Enabling Security with Unified Communications for Education NEC Corporation of America www.necam.com
Table of Contents Security/Emergency Response Team (ERT) Collaboration...3 Secure Communications...3 Premises Security Enhancements...4 Emergency and Mass Notification...5 NEC Corporation of America 2013 2
School and campus security concerns are at an all-time high these days, in part due to several recent and tragic events. While our politicians and communities struggle to decide the best legislative solutions, those of us charged with educating and serving students need to address life safety and security concerns now. Integrated Unified Communications (UC) solutions allow educational institutions to approach security in a comprehensive manner that breaks down the barriers between telecom, security, data and IT. There are a large number of ways UC technology is being used to enhance security efforts in educational environments. Security/Emergency Response Team (ERT) Collaboration ERT s are the creators of a district s emergency preparedness and incident response policies, and typically the connecting point between district personnel and community first responders. Ensuring this group is able to communicate securely, with both internal and external contacts under all circumstances, is one of the most important steps a district can take. Some of the ways UC enables this include: Simple conferencing solutions with a private number (DID) can be shared with internal and external ERT collaborators (e.g. the superintendent of schools, buildings and grounds personnel, principals, the Chief of Police, Fire Marshall and others) to allow for easy contact during an emergency. Added flexibility and security is provided via conferencing that can be ad hoc or require PIN access, and attendees can be viewed and managed from a web interface. Conferences can also be recorded for legal and post-incident review. Advanced conferencing systems combine audio, video and web collaboration with ad hoc, invite only, and PIN secured access or any combination of the above. Sharing physical plant diagrams, detailed incident information and live video security feeds provides detailed information to responders when they need it most. With NEC collaboration systems, no special software is required by users connecting to the call, which minimizes delays and technical issues in secure systems important especially under tight timelines and circumstances where full control over access technology may not be possible. Firebar conferencing functionality goes beyond callin conferencing. Firebar allows institutions to designate groups of individuals who will be responsible for specific emergency and security incident categories. These designees are then called on any and all numbers they have provided, and immediately joined into an audio conference. For example, a flood emergency may require representatives from buildings and grounds, the building principal, a media representative, IT and the superintendent. When a unique and secure web, phone call or SMS trigger is received, the system automatically calls out to that team and brings them into conference so that they can immediately begin communicating and resolve the issue together. Listen and Barge-In E911 functionality allows authorized staff to be involved in any emergency calls with or without active participation, as needed. This eliminates confusion and multiple accounts, and provides the most accurate information available directly to police and fire officials. Note that this usage must be coordinated and authorized by local law enforcement. Secure Communications Extending the usefulness of your Unified Communications system to provide secure and managed communications should be a part of every safety plan. NEC provides communications systems that are encrypted by default, certified by the Department of Defense (DoD), and come with a suite of additional features that can mean all the difference for response and management - both during and after a crisis. Recording can be on-demand or constant and include single lines or entire trunks. Many educational facilities record all calls into the primary line of a school office so that threats, parent incidents, and other security issues are constantly monitored and available for authorities. Recordings are stored in a location of your choosing with access given only to those staff you select and stored for the length of time you deem necessary. NEC Corporation of America 2013 3
Group listening is a lesser-known feature that has been used to good effect in many institutions. Group listening allows a phone to be put on speaker but continue conversation with the handset. This way staff in the room can hear the call, but the caller is not alerted that they are being broadcast. When threats are received or important information is being communicated, the situation details are shared without causing disruption. Comprehensive call reporting means that no incidents, threats, or other communication, inbound or outbound, are lost. This allows authorized staff to investigate internal and external security threats and contacts, and provides detailed call information to the appropriate authorities quickly and easily. Effective reporting and call management can also be used to reduce costs and minimize inappropriate telecom usage. Integrated backup, failover, and disaster recovery solutions should be a requirement of any communications system that would be relied upon in an emergency. NEC systems provide instant