AlertMedia Blog

Introduction These days, it’s virtually impossible for employees to read everything their company sends them. Most of us are bogged down with too many emails, voicemails we rarely hear, notifications from chat tools like Microsoft Teams or Slack, and well-meaning company newsletters that hardly get a look. With so much competing for our attention and…

How often do any of us pick up a phone to make a call anymore when we can just send a quick text instead? It’s no surprise that 292 million Americans—roughly 80 percent of the population—use text messages to communicate. In the age of instant communication, text messages are the norm. They’re fast, convenient, and…

Wildfires are one of the most unpredictable natural disasters out there. Unlike hurricanes or winter storms, they are impossible to forecast ahead of time. They can start up in an instant—after a lightning strike, unattended campfire, or a gender reveal party gone wrong. Researchers estimate that 85% of wildfires are human-caused. To top it off,…

One of the biggest challenges a business faces during a wildfire is communication. Wildfires can grow from a small brush fire into an inferno that engulfs thousands of acres in only a matter of hours. As a result, officials must be on their toes and have the right technology, processes, and training in place to…

On September 1, AlertMedia hosted our first-ever “Coffee With An Expert” event—a live Q&A session on minimizing COVID-19 induced anxiety in the workplace. This discussion was led by our featured expert Pam Perry, CEO of HR Equity, and Peter Steinfeld, AlertMedia’s SVP of Strategic Sales.

If the first stage of the pandemic was primarily proactive, we are now safely in the reactive stage. For the first few months of the pandemic, unknowns were everywhere. We did not know how to test for the disease at scale, how it spread, or how deadly it really was. Because of all these unknowns,…

In mid-August, AlertMedia hosted a webinar on HR’s role in keeping employees safe. The conversation was held between John Muller, Director of Talent at Gehring Group, Sandra Stolte, VP of HR Benefits and Operations at Healthgrades, and Peter Steinfeld, AlertMedia’s SVP of Sales. John and Sandra provided valuable insight on the ways that HR helps…

“All too often, lives are shattered unnecessarily because of poor working conditions and inadequate safety systems. Let me encourage everyone to join in promoting safety and health at work. It is not only sound economic policy, it is a basic human right.” –Kofi Annan, Former Secretary-General of the United Nations

Introduction The daily barrage of COVID-19 statistics is all too familiar at this point in the pandemic. Every day, we hear about surging cases, increasing test capacity, and emerging hotspots. Some statistics that are not as widely discussed, however, might be some of the most important. A recently conducted joint study by the CDC and…

An effective hurricane response requires a lot. You need to be quick to identify the storm as a threat. You need to plan accordingly—and update that plan as the forecast changes. And you need to communicate that plan to your employees, so that they know what is expected of them and what your organization is…

Emergency communication software allows HR leaders to quickly and accurately share time-sensitive information with employees. Within seconds, HR teams can send and receive messages across multiple channels, even from a mobile device. And these systems aren’t just for use during emergency situations. Many HR teams also use them to deliver important HR announcements such as…

If your organization finds itself in the path of a hurricane, you need to react swiftly and decisively. Several of AlertMedia’s customers understand this reality all too well and were kind enough to share how they use our product to keep their people and business safe during all phases of a storm. Several ingredients must…

You’ve just invested in an emergency notification system. You’re eager to get the software up and running to keep your people safe, informed, and connected at all times — no matter the situation. But you hit a brick wall: you’re told the training will take two weeks, support is already unresponsive and costs extra, and…

Research reveals that companies with effective communication strategies have a 47 percent greater return to shareholders and are 50 percent more likely to report below average turnover levels. Modern emergency communication systems enable HR leaders to keep employees safe, informed, and connected when it matters most. But at a time when budgets are tight and…

Calming Employee Anxiety Caused by Hurricanes Imagine the following hypothetical scenario. A major storm system swirls together in the Atlantic. During a 48-hour period, it rapidly intensifies into a Category 4 major hurricane with sustained wind speeds of 130 mph. Forecasters warn that the hurricane will unleash catastrophic damage. It’s moving due west and your…

The COVID-19 crisis has fundamentally transformed the HR function and amplified the impact it can have on the business. As organizations around the world adapt to a new way of working and an evolving business landscape, the role of HR has never been more challenging—or more important. One of HR’s core responsibilities is to implement…

At the dawn of the 20th century, Galveston was arguably slated to become the largest city in Texas. A 27-mile long island rising a mere five feet above sea level, the bustling town had grown into the state’s central port. Numerous millionaires called it home, and downtown’s Strand District was dubbed the “Wall Street of…

As businesses start to reopen—bringing employees back to the physical workplace— decision-makers are having to wrestle with the questions of how and when to reopen. Even as more and more companies decide to do so, however, it is with the realization that it will be a long time before things are truly back to “normal.”…

As businesses across the country move to reopen, one thing is becoming clear. This is a difficult and complicated process—and communication is critical. One of the most useful types of communication that organizations are using to facilitate this process is surveys. Getting feedback from employees is absolutely necessary to plan and execute an effective reopening….

