How to Choose the Best Alert System for Your Campus

Housing thousands of students, each campus now needs an alert notification system to ensure that students, faculty and staff are protected from emergencies, disasters and tragedies that can suddenly occur. 

There are tons of systems being sold in the market today, with a lot of sellers offering systems with very distinct and unique features. This diversity as well as the cost of available options out there make it difficult to choose the right system. Remember that needs vary across educational institutions, and their unique requirements should be the first consideration when choosing. Before a system is acquired and deployed, the needs and characteristics of the population of each campus should be determined.

No matter what the needs of each educational institution needs, here are the four factors any campus administrator should take into account when opting for an alert notification system:

1. The capability of the system to integrate.

Ask yourself this: do you already have an alert notification system in place and simply want to upgrade it, or is this the first time you are going to be getting one?

If you are seeking to get a new system, think about you choice in the long term. Take into consideration whether a system can be expanded as your campus grows and develops.

If you are seeking to upgrade or add to your existing system, make sure your new purchase will work seamlessly with your current system. If it doesn’t, you risk paying more for possible glitches in the system, and it might be detrimental to you whole campus population if the system doesn’t function properly.

2. The coverage.

One alert notification system can greatly differ from another. Various systems come with different features – which range from simple ones to more complex variations. This makes choosing challenging, as features and services may lead to distractions. While your needs may be different from other campuses, keep focused on one characteristic in particular: a comprehensive coverage.

A system that has comprehensive coverage is able to employ different kinds of notifications so that each and every person who is meant to receive messages should be alerted when an emergency or calamity strikes. This accessibility means that no matter where students, faculty and staff are inside the school, they can have access to information through their mobile devices or computers. In order to have a comprehensive coverage, make sure to opt for a system that is able to send messages via different channels, such as mobile phones, computers, and others.

3. The alerting and notification functionalities of the system.

Your campus may have the best lighting system that are set off during times of emergencies and calamities; however, it is not enough to let people know that there is an incident. People need to be informed as to what to do next to keep themselves and others safe and protected.

The alert notification system you opt for should be able to provide you not only with information regarding the emergency, but how to react to it.

4. The system should comply with regulations.

It should comply with the following regulations specific to your educational institution:

• Higher Education Opportunity Act – refers to the mandate that all schools should have the capability to notify the population about emergencies in a timely fashion.
• Americans with Disabilities Act – refers to the mandate that alerts and notifications should reach people with disabilities in the campus.
• National Fire Alarm Signalling Code (NFPA 72) – refers to alarm systems that are utilized during terrorist, chemical, nuclear, biological and weather emergencies. 

When opting for an alert notification system for you campus, put your trust in DeskAlerts, the software that guarantees safety due to its quick and efficient notification and dissemination capabilities. Learn more by calling us at 1-703-881-3166 or emailing us at sales@deskalerts.com.