Solution Information
Mass notification solutions, considerations for public safety
Get the Facts!
Public Safety teams have multiple technology options to help them prepare, make better decisions, and respond quickly and confidently to disruptive events and emergencies. The areas outlined below are important considerations Public Safety teams need to keep in mind when selecting a mass notification vendor.
| Topic | Key Question(s) to Ask | Why This Matters | Why Everbridge |
|---|---|---|---|
System AvailabilityConsistent Login Accessibility |
What steps have you taken to ensure that the system will be available on a 24x7x365 basis? Do you have multiple NOCs? | Being able to login to your critical event management vendors’ platform is a basic requirement. If you can login but NOT accomplish the desired tasks then the value of the service is significantly diminished. | By having multiple geographically dispersed Network Operation Centers (NOCs), Everbridge delivers an industry leading 99.99% Transactional Availability rate, which ensures services availability (Basic Availability), and that specific tasks such as sending out an emergency notification (Transactional Availability) can be accomplished |
ScalabilityMessage Large Audiences |
How large a deployment can you support? What guarantees can you offer that the system will work for specific tasks if 10% or 25% of your customers are using the system at the same time? | Capacity limitations often result in delayed message delivery and in some cases even message failure. Public Safety teams need the ability to seamlessly add capacity quickly during regional and multi-region events. | Everbridge provides a highly reliable and robust platform supporting an average monthly delivery of 160+ million notifications via 15 distributed data centers. Everbridge also supports the ability to expand platform capacity as needed to meet the needs of large-scale, multi-jurisdictional events. |
Security &ComplianceAvoid Penalties and Fines |
Does the platform meet the strictest security standards required for Public Safety teams? | Critical event management and communications vendors should be held to the highest security and privacy standards given the sensitive events they deal with and the volume of personally identifiable information required for response success. |
Everbridge holds the following Security and Compliance Certifications:
|
SMS & Voice Carrier SupportRedundancy for Improved Message Delivery |
What best practices do you recommend to ensure communication delivery success? | Often during emergency events, delivery modes and carrier services can degrade because of infrastructure damage, capacity issues and may be purposefully shut down as an SOP. Bottomline: no single carrier is 100% reliable at all times. | Everbridge requires multiple SMS and voice providers that are vetted to ensure no downstream inter- dependencies and optimization for local delivery. Everbridge firmly believes that a multi-modal approach is the BEST way to increase delivery success. |
Reach & Recipient TargetingAdvanced Filtering Capabilities |
What contact targeting and automation capabilities do you provide that help to reduce messaging errors and or enable map and rule based targeting? | Public Safety teams need to distribute information very quickly to minimize the impact to their community. Being able to automate communication and response activities using preconfigured rules and templates speeds up response time during crisis situations, decreases costly human errors, and ensures the right processes are followed. | Everbridge provides multiple manual and automated ways to target residents and responders based on the location, severity and type of incident. Targeting capabilities include; Individual, List, Group, Map- and Rule-based. Everbridge supports multiple delivery methods including: Voice, SMS Text, Email, Mobile App, Fax, Computers, VOIP Phones, Secure Push and 100s of IP accessible digital signs, sirens and speakers. As well as a direct integration with Alertus. |
Opt-In Programs & Contact DatabaseReach More Residents |
What opt-in program activities does your system support? How easy is it for residents to sign up for local emergency alerts? | The traditional reliance on 911 and White Page data is no longer adequate given the reduction of traditional telephone lines and growth of Mobile phone-only households. | Everbridge knows building a robust resident opt-in program requires the right technology and best practices. Everbridge helps public safety teams grow their database with:
|
Support & TrainingHelp When You Need It |
Are both technical and customer support for the platform available with the same 24x7x365 assurance as the messaging service itself? What does 24/7/365 support really mean? Does the provider offer support for the technical operation of the platform, but education for its proper use? | Critical events require an immediate response and often happen when people are away from their office or during off hours. | Everbridge provides all customers with 24x7x365 access to Tier 1 and Tier 2 support teams via phone and email. Additionally, Everbridge has a globally distributed 24x7x365 network operations team who is responsible for system health. Everbridge offers a Technical Account Manager service that acts an extension of your core team and brings the experience of what Everbridge can do and has done for other clients. |
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