Hurricanes are fast, furious, and can last for days. Do you have a hurricane communication plan that you can use before, during, and after one hits? The average life of a hurricane is nine days and it is most destructive during its first 12 hours onshore. As you think about preparing your business for a…

Once again, hurricane season has arrived, which means it’s time for businesses to start preparing for potential impact. The first line of defense in protecting your people and assets is understanding how a hurricane’s category level can help your business prepare appropriately. But first, a quick history lesson: In the 1970s, Miami engineer Herbert Saffir…

While most of the country has been under stay-at-home orders for the better part of two months, essential workers have continued to show up for work every day to keep our communities running. As many states begin easing lockdown restrictions and organizations start considering a full return to work, many more employees will soon find…

The decision of whether to reopen your business is weighing heavily on the minds of many leaders today. On the one hand, every company wants to keep their employees and customers safe. At the same time, many people and businesses are on the ropes because of the sudden closures caused by this pandemic. Everyone wants…

The pandemic has a certain way of putting things in perspective. Worries that seemed so important just a few months ago seem trivial today. Businesses have been forced to conjure up a new (and all too real) meaning of the word “resiliency.” But as companies start to settle into the new normal, they must acknowledge…

The COVID-19 pandemic has created an unparalleled time of uncertainty. It seems that nothing can be taken for granted anymore—from basic human interaction to the supply of toilet paper. Epidemiological forecasters have tried to satisfy this need for certainty by building models to predict the spread of the disease. But these models often tell very…

How AlertMedia Is Helping Organizations Stay Proactive During the Pandemic Right now, virtually every type of business is using AlertMedia to communicate with their employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ability to communicate back-and-forth with their employees has become an integral part of these organizations’ pandemic response plans. Essential businesses like hospitals, grocery stores, restaurants, and manufacturing…

For employees of property management companies, meeting strangers and showing them empty apartments, homes, or commercial spaces is simply part of the job. For real estate agents, home healthcare employees, maintenance and repair employees, and utility workers, lone worker safety is a major concern.

The coronavirus pandemic has turned day-to-day American life on its head. Work-from-home is the new normal, but some occupations make working remotely impossible. For these employees, it’s crucial that they and their employers take the necessary steps to protect them from contracting and spreading the deadly COVID-19 virus.

As a rule of thumb, the more planning something requires—the more likely it is to go wrong. Deciding on where to go for lunch? Pretty likely to go without a hitch. Planning a giant company holiday party? Not so much. This rule goes for your company’s risk management as well. The aspects of your operations…

When most of us think about going to work, we think of desks and coffee machines and copiers. However, for many lone workers (especially social workers) the workplace looks much different. Every day, social workers in the field knock on strangers’ doors and walk into unfamiliar homes without knowing what’s inside. Just by doing their…

Whether you know yours or not, everyone knows what IQ is. A high IQ score can be a source of bragging rights, or a qualification for membership in societies like Mensa. The lesser-known sibling of IQ is EQ, or “Emotional Quotient,” which is a measure of emotional intelligence. What you might not have heard of…

At this point, everyone has heard of Coronavirus. Every day, we hear new reports of how the disease is spreading, the impact it is having abroad, and what to expect going forward. In the sea of information regarding Coronavirus, though, it can be hard to identify what your organization can do to prepare for the…

When a business’s administrators are communicating with their employees during a crisis, it’s important they have all the tools necessary to ensure the quick, accurate, and easy transmission of alerts. One of the most powerful tools included in modern mass communication systems is location-based alerts, which include GPS tracking, map views, and functions like geofencing….

Unplanned emergencies, such as operational breakdowns, workplace violence, and systems outages can occur at any time–day or night. While many organizations have someone in charge of employee safety and business continuity, those people cannot be available 24/7 to initiate a response to every emergent threat and event. Today, AlertMedia announced the formal launch of our…

In January of 2014, a social worker in North Carolina began working with a male client. It became clear the client was resistant to her services—he was verbally aggressive on multiple occasions. For a home visit, she brought a peer with her as a safety measure. Despite this precaution, a confrontation occurred inside the client’s…

Lone workers such as social workers, real estate agents, home healthcare providers, service techs, and parole officers are vulnerable to various dangers on the job. Isolation, unknown clients, and entering dangerous environments are a few of the risks they face. Organizations have a moral and legal responsibility to keep those workers safe and informed. While…

If there’s one thing that is certain in business, it’s uncertainty. No matter how foolproof your project plan is, or how airtight your corporate strategy is, you will be forced to confront uncertain situations. To put it simply: you need to be ready for the wide array of threats that can impact operations and employee safety….

