E911 Notifications from the Cloud

E911 Watch

E911 Notifications from the Cloud

By Nick Maier, SVP  |  October 15, 2012

This article originally appeared in the October 2012 issue of INTERNET TELEPHONY

As you may have heard, we are in the early stages of a cloud-based services revolution. More and more applications are migrating to the cloud, and many enterprises are eagerly embracing this model.

E911 services are no different. It is now possible for enterprise call servers to send 911 calls to the cloud for routing to any of more than 7,000 public safety answering points in the U.S. and Canada based on the location of the caller. Cloud-based call routing replaces the need for local trunks at each location to handle emergency calls – dramatically reducing telecom expenses for organizations with multiple locations.

Since cloud-based E911 services receive all 911 calls and also store the location record of the caller, more advanced solutions also have the ability to direct emergency notifications back into the enterprise over multiple networks. For example, the cloud can send screen pop notifications to security desk computers so guards with responsibility for a particular building or set of buildings can know immediately that a 911 call is under way in their jurisdiction.

Cloud-based emergency notification services also can send SMS messages with the exact location of the caller to the proper emergency response teams. E-mail messages also can be sent to corporate security or administration notifying them when 911 calls have been made from anywhere on the enterprise voice network.

Why does this matter? Studies have shown that if you can notify multiple persons inside the enterprise of a 911 call in progress and provide the exact location of the caller, you can save a minimum of two to three minutes in emergency response time and get people the help they need faster.

Today’s cloud-based E911 services have the ability to leverage different networks – including the cellular network for SMS messages and the enterprise data network for screen pops and e-mail – to get 911 call notifications into the enterprise and into the hands of people with responsibility to do something about it.

Because of this versatility and effectiveness, look for cloud-based E911 services to continue to advance in capability and for further adoption by enterprises large and small.

Nick Maier is senior vice president of RedSky (News - Alert) Technologies (www.redskyE911.com).


Nick Maier is senior vice president of RedSky Technologies (www.redskyE911.com).

Edited by Brooke Neuman