failover with true private cloud functionality, meaning that even if one or more of your buildings have gone offline, vital communications will continue without interruption. Load balancing is automatically configured when multiple systems are installed, and can help ensure that lines are available even during heavy usage. Premises Security Enhancements Access to schools and other district buildings is a large part of security, and is often the first thing people think of. Controlling access and managing visitors is top priority in most policies, and interfacing telecom with existing premises and physical access systems allows schools to extend their investment and create a more secure environment. Relay control functionality allows you to program buttons on your phones or desktop to open door locks, display alerts and more. These can be as simple as a button push for door access or can trigger more extensive results such as alarms, silent alerts, building lockdowns and so on. Video entry systems work naturally with our relay control systems and allow visitors to be pre-screened before entry. Confirming not just identity, but making sure there are no additional individuals entering is something that may only be possible with visual scrutiny. Integrate with other automation systems for instant lockdowns, HVAC management and alerts, overhead paging, display boards and more. Advanced E911 functionality includes screen pop-ups and instant SMS or email notifications to allow your campus security and administrative staff to be alerted as incidents occur. This can allow staff members to respond to emergencies at the same time as or even before police are involved. Advanced biometrics such as fingerprinting, facial recognition, instant verification, RFID tagging for IDs and campus assets and other advanced technologies have been implemented at districts that wish to enhance security even further. NEC Corporation of America 2013 4
Emergency and Mass Notification Not all communications during or after an incident are restricted to internal and local responders. Sometimes the most important individuals to contact include anyone who will be affected; your students, staff, parents and community members. An Education Subject Matter Expert is available to answer questions, perform webinars and consult directly with your team. If you d like to explore more ways your district can enhance or extend communications and security in schools, send an email to michael.kastler@necam.com to schedule a call. Automated emergency notifications can be triggered via phone call, web interface or SMS (text messaging). Manual or automated plant management (e.g. HVAC) alerts are used interchangeably for alert purposes. In the case of a fire, fire alarms can automatically trigger a mass notification event via SMS to alert buildings and grounds personnel, the principal/dean, and/or superintendent for immediate response. Mass notification can also be used to alert individual groups of staff, students, parents or community members of changing schedules and updates to information without having to pay additional usage charges. Polling, receipt confirmation, delivery by voice, email and SMS simultaneously, and integration with your student information systems (SIS) and other databases make the process of information collection and distribution seamless and secure. Leverage your investment to make use of notification systems for non-emergency situations. Integrating with your SIS and district directories means the money you put into enabling security can also be used for regular, low cost per touch, notification and polling. The solutions and use cases identified here are just some of the ways schools are utilizing unified communications as part of a comprehensive emergency and incident response plan. NEC is helping districts across the country create more effective and economical communications solutions, and integrate with their existing infrastructure and data systems. Corporate Headquarters (Japan) NEC Corporation www.nec.com Oceania (Australia) NEC Australia Pty Ltd www.nec.com.au North America (USA & Canada) NEC Corporation of America www.necam.com Asia NEC Corporation www.nec.com Europe (EMEA) NEC Philips Unified Solutions www.nec-philips.com About NEC Corporation of America Headquartered in Irving, Texas, NEC Corporation of America is a leading provider of innovative IT, network and communications products and solutions for service carriers, Fortune 1000 and SMB businesses across multiple vertical industries, including Healthcare, Government, Education and Hospitality. NEC Corporation of America delivers one of the industry s broadest portfolios of technology solutions and professional services, including unified communications, wireless, voice and data, managed services, server and storage infrastructure, optical network systems, microwave radio communications and biometric security. NEC Corporation of America is a whollyowned subsidiary of NEC Corporation, a global technology leader with operations in 30 countries and more than $42 billion in revenues. For more information, please visit www.necam.com. WP13003 v.7.19.13 2013 NEC Corporation. All rights reserved. NEC, NEC logo, and UNIVERGE are trademarks or registered trademarks of NEC Corporation that may be registered in Japan and other jurisdictions. All trademarks identified with or are registered trademarks or trademarks respectively. Models may vary for each country. Please refer to your local NEC representatives for further details.