After the shootings at Virginia Tech earlier this spring, students, parents, faculty and staff at schools across the country have been paying renewed attention to the need for improved emergency alert systems. One company that’s taking an in-depth look at the problem is VIYYA Technologies, which in April announced the launch of its Emergency Alert Information Portal, an application designed to distribute information in a timely manner, both on a routine basis and during times of crisis.

 

I was made aware late last week of VIYYA’s efforts in this arena, and figured it would be a good to idea to mention it in my blog. I admit, I do appreciate the company’s apparent thoughtfulness about the subject; in a press release on May 16, VIYYA stressed that, although it did get the application up quickly, the solution is not designed to be a one-size-fits all, knee-jerk reaction to the need for better emergency alert systems.

 

The company said that its developers met with officials at a variety of education institutions to determine which emergency alert methods work, and which don’t, in different types of settings. That includes special-needs environments, like the Austine School at the Vermont Center for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing.

 

Here’s John Bay, VIYYA’s CEO, in a statement: “Informing or warning hundreds or thousands of people can't be accomplished using a simplistic off-the-shelf approach. Attempting to use cell phones to warn students, staff and faculty, for example, fails to take note of the fact that many people turn off their phones in classrooms, libraries and labs and that many of the phones don't work in gyms, pools or technology buildings where signal interference is common. Cell phones are great devices, but they do have their limitations and limitations aren't what you want in an emergency.”

 

Good point, John. Although portable, wireless communications channels are one way to distribute vital information quickly in emergencies, all channels should be utilized for the best chance of success.

 

VIYYA took a proactive, many-communications-channels approach to emergency alerts in developing its system. The company’s Emergency Alert Information Portal (EAIP) “instantly transmits alerts to thousands of users via e-mail or SMS text messaging, and supports collaborative information exchange through chat rooms, discussion groups, and topic-specific forums.”

 

EAIP is a Web-portal-based system that can be customized by each school. Information from a variety of sources (Internet, intranet, local databases, etc.) can be displayed, filtered, organized and disseminated using a proprietary “intelligence sharing” application. This application is designed to monitor and share physical security intelligence in situations that potentially could involve terrorist activity and other types of dangerous disruptions.

 

For maximum flexibility, VIYYA’s EAIP is built on a service oriented architecture (SOA). It’s available via two distribution methods: on-demand via software-as-a-service (SaaS), and local installations.

 

What do you think makes a good emergency alert system? Let me know.