Best Emergency Notification Software

Disaster usually strikes without any warning, and it could turn into a nightmare if the actions are not taken immediately.  There could be nothing more devastating than to face fatal incidents because of the lack of an emergency notification system or inability to trace the early signals of the incidents. For ages, humans have used innovative ideas to tackle emergencies, from ringing the bell to setting up a huge bonfire, which later evolved into an electronic siren and radio communication. But these innovations were either not efficient to address a large group of people or were lacking in a systematic approach. For instance, an electronic siren can ring only when it has a power supply. However, with the evolving technology,  the conventional emergency notification was replaced with a better alternative for sending emergency alerts in the form of Emergency Notification Software. 

An Emergency Notification Software is more efficient and reliable in responding to emergencies and has been helping to overcome the core challenges of the legacy emergency notification system.

This buyer guide on emergency notification software is intended to help people from various sectors to get an in-depth idea of emergency notification software. It allows them to explore software from various dimensions and take an informed decision on buying the best emergency notification software.

Business organizations invest heavily in their resources to run the business, and most organizations enroll in various safety measures to protect their resources against disaster. But with the traditional emergency alert system, organizations cannot take a sigh of relief because there are few challenges associated with it that stand against them in protecting their resources.

• Vague information about incident: Without knowing the criticality of the issue, it is difficult to initiate preventive measures to stop the incident. The first responders can successfully conduct the operations only when they have enough information about the emergency.
• Mass reach: The traditional emergency alert system does not have any robust communication channel that alerts everybody at the same time when a particular incident occurs.
• Single-mode of communication: The traditional emergency alert system largely relies on a single mode of communication.  Usually, it is verbal and not reliable. Multiple modes of communication can be more effective during an emergency.
• Message not delivered: During an emergency, the message must be delivered to the right person or responder at the right time. In a traditional emergency alert system, there is no provision to confirm the reach of the message.
• Late response time:  It takes more time to respond to emergencies with the traditional methods since there is no direct communication mechanism to inform the first responder. Even if they are informed on time, they don’t have enough data to plan or take action.

Emergency Notification Software is a tool that is used to send alerts or notifications to people through the network of communication channels during emergencies.  It allows sending notifications across multiple devices and through numerous channels to neutralize the effect of an incident or emergency at the earliest possible time.

Various industries and sectors can use emergency notification systems. Emergency notification software could be useful for mitigating issues like,

• Security threats
• I.T outages
• Suspicious person alert
• Employee scheduling
• Natural disasters
• Hazardous materials events
• Health and safety incidents
• Banking transactions and other financial services
• Support text-to-speech notifications

• Mass Notification Systems and Geo-targeting:  Emergency notification software helps to inform people in mass in very little time. The geo-targeting feature of emergency notification software further ensures that people from a particular region receive the message. It helps to handle the emergency more efficiently without panicking the people that are not directly affected by the emergencies.
• Wireless Emergency Alerts: Wireless alert system has fast-paced the emergency notification system.  It can reach some of the most difficult places and deliver the alert message to VoIP phones, mobile devices, laptops, and other devices.  Even if the victim’s mobile is loaded with messages, the emergency notification software ensures it reaches him. The emergency notification software facilitates pre-set alerts or ready-to-use templates, which saves time for drafting new messages during an emergency.
• Automated Alerting: Certain emergency scenarios can be controlled in the initial stage by acting on it early, and automating the alerting system plays a critical role in informing the responder early.  Setting up automated alerting systems for critical events like fire breakout is an advantage as the sensors connected with emergency notification software can trigger the notification and send it to the responsible person instantly.

The use of emergency notification software is not just restricted to sending alerts about hurricanes or floods to the public, but it also has a purpose in corporate and other industries. In today’s digital landscape, companies are incurring more financial loss through virtual threats (cyber attacks) than natural calamities or accidents.  The companies are becoming vigilant to cyber-attacks and are taking preventive measures to neutralize the attacks.  The emergency notification software could turn productive in alerting the employees about the possible cyber-attacks or IT outages and can send guidelines to protect their system.  Another critical issue business enterprises face while conducting business operations is a workplace injury.  The emergency notification mobile app with a panic button can help an employee to send a message to the responsible person when they find something that could risk their safety or expose them to injury.

Those employees working at some remote place, when they are hit with emergencies like a flood or heavy snow; it becomes difficult for business owners to contact them and find their whereabouts. But emergency notification software provides a map view of the employee’s physical location and based on which the business owner can find whether the employee is in the danger zone or out of it.  The business owner or organization can also take action through emergency notification software like sending out notifications, escalating issues to the right person, or sharing the precautionary guidelines with employees. It helps them to save the lives of their employees as well as prevent operation disruptions.