Everyone has heard the saying: “Seeing is believing.” Of course, there are some limits to that sentiment, but the basic idea is simple. It’s easier to wrap your head around something when you can view it with your own two eyes. That is the key advantage of a travel safety map. Instead of just having…

On September 23, 2019, over 150,000 travelers found themselves stranded at airports across the world. Thomas Cook, Britain’s oldest and most well-known travel agency, had suddenly gone out of business the night before—along with its fleet of 105 jets under the banner of Thomas Cook Airlines. At midnight, the 178-year-old travel agency had failed to…

Not every employee has the benefit of working with peers. Some are lone workers who do their jobs alone or with little interaction from coworkers. Contractors, field workers, home health care nurses, social workers, realtors and fleet drivers are just a few examples of lone workers. It is estimated that Canada, the United States and…

The Many Complexities of Winter Travel The scene is all too familiar to most business travelers. You’re sitting at the airport gate, not sure whether it’s worth pulling out your laptop again. Your flight’s been delayed by an hour at this point. The last update from the gate agent said the flight would be leaving…

No one ever plans to be stranded in a snowstorm or threatened by a hurricane. Despite predictions by meteorologists, weather seems to have a mind of its own. Due to the unpredictability of mother nature, you must be prepared to react quickly when bad weather strikes. This becomes especially challenging when you are dealing with…

At the beginning of December, AlertMedia conducted a webinar on how to prepare and protect businesses from winter weather hazards. Paul Yura, a Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Weather Service, and Peter Steinfeld, VP of Sales at AlertMedia, explored the impacts of severe weather and provided tips on how to effectively prepare businesses for…

Full suits. Dark sunglasses. Talking in hushed tones. Everyone knows the stereotypical image of a bodyguard. Although this specific image is only a cliché reinforced by movies and television shows, there is some truth to it. Close protection is a massive industry. Today, there are upwards of 20 million private security workers worldwide. In most…

Although spring and summer bring with them their own weather problems, winter can be especially nasty. While a fire or flooding can threaten business continuity for several days, winter storms can stretch on for weeks—even months. Winter storms also bring with them a wide variety of threats. We pulled the following common winter dangers straight…

Following the tragic 2015 Paris terror attacks, the Wall Street Journal published an article highlighting companies’ reassessments of travel security policies. One specific company impacted during the attacks was A.T. Kearney, a global management consultant with about 300 employees either working or traveling for business in the Paris area during the time. When they heard…

In 2018 alone, 213 casualties resulted from active shooter events in the United States. No company ever wants to think about an active shooter event occurring at their workplace, but with the number of active shooter incidents on the rise, it is crucial for companies to have an active shooter response plan in place. Since…

If an active shooter threatens your company, employees may be unprepared on how to respond. To prevent this from happening, you can help train your employees with an active shooter response plan. This serves two purposes: 1) to prevent chaos and 2) to be prepared for workplace violence if it were to arise. In scary…

Duty of care is one of the fastest-developing areas of law worldwide. Over the past five years, the United Kingdom and France have both passed laws that lay out specific guidelines for employers. Meanwhile in the United States, the courts have begun to widen the scope of who owes a duty of care. Most recently,…

Every business knows the pains of tracking their people and keeping them safe no matter their location. Gone are the days when email and text were adequate means of safeguarding employees and keeping tabs on their whereabouts. The answer: A reliable emergency notification system that’s equipped with functionality to pinpoint a worker’s exact location. But…

If your organization employs lone workers, we likely don’t need to tell you why lone worker safety is important. You probably have stories of your own. Working alone brings with it unique risks—so it’s critical that you implement safety measures to keep your people safe in any environment. For most organizations, the first step will…

Kawasaki Motors is a well-recognized brand for motorcycles, ATVs, Jet SkiⓇ watercrafts—a market leader by consumers who appreciate speed. So what does Kawasaki do when it needs to quickly reach all of its 450 U.S. employees across six states? We spoke with Tom Porter, former director of Human Resources & Administration for Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A….

A workplace fire can quickly become a nightmare scenario for any organization. One second, it’s business as usual. The next: an alarm is blaring, ceiling sprinklers have triggered, and employees are in a state of panic. Total chaos. “When automatic detection systems trigger a general alarm, the occupant’s response is anything but automatic.” – Guylène…

We’re excited to announce that AlertMedia was just ranked #285 on Inc. magazine’s prestigious annual Inc. 5000 list! We also achieved the #3 spot in the publication’s ranking of Texas-based software companies. About the list: Inc. recognizes the fastest-growing private companies in the nation according to revenue growth.

