Emergency Communications & Mass Notification technology has caught fire in the security industry in the last few years. It has taken some time, but many vendors in this community have been working hard to overcome some of the obstacles to installing an effective EC&MN system. Security Technology Executive recently caught up with a group of vendors to share their views on where the technology is headed.

Excerpts from an exclusive roundtable-in-print by Paul Rothman, Security Technology Executive, August 18, 2010.

IP empowers communications. Sounds like a cliche? Let’s take a look at some of the commonplace scenarios campus security and IT professionals are facing today in the area of emergency communications.

Emergency Phones in dormitories

Analog phones are being removed from dormitories for a variety of reasons. Students don’t use them because they have cell phones. In an emergency, equipment failure due to its age can quickly turn into a liability. The cost to maintain legacy infrastructure might finally outweigh the upgrade option, prompting the change. Or it could also be a pure desire to standardize on IP.

Whichever the case, the problem is anything but trivial. Phasing out legacy emergency communications capability without a migration plan will cut the vital link between those seeking help and security personnel. The importance of such a communications channel cannot be overstated from both legal and public relations perspective.