• Message visibility:  The emergency notification software supports multi-channel communications, which means if any one device is failed the message can be relayed on another device. It could be quite useful in an emergency situation to convey the message and increase the message visibility ratio.  Some emergency notification software also supports multi-media files like photos, videos, social media posts, and comments to respond to emergencies.
• Geofencing:  Emergency notification software tools offer the advantage of sending emergency alerts or messages to a group of people within a certain geo-location. For instance, a company can send a notification to its team located in a certain region about the potential risk of malware attack.
• Creating notification templates in advance:  An emergency notification system allows users to create notification templates in advance. It means they can quickly respond to the emergency and do not have to waste time drafting alert notifications.
• Real-time communication:  Responding to emergency situations in a timely manner is crucial to avert severe damage.  Real-time communication can give enough time to respond and implement a contingency plan before it gets worse. The monitoring system embedded with emergency notification software can allow users to verify whether the message is conveyed to everyone on their contact list.
• Mobile app: Emergency notification software with a mobile app can reach a corresponding person real fast and help users exempt the message charges.    
• Multiple-language support: The emergency notification software supporting multiple language support is of high-value as it can address the off-shore team in their local language and ensure total support without boundaries..
• Report and analytics:  Emergency notification software tools come with reporting features. They are efficient in providing insight into the performance of the notification software tools.  The reports can include notification speed, message delivery success or failure rate, response rate, etc.

These are some of the emergency notification software benefits that users can leverage during emergencies but to get an in-depth idea of what other ways the software can be used in emergency scenarios, the users should need to tap on the essential features of emergency notification software.

• Automatically broadcast notifications
• Geofence messaging
• Automated alerting
• Report and analytics
• Event management  (alert escalation, message confirmation, etc.)
• Incident tagging
• Alert forwarding
• Two-way communication
• Third-party integration
• I.T alerting
• Mass notification
• Multi-lingual support
• Mobile App
• Ready-to-use templates or alert messages
• Keep track of all events
• Create custom alerts
• Supports multi-communication channels (email, mobile, VoIP phones, etc.)
• Multi-channel distribution
• Robust security
• Audit trail
• Conference call
• Network-based alerting
• One-touch activation of all devices

• Two way communication: Certain emergency alert systems only have single-way communication, meaning they broadcast information to end-users, but end-users or victims cannot reply to them back.  In emergency scenarios, two-way communications could be very beneficial.
• Pricing: Pricing is an important component for any software and so forth emergency notification software.  The emergency alert system comes in many prices, which could vary based on the pricing model and list of features.  The user can always find the emergency notification software that fits their budget and fulfills their business goals. Some users might feel comfortable using perpetual licensed software, while others may prefer using a subscription model.
• User-friendly interface:  User-friendly emergency notification software means faster response time.  The simple easy-to-use interface of the software can help responders to analyze situations faster and take action quickly.
• Conference calling & advanced features: While selecting the best emergency notification software, the users mostly consider basic features like automatic alerts and mass messaging.  But besides that, there is an essential feature that one can easily overlook “Conference Calling.”  To mitigate a disastrous situation often requires expert insights; he might not present on the location. In such a situation, conference calling could prove very helpful.  Besides conference calling, users must also check software for advanced features like real-time data sync or text-to-speech.
• Software integration:  Integration of emergency alert systems with other software or devices is essential for its performance and response to any unexpected incident. The system that does not sync well with the existing software or devices can prove ineffective while dealing with emergencies. Lack of interoperability and reliability can leave the organization or individual vulnerable in a disastrous situation.
• Report and analytics: Report and analytics for emergency notification software can be key-holders to improve the response time and take preventive measures to reduce the impact of the incident.  The report and analytics data can give in-depth information about the gaps in the emergency processes and help to contemplate the reasons behind it.
• Support multiple devices: The best emergency alert system supports multi-channel communication, and also supports multiple devices. In the growing trend of mobile devices, the responders should be able to receive distress calls or messages from any device.

Both on-premise and cloud emergency notification software have their advantages and disadvantages, and it entirely depends on the authority or organization to choose between the two based on their priorities and risk factors. Some even prefer using a hybrid model to overcome the set-backs of cloud and on-premise emergency notification software.

• On-premise emergency notification software:  The on-premise emergency notification software gives full control of the software, and the user can customize them as per their needs. However, when the organization hits any kind of emergency that affects the on-premise server, then the emergency alert system won’t be able to send the notification messages to the responsible person.
• Cloud emergency notification software:  Cloud emergency notification software installed off-site; there is no risk of the server going down unless there are some technical issues. Even if the server goes down, then they can transfer the load to other active servers.  However, the cloud system does not allow to customize the software as per the organization’s needs.