Companies come in all shapes and sizes, but there are a few elements every organization has in common: people, meetings, money, and coffee. And, of course, every company deals with communication (which can often be a struggle). Communication is the fuel that keeps business moving. This is especially true for organizations with a complex employee…

According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), there were over 33,000 workplace fires from 2013–2017 totaling $1.5 billion in property loss. Understanding how a fire might originate is the first step organizations should take in protecting its people and assets. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a completely fireproof facility. There are simply too…

“Financial institutions should consider developing an awareness program to let customers, service providers, and regulators know how to contact the institution if normal communication channels are not in operation.” –Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) Financial institutions including banks, credit unions, accounting firms, and loan offices are all vulnerable to security breaches, unforeseen emergencies, and operational…

Some professions are filled with unsung heroes, women and men who are on the front lines and in the trenches day in and day out. These roles often demand that workers venture out on their own into dangerous neighborhoods and environments. Employers are essentially asking their people to confront the possibility of harm with bravery…

These days, it’s hard to escape the debate about automation. Almost every day, we hear about a new use case or example—McDonald’s is replacing their cashiers with kiosks! Amazon plans to man their warehouses with robots! Self-driving cars are just around the corner! With equal frequency come the arguments for or against automation. We aren’t…

Employee safety is a top concern for any organization. Employers have a duty of care obligation to keep their people safe, and employees need peace of mind that their organization is not going to put them in harm’s way. For lone workers, the level of safety they feel has a direct impact on the likelihood…

In the event of an emergency, businesses need a quick and reliable way to notify their people and keep them safe. Whether your workers are disconnected from a physical office or you need to keep them informed during a critical incident, smartphones can help ensure employee safety. Workers are rarely away from their phones, which…

The definition of emergency is “a serious, unexpected, and often dangerous situation requiring immediate action.” The key word here is “unexpected.” You can’t predict emergencies–but you can still plan for them if you understand your most likely threats. One crucial part of this planning process is creating emergency notification message templates. After all, even if…

An emergency notification system empowers organizations to keep their people safe, informed, and connected through relevant, streamlined notifications during a critical event. Emergency notification systems automate and deliver messages so you can quickly and easily communicate with, or engage, your audience from anywhere, at any time, using any device. Your emergency notification system should monitor…

In today’s school environment, effective communication is a complex undertaking. The average public school in America has more than 500 students. Meanwhile, colleges and universities can easily have upwards of tens of thousands of students. On top of that, the different members of a school community—students, faculty, staff members, and parents—tend to have wildly different…

Now is a great time to take a fresh look at your organization’s emergency management program. You should be identifying opportunities for improvement and developing strategies to address them in 2019. But that’s easier said than done, right? After all, building a comprehensive emergency management plan that can be applied uniformly to prepare for and…

Today we announced a $25 million investment from JMI Equity, a firm known for investing in outstanding software companies. JMI meets with over 500 software companies annually and makes only a handful of investments each year. They invested in AlertMedia because they recognize us as the emerging leader in a critical industry. And because they’re excited about the way AlertMedia’s software…

Whether you have Event Pages or are interested in learning more about them, we want to help you understand how Event Pages work in certain scenarios. Once you see them in action, you can probably come up with many more ways they can benefit your organization.

So you’re looking for a lone worker safety device. Lone workers perform some of the most dangerous jobs, and it’s essential that you find a way to keep them safe and connected. But where do you start?

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, home health care employment will skyrocket through 2026, with hundreds of thousands of new jobs being added. The primary reason for this explosive growth: an aging population. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people in the United States over the age of 65 will nearly…

We are pleased to announce that AlertMedia has received the Gold ASTORS Award in the category of “Best Mass Notification System” for the second year in a row! About the ASTORS Awards Program The Annual ‘ASTORS’ Awards is a prestigious program that highlights the most cutting-edge and forward-thinking security solutions coming onto the market today….

All businesses work hard to communicate effectively with their employees. In the age of the mobile phone, text alerts have become a popular way for businesses to quickly and effectively disseminate information. Companies use mass-texting for many purposes. Some use text alerts to communicate with customers. Others use them for marketing purposes, to engage with…

Interview with John Hargrove, CIO and VP of IT for Franklin Federal Union Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union has provided financial products and services to members in the greater Philadelphia region and beyond since 1970. FMFCU houses over $1 billion in assets. This make them the largest financial institution in Delaware County and the 10th…

Keeping Your Employees Safe Too many companies, though, focus too much on the second half of that equation. While a standard phone system or VoIP setup can help keep your employees connected, they are nearly useless in an emergency situation. Small businesses cannot afford to have one solution for everyday communication and a separate emergency…

Location is just as important in keeping employees safe as it is for buying real estate. Location is everything and can have long-term consequences. Perhaps this is why geolocation is finding its way into everything from marketing to security.

