CHANTILLY, Va – ActiveAccess, a desktop content delivery platform offered by BIA Information Network (BIN), announced July 8 that Buena Vista University has launched BVU Alert a campus-wide desktop emergency notification system, on the computers of all students and faculty attending the school. While the system is being installed for campus emergencies and severe weather warnings, it is also equipped with a convenient university calendar for current events and programs and an RSS feed with news and information about Buena Vista University and the surrounding Storm Lake, Iowa area.
“We consider this an important step towards providing the fastest, most efficient method of communicating to the campus community in the event of incident,” said Mark Kirkholm, director of Campus Security at BVU. “The technology offered through the desktop application helps us keep our students and staff safe, secure and informed while we take the necessary precautions to protect the area.”
Computer users will see a unique BVU Alert icon on their desktop screens, reflecting the school’s colors and logo, which can be activated with a mouse click. During an emergency or severe weather alert, a red screen crawl will appear along the lower part of the computer and provide the necessary information. Simultaneously, an alert screen will become visible to the left of the BVU Alert icon with emergency information and instructions. A button on the icon will link to a page at the BVU Campus Security website with current information and available updates.
On a day-to-day basis it will provide users with local and national temperature and weather, access to the campus calendar, Buena Vista News Center and the BVU RSS News Feed, in addition to offering useful campus phone numbers and safety resources.
“Buena Vista University and other colleges have sought ActiveAccess as an efficient means of reaching their students and alumni, whether it’s solely for academics, sports or security,” said Tom Buono, president and CEO of BIA Financial Network, parent company of BIA Information Network. “Desktop applications provide an important method of communication separately from the daily clutter of email and the Internet.”
The ActiveAccess technology behind the BVU Alert is a light-weight download that requires about as much memory as a single webpage, containing no adware, spyware or malware. The application is dynamic, in the sense that it can be customized in many ways. Once installed it sits as an icon on a PC desktop and requires Internet access. The BVU campus is surrounded by wireless hotspots, ensuring that most of the campus community can be alerted at a moments notice.
Currently used by corporations, universities, and trade associations, ActiveAccess’ desktop applications are expanding to the consumer market with products such as NewsView and ParentPower Index as a method to unclutter the Internet and provide convenient access to subject-specific information chosen by the user and delivered directly to the PC. For more information on ActiveAccess and how it can be customized to deliver digital content for companies, or how it can generate new forms of revenue, visit www.activeaccess.com or email [email protected] to request a personal demonstration.
____________________________________________________________________
Active Access July 8, 2008
