New toolkit helps make sense of mass notification systems

Americans send 1 billion text messages a day via wireless devices. Yet when it comes communicating with parents, many schools still rely on television, radio, and the Internet to push out critical information – meaning parents have to actively seek out updates. To close the communication gap, schools are turning to mass notification systems, but many struggle with how to begin the process of designing and implementing one, and then how to encourage constituents to use it.

CDW-G launched its Mass Notification Toolkit, designed to help IT and security personnel understand the full scope of planning and implementation that is needed to successfully launch and sustain a mass notification solution. More importantly, the toolkit defines the stakeholders – from the administration to local emergency personnel – that are critical to every program’s success and highlights the expertise that they can bring to the planning process. Additionally, the toolkit enables IT and security staff to succinctly explain each step in the solution development process.