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Posts Tagged ‘integrated systems’

What Back-to-School Time Teaches Me About Innovation

One of our core values at ECT Services is innovation. One of our greatest strengths is in creating solutions that solve problems for customers, just as we did with our VR Tenant product.

It’s back to school time for many students and observing as teachers and students embark on a new school year has sparked some insights for me about innovation. I’ll share a few:

Assemble the basic tools. Walk into any retailer that carries school supplies and you’re sure to see racks of supply lists for local schools displayed. Pencils, crayons or markers, glue, scissors, paper, folders, notebooks and the like are all basic tools for every student from Kindergarten through college. From these basic tools students will write essays, create art and solve problems every day. Students who lack these basic supplies will be at a disadvantage. Teachers are pressured to solve the problem and fill the gap, which may in turn distract them from their objective for the lesson.

What are the basic tools that equip and empower your organization to run efficiently and effectively? Are those tools supplied to every team member? Is every team member properly trained on how to get the most out of these tools?

Insufficiently supplied teams put team members at a disadvantage and place stress on leaders. Teams can innovate solutions to bridge fundamental gaps, but wouldn’t you rather spend that energy on solving bigger, more complex problems?

Standardization can lead to efficiency gains and greater leverage for the entire organization. One thing I’ve noticed in recent years is that some teachers specify which products to purchase – particular brands, colors and counts perhaps. The reason is often that supplies are stored and used collectively. Rather than have students keep their individual supplies stored in their own desk or cubby, markers or glue sticks or whatever are stored in bins and distributed to students as needed. Standardizing these supplies – making sure all binders are a uniform size and color, for example – streamlines storage, ensures interoperability and guarantees quality. Teachers know which products work best to meet goals, and how those products work together.

Interoperability and integration reduce friction and leverage efficiencies, both of which may lead to innovation. We see this every day in the systems we integrate. When access control, video, fire detection and suppression, gun shot detection and communication systems and others are all integrated, the entire system becomes greater than the sum of its parts. Data can be gathered and analyzed to discover opportunities to better position resources or make energy consumption more efficient, for example.

Networks invite collaborative innovation. This time of year, social networks like Facebook and Pinterest are rife with ideas shared by teachers. From bulletin boards ideas to classroom management tips to fundraising, teachers freely share their innovations with others within their own networks and beyond.

It’s important to network within your vertical, and without. While some industries must be cautious about giving away competitive secrets or losing advantage, many innovations fall well outside any area of risk or concern. Be generous and genuine in sharing your ideas, and let others inspire you.

We strive to be generous and genuine with all our partners, from our customers to our vendors. Do you have a security or access control problem to solve? Call us at (800) 567-1180 to discuss.

Shooter Detection Systems now integrates with Everbridge

Shooter Detection Systems recently announced a new technology integration between the Guardian Indoor Active Shooter Detection System and Everbridge’s leading Critical Event Management (CEM) platform.

Guardian, developed by Shooter Detection Systems, automatically identifies gunshots using acoustic technology and relays that information automatically to key systems, dramatically reducing response time.

Everbridge’s Critical Event Management (CEM) technology suite integrates situational intelligence and threat assessment, the ability to locate impacted people and assets as well as responders into one platform. The integration adds automatic gunshot detection to the data points collected for incident management, reporting and analysis.

By leveraging the Everbridge platform capabilities, Shooter Detection System’s gunshot detection alerts are sent with customized information based on the event, according to a press release. For example, a corporation can choose to send immediate location-aware Active Shooter emergency alerts to occupants of the building with shelter in place or evacuation instructions depending on the proximity of the individuals to the threat. With the Everbridge integration, a corporate enterprise may also choose to send automated alerts to executives, crisis management and security teams with additional instructions and procedures to keep all stakeholders informed as the event unfolds.

“The partnership with an industry leader in Critical Event Management like Everbridge complements our mission to align the Guardian System with innovative technology companies passionate about mitigating the active shooter threat,” said Christian Connors, Chief Executive Officer for Shooter Detection Systems, in the release. “Our offerings appeal to the same customer base of large corporate enterprises and municipal governments who are proactively addressing the active shooter threat to their organizations.”
The integration is expected to reduce response times further, and provide key personnel with critical information.

“Organizations continue to face a challenging environment when it comes to improving response times and gaining accountability of their people during active shooter incidents,” said Imad Mouline, CTO, Everbridge. “This new integration with Shooter Detection Systems represents an important step in improving communication by ensuring that the right people are notified, regardless of their location, as soon as a gunshot is detected.”