making those alerts easier to administer. HOW WE COMPARE Now that you know how much InformaCast costs, you re probably interested in how we stack up to the competition. While we can t provide specific details on the pricing of other emergency notification vendors, we can provide some guidance on what to look for when comparing two notification solutions. Let s start by identifying where InformaCast is more expensive. If you re a municipality or county trying to notify its citizens via bulk SMS text messaging, InformaCast will typically be more expensive. That s because InformaCast was architected to reach individuals within an organization via many different methods, whereas bulk SMS text messaging for large quantities of users is a commodity service. However, in many cases, mobile alerts don t achieve the desired reach for emergency messages. InformaCast costs less when you compare it to the total cost of an emergency mass notification system. Most emergency mass notification vendors are focused solely on notifications to mobile phones, and initially, this may seem like the best value. But these systems need to add one or more on-premises alerting systems to extend their reach, driving up the total cost and decreasing the usability. InformaCast Fusion reaches people on mobile devices, as well as in-building devices already in place, such as desk phones. 14

15 CONCLUSION Choosing an emergency notification system is no easy task, but doing the research can help make the process easier. Use this guide to compare the capabilities of different systems and to examine the needs of your own organization. Singlewire Software is here to help potential customers understand what they need to keep people safe. Contact us via LiveChat on our website, or speak to one of our territory managers to discuss the safety concerns of your organization at or call us at , option 1. 15

16 InformaCast Service Levels Overview 1 Live audio paging only, no text, 2 Available in future release, 3 Inbound CAP weather feed capability to be released by 3/26/2018