One of the most frequent questions we get from customers is what “duty of care” means in the workplace. But, when it comes to duty of care, there isn’t just a box to check. Preparedness and readiness come on a spectrum. The most successful companies are those that go above and beyond when it comes…

Over the past several weeks, we have been discussing duty of care at work—what it is and what it means for your organization. We have hinted that there is a legal component to duty of care as well. In fact, duty of care originated as a legal concept, and there is a wealth of duty…

Keep Your Mobile Employees Safe Your employees depend on you for more than a paycheck. They put in their blood, sweat and hopefully no tears to earn that paycheck, but also have an inherent faith that the company to whom they devote so many of their hours has their best interest at heart. Providing for…

Introduction As a company with remote and lone workers, it’s up to you to ensure their work environment is safe and their job does not put them in harm’s way. OSHA is clear about employer’s responsibilities: Provide well-maintained tools and equipment, including appropriate personal protective equipment Report to OSHA within 8 hours of accidents that…

While 86 percent of companies have an emergency communications plan in place, a plan is only as good as the technology that supports it. Unfortunately, many of the systems companies use today to communicate with employees during emergencies are outdated or clunky. And they lack the capabilities needed to meet the needs of the modern…

The Need for a Duty of Care Policy We have already discussed what duty of care is, but you still might be wondering: why do I need a duty of care policy? The answer is: you can’t afford not to. Just look at what happened at Virginia Tech, following the shooting that occurred there in…

When a hurricane strikes and everyone else is moving to higher ground, facilities managers are headed the other way—planning when they can return and assess the damage. Once the storm moves offshore or loses steam, they will likely be the first ones back to the office. No matter how well you’ve prepared your business for…

The Key to Finding The Right Mass Notification Software Solution Purchasing new enterprise software involves multiple steps including a needs assessment, budget allocation, vetting, contract negotiations, and finally, the purchase. However, determining if a potential solution is the right fit goes beyond requirements and budget. You may have the best emergency notification software, but without…

For the second year in a row, AlertMedia has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Austin by the Austin Business Journal. Last year, we finished in 5th Place in the Small Business category. After a year of rapid growth and increased fundraising, we moved to the Medium category this year, where…

In a typical year, the U.S. experiences 12 named storms, six hurricanes, and three major hurricanes. The 2017 hurricane season was anything but “typical,” however. In 2017, there were 17 named storms, 10 hurricanes, and six major hurricanes. The NOAA attributes the irregularity to “the lack of El Niño conditions in the equatorial Pacific, with…

We’re proud to announce that AlertMedia was recently named as one of the top 10 Internet-of-Things (IoT) start-ups to watch by Network World. The term “Internet-of-Things” refers to the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and connectivity which enables these objects to connect and exchange data. Communication is the glue that ties all of…

Law firms face a significant challenge during critical events: quickly locating their people to keep them safe. Lawyers, and those supporting their activities, typically do not work solely in one location. At any given time, some of them will be working in offices, spread across floors, buildings, cities, and even countries while others will be…

Event Pages Make Organizational Communications More Efficient Whether it’s an emergency or a non-critical event, ongoing communications with employees is often necessary. AlertMedia is known for mass notifications, but we also support efficient communications throughout the life of any event – from planning through resolution.

Emails. How many do you get each day? How often do you check them? Email communication is still the lifeblood of most businesses. But with instant communications available via mass text alerts, instant messaging, and social media, email is rapidly losing its charm–particularly among millennials.

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is requiring all Medicare and Medicaid suppliers/providers to have an emergency preparedness plan in place by November 15, 2017. The new guidelines are to further ensure patients, residents, clients, and participants are safe and informed during natural and man-made critical events.

Fifty percent of employees say they are more productive and motivated when their bosses share information. In fact, 76 percent don’t trust bosses who fail to communicate. Obviously, internal communications are a big deal when it comes to employee engagement and satisfaction. Is there such a thing as too much communication? Related: Employee Engagement Starts…

With just a few months remaining to become compliant with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) emergency preparedness regulations, healthcare providers and suppliers are ramping up their efforts to ensure their organizations will meet the CMS emergency preparedness deadline of November 15, 2017. Is your facility ready? To be compliant with the new…

With less than four months before the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implement their new emergency preparedness regulations, health care providers and suppliers are ramping up their efforts to ensure their organization will meet the CMS guidelines compliance deadline of November 15, 2017. What do these new regulations mean for you exactly? The…

AlertMedia, the fastest-growing emergency notification system provider in the world, is pleased to announce that it has been named one of the Best Places to Work in Austin in the 2017 Small Business category by the Austin Business Journal.

In the last ten years, the workplace has transitioned from stationary to mobile. As technology has advanced it’s changed the way we work, where we work, and when we work. In fact, this report by Global Workplace Analytics discovered that employees are not at their desks as much as 50-60% of the time. Many employees…

Emergency Notifications Then and Now If those that are old enough, you probably remember a time when emergency notifications at work were fire alarms, overhead speaker alerts, and possibly a phone call with an automated message. These are also the days when most of us drove to work, stayed at the same desk at the…

You Have Brand Advocates at Your Fingertips Workforce.com recently published an article about how employees can help protect brands from fake news. The premise is that every employee can become a brand advocate and push out positive brand messaging via social media, a much more effective marketing tactic than most corporate marketing programs. The key…

How Connected Is Your Company? When we talk about teamwork, collaboration, and office culture, we’d like to think we all work well together. Truth is, today’s workforce is highly mobile and often dispersed. Having everyone together under one roof is nearly impossible. How do you keep the small company feel, with the ideal flow of…

