Government Technology
Government Technology: State & Local Government News Articles

Bryant University Completes New Emergency Notification System



Print
Comment
Bryant University

Nov 20, 2007, News Report

Bryant University has integrated Bradford Networks' Campus Manager as a critical element of its new campus-wide emergency notification system. With just three mouse clicks, Bryant can now reach every laptop and desktop computer on campus, instantly providing critical public safety information.

The enhanced notification system allows Bryant's public safety personnel to broadcast to the university's 4,000 students, faculty, and staff in the event of a fire, chemical spill, gas leak, criminal activity, or cancellation of classes due to severe weather. The online lives of college students make the university network an extremely effective tool for reaching users across a wide range of physical locations. Bryant's emergency notification system also includes voicemail and email messages.

Bryant University originally deployed Campus Manager in 2004 to control access to its wired student residence network and expanded to include wireless networks in 2006. This year Bryant leveraged the messaging capability of Bradford's persistent agent software, which checks the security status of PCs before granting them network access, for emergency message delivery.

Through Campus Manager's web-based administration console, Bryant's Safety Office can send a text message to a group of users or all users, who see the message on their computer screen in a special pop-up box. The persistent agent displays the message on top of everything else on the screen on all computers connected to the network when the message is sent, as well as those that connect within a specified time window (i.e. 4 hours).

"Public safety is of paramount concern for the university, and our integrated emergency notification system takes advantage of every available channel of communication," said Rich Siedzik, director of networking, Bryant University, Smithfield, RI. "Our comprehensive approach prepares us to be effective in a wide range of circumstances, from weather closings to more catastrophic circumstances."

Bryant University will present a case study on Campus Manager and its role in their emergency notification system in a Webcast on Wednesday, November 28 at 1 pm ET. To register, go to http://www.bradfordnetworks.com/news/webcast.html.

"For Bryant University and other institutions, Campus Manager delivers effective network access control while also providing the broadcast messaging capabilities required by an emergency notification system," said Mike Gadoury, Bradford Networks founder and CEO. "This is an example of how Bradford's focus on understanding customer's pressing problems lets us deliver pragmatic products that solve real-world problems."



If You Liked This Article, You May Also Like...


Latest Government Technology News


Industry Solutions for Government

Read real world deployments of technology in government from our sponsors.

View All Industry Solutions

Related Products and Services

Marketplace



This section
brought to you by:


Mobile Communications Survey Executive Summary

More than 200 responses were captured to help gauge the effectiveness and types of communications and situational awareness capabilities currently deployed for emergency response. View the Executive Summary Now!

Dispatch Operations and Interoperability

A New Era in Public Safety BlackBerry® smartphones running on Sprint networks deliver a wide range of applications that are transforming public safety operations.


Hurricane Preparedness Tips When a hurricane hits, are you prepared to keep in touch?


Case Study - Morris County, New Jersey The Morris County Communications Center upgraded to a new trunked radio system with the benefits of a cellular network, extending coverage beyond county lines


Case Study - Iredell County, North Carolina Spanning over 570 sq miles, it became imperative that the Iredell County Emergency Communications, Operations and Management extend it's communications systems to enhance reliability, security, and coverage.


Case Study - City of Anaheim, California The City of Anaheim saw an opportunity to leverage existing GST and partner with nearby cities to enhance safety operations through data interoperability.


Case Study - Charlottesville, Virginia Fire Department Taking advantage of a range of interoperability solution, the Charlottesville Fire Department has achieved a network that can serve as backup to their existing public safety network.


Sprint ERT Go-Kit with GST Optima Rapid, interoperable communications for emergencies, drills and field exercises.


Optimal Interoperability Until recently it was not possible to cost effectively connect commercial networks to LMR systems. Improvements in communications technology have resulted in greatly enhanced operational capability and have reduced the log-term cost of communications system ownership.


Multi-agency interoperability for Public Safety Establishing cross-agency, real-time situational awareness is critical to effective incident management as well as daily resource management.


Video


DHS Grant Links

DHS Grants and Assistance Programs Link to overview of available grants administered by The Department of Homeland Security (DHS)


Fact Sheet: Fiscal Year 2008 Preparedness Grants Major changes in funding and focus for 2008 DHS grant programs


Remarks on 2008 Homeland Security Grant Guidance DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff and FEMA Administrator David Paulison


$1.8 billion in DHS Homeland Security Grant Program Awards


Funding Public Safety Communications Whether you are a law enforcement agency, looking for funding to support an interoperable communications solution or a school, seeking to improve communications between building administrators, grants may provide the funding you need to implement a robust, scalable communication system.


Yes! I would like more information about Sprint's dispatch operations and interoperability solutions.