What makes a mass notification technology a solution

Keeping people and property safe is the purpose of the entire security industry, and the methods for ensuring safety take numerous forms.

From cameras to paging horns to door locks and badge readers, facility managers and security manufacturers must consider multiple factors for securing a building and managing emergencies. Mass notification is critical for many customers to protect a facility and keep people safe. Still, the technology may consist of many elements from one or multiple manufacturers as part of a comprehensive security system driven by a customer's unique requirements. 

Lowered situational awareness

For example, when I drop off my kids at school, they enter the building with headphones on while wearing a hoodie over their heads. With their ears covered and their vision restricted, they do not communicate with anyone and have lowered situational awareness. Other kids may be talking to friends or practicing sports to start their day, which increases the variability for anyone designing or architecting the communications technology for these environments. 

In a different scenario, consider a factory worker in a facility that uses heavy equipment

In a different scenario, consider a factory worker in a facility that uses heavy equipment. Due to the high decibel levels from the machinery, employees typically wear ear protection. In this environment, employees may not be able to hear anything beyond the buzz of machinery. Workers might need to use hand gestures because of the noise when communicating, so visual alerts may be a more effective way of sharing important information.

Detect, notify, manage 

Mass notification starts with evaluating an environment and determining the most effective way to communicate with the people affected by incidents. In an emergency, the goal is to ensure information and instructions are communicated to affected people through all means necessary, every time, as quickly as possible. Both scenarios above highlight how every person, from the student to the factory worker, has a preferred or even required method of communication, which is the primary reason why a typical mass notification solution necessitates many different technological elements.

In its simplest form, mass notification consists of three phases and technology plays a central role in each. First, sensors or detectors identify something amiss in the environment. These triggers can take several forms, from motion sensors to gunshot detectors to fire panel relays and more.

Mass notification system

The mass notification system notifies predetermined individuals or groups that something has happened

Those sensors transmit information to the system's digital signal processor or ‘brain, beginning the second phase: notification. 

The mass notification system notifies predetermined individuals or groups that something has happened. The notification phase may occur with people onsite via audio or visual alerts or with people offsite through text alerts or phone calls. The third phase involves mitigating the problem. Mass notification technology is vital in helping authorities manage a situation via communication with the facility or location where the issue or incident originated. 

Customer-driven Solutions  

Every facility or space is unique and requires a complete understanding of what a customer needs to keep its facility operational and safe. Customer discussions should always start with asking what they want to be able to see, do, or measure. Once we understand the requirements, we can determine and recommend the most appropriate products for their mass notification solution.

An industrial facility may use the same technology for a completely different use

Because each school, company, or group involved in the notification process has custom policies and procedures when situations arise, security providers must implement different technologies to accommodate their needs. For instance, law enforcement agencies may want to receive a live video feed or occupancy sensor readings from a school to determine where people are in a facility in real-time. However, an industrial facility may use the same technology for a completely different use.

For instance, a warehouse can use the same sensors to alert workers when delivery trucks arrive and need unloading. In both cases, the goal is to design a solution to better manage a situation in the fastest or most efficient way possible. 

Technology Interoperability is Key

The key differentiator for whether mass notification is a technology versus a solution is interoperability. Few companies have the resources to build every sensor or capability necessary for every scenario, which is why there is widespread collaboration in the security industry. From gunshot detectors to microphones to spotlights to smoke detectors, many of these products are incredibly innovative and, in some cases, industry standard. However, they serve only a single function on their own.

The key differentiator for whether mass notification is a technology versus a solution is interoperability

When integrators approach designing a mass notification system for a customer, each component chosen must be easy to integrate. If they're not, the customer may end up with a solution that doesn't meet all of their needs, regardless of how innovative the products are.

The more flexible manufacturers make their products to connect or integrate with other platforms or systems, the more industry acceptance they'll receive and the more other manufacturers will consider and recommend to customers. For example, many popular audio systems and loudspeakers in the security industry connect to video surveillance platforms via a basic, hardwired relay-based technology.

Focus on the Solution, not the Technology

As a sales professional, I have the same conversations with customers about their technology needs as those from other manufacturers. The best manufacturers find ways to recommend products beyond their own portfolio that make sense. The manufacturers of these products must ensure they are compatible with other products, which requires vetting, testing, or collaboration with the most common security platforms. If the products fail basic compatibility tests, they will not be reliable enough to recommend. 

Security manufacturers have the responsibility to help customers find a way to meet their varied needs. Whether it's a mass notification or a video surveillance system, manufacturers must work to ensure their technology is compatible and reliable. The industry's reputation is on the line when solution selling, and manufacturers must build their products to industry standards so the recommended solutions work as intended, every time. Because when lives are at stake, there are no second chances or reboots allowed.