Finding the Right System An emergency notification system is all you need to protect your employees, right? That can be easier said than done. If you’ve been relying on email or phones to inform and alert your employees, you have a little homework to do before you can choose the best emergency notification software for…

Why Employee Engagement Matters For years, employee engagement has been a hot topic for HR leaders and senior executives, yet many organizations are still struggling to define it, execute it, and measure it. To put a point on the issue, consider the following: 70% of U.S. workers are not engaged at work 60% of millennials…

Months ahead of the 2017 presidential inauguration, security officials have been in high gear and pulling out all the stops to make the event a safe one. No other presidential inauguration has garnered so much debate, spurring officials to take this year’s inauguration to another level when it comes to security.

With 2017 already underway, it’s a good time to look at what we think will be major drivers in the mass notification system market. One recent report estimates this market is to grow from $4.16 billion in 2016 to more than $9 billion by 2021. It appears the focus will be on business continuity strategies…

Emergency Notifications in the Healthcare Industry Our blogs typically highlight the use of emergency notification systems for companies, such as service organizations, manufacturing, and typical private-sector businesses with a medium to large and/or dispersed workforce. While this has been our focus, we believe it is critical for any organization across every industry to have an emergency…

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity When we think of mass communications and emergency notification systems, we often think of weather-related events, power outages, fires, and other workplace emergencies. We don’t always jump to cybersecurity. Yet, cybersecurity is a big deal. It is estimated that cyberattacks cost businesses as much as $400 billion a year and…

The Government’s Take on Alerts I was surprised to learn that the federal Emergency Alert System (EAS) was only used at the local level until November 9, 2011 at 2 pm eastern. This date marked the first time FEMA ever tested the EAS nationwide. All of the television and radio test sirens you have ever…

Why The Emergency Management Market Is Soaring When we heard the report based on new market research that the incident and emergency management market is projected to reach $114 billion by 2021, we weren’t surprised. But what people may not realize is why the market is exploding. The report notes the growth is due to…

Would it surprise you to know that up to 90 percent of the U.S. workforce says they would like to telecommute at least part time? Some aren’t waiting for permission, but gradually changing the perception of what’s acceptable office protocol.

An Example of What Not to Do More organizations are realizing the benefits of mass communications and have implemented at least some type of solution to enable instant notifications with their employees. With so many people using mobile phones, it’s obvious that these notifications must involve mobile communication. Text alerts are gaining in popularity but…

Think you get a lot of emails? Your text messages are about to explode as well, at least that’s what I’m predicting. Why? Because more and more organizations are beginning to understand what you and I have known all along: texting is the quickest and easiest way to communicate.

This week, an article about Canada’s struggle to unify its emergency alert system circulated around the AlertMedia office. Major Canadian cities frequently use different systems and often those systems are unintegrated, causing the mass alert system to be inefficient and even dangerous with its omissions. As the author put it, “…the audiences for those warnings…

Key Drivers A recent article from Campus Safety magazine discusses how college campuses are attempting to maximize the ROI of their alert systems. This isn’t a surprise, as it has become mandatory for schools to have some sort of mass communication system in place for emergencies. Sadly, school campuses from elementary through college have lost…

It’s hard to believe that in 2016, companies are still relying on manual processes to communicate with a dispersed workforce, namely field technicians. You would think that with all of the mobility and technology we have these days, larger companies, in particular, would have jumped at the chance to streamline their communication, if only to…

On Friday, October 21st, we had the special privilege of joining several other technology companies in the Austin area for a day of community service coordinated by the Entrepreneurs Foundation. The Entrepreneurs Foundation was founded by former entrepreneurs and venture capitalists helping to give local technology companies the opportunity to share their time and money…

Your Event Management Doesn’t Have to be so Hard Company execs love to put on big, fancy events. They may invite business leaders, managers, partners, suppliers, stockholders, board members, customers, and maybe even regular employees who deserve a night on the house.

Lessons From Ben Benjamin Franklin, perhaps more than any other American historical figure, is known for his quotes and advice. Not only was he a founding father of our nation, but he launched the first library, the first hospital, and the first fire department. Those are but a few of his contributions to our society…

We’d like to think we’d know what to do in an emergency, but studies show many Americans are not as prepared as they think they are. If we, as private citizens, haven’t prepared our homes and families for emergencies, how can we expect our employers to have a plan in place? Preparing your home for…

Your Millennial Workforce Wants Two-Way Communication Recently, OpenMarket released interesting statistics it discovered when surveying 500 Millennials ages 18-34 years old. 72 percent of Millennials text 10 or more times a day and 83 percent of them open text messages within 90 seconds of receiving them. 60 percent of Millennials prefer two-way text engagement with companies…

A More Modern Mass Notification System We are coming to the end of National Preparedness Month so it only makes sense we talk about mass notification systems and whether or not you have one in place. The government has ways to notify you in case of an emergency, traditionally via television and radio broadcasts. But, even…

