Sharing Critical Data at Critical Moments
Solutions must provide secure information while integrating with other systems, like video and access management.
Institutions of higher education have seen natural and man-made disasters that not only impact their campuses, but also impact their region. Hurricane Katrina is an excellent example of the importance of establishing off-site storage, data redundancy, and power outage capabilities.
…But Also Accessible
Systems and associated data will have to be accessible to an increasing number of collaborating entities and individuals. Historically, we have all endorsed the belief that having our own resources, separate from others, represented desired solutions. As security solutions become more collaborative in nature, systems will have to respond to the need to be accessible from anywhere, at any time.
Reliance on dedicated terminals, servers and intranet are becoming limiting. Adopting solutions that leverage global access and access through mobile devices should be evaluated favorably.
That being said, having the ability to control and track access to information will become increasingly important as access points expand form local to global. Solutions should allow for a variety of access control methods to minimize the burden while maximizing access security. Solutions that offer the ability to allow/deny access quickly, easily and without technological sophistication should be considered.
Solutions Must Be Versatile
By their very nature, collaborative solutions will require that multiple individuals and organizations share resources and systems. To this end, solutions should be independent of end user experience/ability, program language, and hardware/software limitations, etc. End-user training requirements should be minimal with highly intuitive user interfaces.
Solutions should also include and integrate as many functional requirements as possible. Consideration should be given to capabilities, including document management, video access, site plan and floor plan management, incident data capture/analysis/trending and reporting, learning management, emergency management, alert notification and more.
The effective use of systems and solutions in emergencies, particularly by varied groups of end-users, is facilitated when the solutions offer utility during normal operations. The use of integrated systems and solutions for training and education, change management, table-top exercises and routine tasks all contribute to the successful deployment of solutions in emergent circumstances and should be given consideration.
Solutions should also be given positive consideration if they incorporate learning content development, management and delivery. Systems that incorporate the ability to track training offer value in both the staff development arena as well as to serve as a tool for achieving and documenting organizational regulatory compliance.
Incident data is another important factor to consider. Many regulatory agencies require the reporting of significant events. Examples include the Clery Act, OSHA 300/301, EPA, and NIBRS FBI Crime Statistics. Effective operational and emergency management solutions should include the ability to capture and report required events and statistics in an accurate, systematic and efficient manner. Both electronic and hard copy reporting remains an important characteristic.
Exploit Your Networking, Collaboration Opportunities
The ability to share information and collaborate on the development and deployment of systems and solutions requires reliable and mobile communications. The use of E-mail, forums, chat rooms, instant messaging, social networking platforms and blogs all provide for an environment conducive to collaboration and resource sharing and management.
We work in a world of increasing threat, regulation and responsibility. We are called to respond to this evolution with decreasing resources, human and otherwise. Our compartmentalized environments are outgrowing their utility and our responsibilities require we work smarter and more efficiently. The careful selection and use of systems and integrated solutions will often play a key role in the extent to which we can provide safe and secure environments and outcomes.
Ben Fierman, Ph.D. is president of Lauren Innovations and can be reached at ben.fierman@lauren.com. Raymond Thrower is director of campus safety at Gustavus Adolphus College. He can be reached at rthrower@gustavus.edu.
Related Articles:
- Your Physical Access Control Cheat Sheet
- Your Mass Notification Cheat Sheet
- Your Rights Under FERPA
- Clery Compliance Part 1: Missing Student Guidelines
- Clery Compliance Part 2: Emergency Response, Notification Guidelines
- Hate Crime Reporting Requirements
Fire Incident Reporting Requirements
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