When Was the Last Time You Practiced Your Plan? Plenty of companies have some sort of emergency plan in place and even a few of those practice the plan on a regular basis with their employees. Yet, nearly 60 percent of American adults say they have never practiced what to do in a disaster at…

The Travel Risk is Real You don’t have to look long to find news of terrorist attacks, natural disasters, political unrest, and other safety threats around the world. It can be a scary place, especially if you’re a frequent traveler. Not too long ago, business travelers only had to be concerned with logistics and language…

Have you checked the weather lately? The 2016 hurricane season is starting out with a bang. NOAA has already issued several advisories for both the Atlantic and Pacific. Take a look at some of the latest headlines from the Weather Channel: “Gulf of Mexico ‘Hot Tub’ Could Fuel Hurricane Season” and “Hurricane Season Forecast Update:…

To prepare for one of the biggest annual celebrations in the Shenandoah Valley, the Rockingham County Fair partnered with AlertMedia to keep all attendees and staff safe and informed throughout the week-long event. “[Fair] organizers say nothing is more important than safety,” reports WHSV News. Making the fairgrounds a fun and safe environment for family…

Phone trees and mass emails used to be great methods for keeping your employees updated on a situation. People also used to think the world was flat. Times, however, have changed. Today, old school one-way messages simply won’t cut it. Your staff deserves modern technology to facilitate efficient communication in the workplace. Two-way mass communication…

An employee notification system can revolutionize the way you communicate with your personnel. The benefits of having a notification system available for your staff are numerous. They’re better informed, safer, and the system creates a sense of transparency that workers appreciate from their management. Your system should provide a variety of features to simplify and…

If you want to effectively communicate with a massive audience, especially during a time-sensitive situation, you need a mass notification system that’s fast, secure, and far-reaching. Your mass notification system is the vehicle transporting your message and it’s paramount you can fully rely on its abilities. But, there’s also another important factor to ensuring you…

While many mass notification systems offer mass texting or mass emails, few platforms come with the diverse array of features that AlertMedia offers. Through all of the different customizations, settings, and ways of sending alerts, AlertMedia provides you with a comprehensive two-way communications system – enabling you to communicate in the most effective way for…

A critical event can be incredibly stressful, and if you aren’t prepared to effectively communicate when disaster strikes, a negative situation can escalate quickly. The cost of unpreparedness is high – a notification that is put together in the spur of the moment can have a devastating effect that will likely prove costly for an…

Business resilience is your organization’s ability to adapt and adequately respond to events—no matter how critical the situation—that affect your business internally or externally with little impact to your operations, people, and structure. Your business’s ability to be resilient and prepared relies on careful, corresponding planning related to both business continuity and disaster recovery, and…

Careful preparation and planning will help make implementing an emergency notification system go smoothly. After you’ve partnered with AlertMedia, these are the steps you can expect to take with your dedicated Customer Success Representative.

AlertMedia’s company values not only reflect our commitment as a team to be the leader in the emergency mass notifications market, but also to be leaders within our community by volunteering and helping to serve those in need. We strongly believe that an important part of giving back includes getting out in your city and…

When you start to evaluate emergency notification system vendors, you’ll need to narrow in on your organization’s specific needs. Which features matter the most? And are they easy to use? As you’re looking for a vendor to best fit your emergency notification requirements, be on the lookout for these seven must-have features of an emergency…

In the middle of a critical event, it’s easy to forget who needs to be sent a notification and where they’re located. When time is of the essence, using groups can streamline the notification process—allowing you to notify your users more efficiently. When you have a next-generation emergency notification system like AlertMedia, groups can simplify…

Every day, AlertMedia customers send notifications connecting their audiences in different locations all over the world. With our easy-to-use mass notification system, these organizations have the ability to quickly reach and connect with their people anytime, anywhere—while facilitating activity that’s easy to access, manage, and measure from a single interface. Modern Emergency Notifications: 4 Keys…

Audience participation is a crucial piece of the communications process. In time-sensitive situations, it’s key to collect audience feedback to make informed decisions. However, many organizations use a notification-only based platform to alert their employees of an important event, which may be costing them valuable audience feedback—a critical element in real-time decision-making.

Employees venture into dangerous situations every day. Workers in hazardous positions face serious threats while simply doing tasks required by their job. While most employers wish they could increase safety support for their workers, they aren’t sure where to begin. They believe it will be too time-intensive, too costly, or otherwise impossible. But increasing employee…

When the overflow of content is so extreme, it can be difficult to decide what is relevant and what is unnecessary buzz. AlertMedia’s sources can provide automated, personalized, and cultivated updates on events applicable to you. Our sources are monitored by real people, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to ensure you receive…

When it comes to engaging your audience or gleaning important information from a small or large pool of people, surveying through mass communications is one of the most valuable tools in your arsenal.

Mass communication systems: They’re used to send out Amber Alerts and notify people of flood warnings, right? Seems cut and dry. Well, not exactly. Mass communication has been turned on its head and emergency notifications are now only the tip of the iceberg. Your people are connected like never before. They have powerful mobile devices,…

Mass communications in its simplest form means communicating on a large scale. To some organizations, that means interacting with massive audiences around special promotions, announcements, and events—perhaps asking them to participate in a survey or to “text to subscribe” to sign up to receive communications. For others, it means emergency notification, or operational synchronization. No…

If you’re considering an emergency mass notification system, you’re already familiar with why it’s crucial to your business resilience and emergency preparedness planning. But have you thought about how you can amplify your mass communications software’s capabilities to fit other areas of your organization? What about the functions that will have the biggest impact on…

In addition to communicating quickly and easily during emergency situations, organizations are looking for a holistic platform that gives them the option of notifying their audience for a variety of needs: marketing, operational improvements, organizational announcements, scheduling, and much more. From promotional subscriptions to automating manual processes, you should be able to use your notification…

We’re excited to announce updated monitoring services. We have improved our ability to deliver a customized, comprehensive approach to monitoring and tracking items that directly impact our customers’ organizations.

What an incredible year! AlertMedia has had an exciting 2015, largely defined by the different types of exponential growth we’ve experienced within our organization and beyond. Here are a few key highlights: In June, we received a significant investment to redefine what mass notification means in the market and address the increasing demand for our…

AUSTIN, TX–(BUSINESS WIRE)—June 17, 2015—AlertMedia, a platform for interactive mass notification, today announced it has raised $4.16 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by Silverton Partners and included backing from ATX Ventures and Capital Factory.

Winter is the most common time of year for accidental fires. Space heaters, fireplaces, and candles are examples of hazards that create fire risk in times of cold weather. Here are a few things you can do to stay safe while keeping warm: Candle Fires: Keep candles away from flammable objects. Every year careless candle…

Business liability is something all business leaders should take seriously. One act of negligence in ensuring your employees, contractors, or customers’ safety during emergency situations can cost your company significant losses. Emergency situations can include inclement weather, security issues, etc., but they can also include events specific to your company operations: Last-minute scheduling changes, software…

We conducted a survey of 400 large organizations – including schools, healthcare facilities, municipalities, and large enterprises – and learned some interesting statistics about emergency communication, and the need for AlertMedia. Surprise #1 Percent of those using an emergency communication system that DO NOT include text messages or other “real-time” notification: 65.6 percent. So what…

We all know social media plays a major role in the lives of virtually everyone in the world. It’s known as an easy way for people to keep in touch with family, old high school acquaintances, and much more. But lately, a new trend has developed to use social media during natural disasters and other…

When Every Second Counts, the Most Effective System for Interactive Group Notification is Now Available AUSTIN, Texas–(BUSINESS WIRE)–AlertMedia, which specializes in developing next-generation emergency communication technology, has announced the launch of the first “any-channel” notification platform. Organizations can access AlertMedia’s notification system from anywhere, at any time, on any device. For the first time ever,…

We’ve run the numbers. Two-thirds of large organizations – including all sizes of business, health, education and government entities – currently DO have a technology solution in place for emergency mass communication. The other 33% DO NOT.

“First responders from 12 agencies were dispatched to an emergency exercise at the Pendleton Grain Growers, Inc. (PGG) Feedville, Ore., location. The exercise participants responded to a dispatch call of an incident that involved the widely used agricultural product, anhydrous ammonia”.

Whenever a crisis occurs that has the potential of damaging your company’s reputation or affecting its bottom line, it is imperative that you and your management team respond immediately to lessen the impact. A customer falls in your office and is seriously injured. He threatens to call the media and sue. The effectiveness of your…

It happens all the time… incidents that disrupt a company or organization’s daily operations — a power outage, an event cancellation, a facility accident, or a security breach. Some are minor incidents, some are major, but all require that you disseminate accurate information immediately to all affected parties. Preparing for these incidents takes proper planning….

Tornados are unpredictable in nature and can be spotted anywhere in the United States making text alerts a critical differentiator to ensure the safety of your community.

In early November of 2013, the Los Angeles Airport experienced a shooting in terminal three, which killed one TSA agent and injured several others. An internal LAX’s review found that “officials had an inadequate emergency alert and warning system, failed to focus on incident command basics and fell short in communicating to passengers”. The review…

When Would I Use AlertMedia? You would use our notification tools whenever you have an important and/or time-sensitive message to send to a large group, typically more than 20 people. They would receive your message by text, voice, or push notification immediately – and you could track their receipts and collect responses.

AlertMedia is changing mass notification into useful communication. When a message is urgent or important, when communication is critical, AlertMedia offers the most complete solution for knowing what’s going on, getting the word out, and controlling the message throughout an event. One time, one-way communication is useless. Your people need updates. They need to share….