Emergency notification software is reliable and can help to mitigate emergency scenarios in a timely manner.  The ability to gather real-time data about the incident and communicate against all the adversities makes emergency notification software the best solution to cope with emergencies. As per one of the recent survey reports, the growth of the mass notification software market is likely to reach $27.3 billion by 2026.  The growing trend of mobile devices further drives the adoption of emergency notification software. Pairing mobile devices with emergency notification software features can truly enhance the process of mitigating emergencies. The best emergency alert systems are intertwined with strong security features, which further make them effective, efficient, and reliable.

But these reasons are not alone responsible for the growth and higher adoption of the emergency notification system; new trends or enhancements taking place in the emergency notification system further drive organizations or stakeholders’ attention towards it.

• Text-to-speech: Technological innovation in communication has helped people to reach maximum people in a minimum time-frame. Text-to-speech is one such intelligent piece of technology that maximizes people’s reach and eliminates the communication barrier during an emergency.  During an emergency, it is not possible that an announcement made on a single speaker covers the entire area or reaches an individual room.  In such circumstances, “Text-to-Speech” could be very useful, and the message can be broadcasted immediately.
• IoT: With so many sensors and devices connected to the internet, the emergency notification software with IoT devices is a big breakthrough in mitigating emergencies.  IoT sensor devices such as sound detectors, heat sensors, and cameras can provide an abundance of data related to the incidents.
• iDAWG (Intelligent Deployable Augmented Wireless Gateway):  During a worst-case emergency scenario, building communication with the responding team becomes difficult due to the circumstances. In such a scenario, iDAWG or Intelligent Deployable Augmented Wireless Gateway could be life-saving as it does not require a traditional communication system or internet for communication. IDAWG or Intelligent Deployable Augmented Wireless Gateway works on a new class of software called Edgeware and communicates through radio-frequency. This technology helps victims to connect each and every service during an emergency when data connectivity loses or is not stable. 
• Coordinating with social media:  Social media and mobile devices have shrunk the universe. Connecting and communicating in real-time is much easier and simpler now.  The best emergency alert system supports social media platforms, and if required, they can immediately transmit messages to these platforms.
• Drones and advanced equipment: Drones and other equipment have the potential to reach some difficult locations, which makes them the best tool for an emergency scenario. Also, it saves first responders from going into dangerous situations before analyzing the situation. It is a cost-effective way for damage assessment and saves lots of time during an emergency situation. The latest development in the drone is real-time 3D mapping, which makes it more efficient during emergency situations.  The real-time data from the drone can be synced with emergency notification software to inform the ground team so that they can immediately take preventive measures. 
• AI and Automation:  AI can embed with the automated emergency notification system and enhance their reach and response. AI-based data analysis can capture key information from devices (CCTV Cameras) installed in an emergency location, which can be used for future reference to avoid such incidents. There are more efforts made to enhance AI and automation roles in emergency notification software.
• Wearables: Wearables can also contribute in analyzing the emergency scenario and enhance the prevention steps. The first responder visiting the emergency scenario can collect important data through wearables in the form of images, comments, or videos. They can feed these data to emergency notification software and analyze the scenario in-depth.

The cost of the emergency notification system can vary as different software vendors follow different pricing models and feature lists. However, the average cost of emergency notification software could be $6.00 to $800 or so.

• For startups and small-scale business:  In the initial phases, startup businesses have to remain tight on their spending and need to settle with less expensive emergency notification tools. Zenduty is an exceptional tool for startups and small-scale businesses at a price of $6/month.  Their startup plan is free forever and covers SMS, phone, emails, and push notifications. But if users are keen on features like incident tagging and alert forwarding, then their basic version is quite beneficial. There is a list of top emergency notification software solutions that offer the basic features for free or at an affordable price. Cyphon, OpenBroadcaster, Sahana EDEN, etc., are some of the best emergency notification software for startups and small-scale business.

• For mid-size and large enterprises:  Mid-size organizations who wish to invest in a  next-generation emergency notification software can choose Ushahidi that comes at a price of $49.90/month. It has been designed for crisis responders, and data can be visualized in different ways: on maps, charts, tables, or as a list. There are other emergency notification tools that could prove productive for mid-size enterprises, which include Everbridge, Regroup, Swiftreach, Revolution, etc.  Premium tools like InformaCast come at a starting price of $866.25/month.  It envelops all kinds of emergency broadcasting resources such as IP speakers, digital signage, overhead paging systems, desk phones, computer desktops, etc. The other emergency notification software that falls into the same slab includes Alertus and WebEOC. 

• Free and open source emergency notification software:  The free and open source emergency notification software is the best way to customize the codes and functionality of the emergency notification software which enables it to improve its efficiency.  The low-cost free and open source emergency notification is an ideal option for startups and small-scale businesses.

Goodfirms is an eminent review and rating platform for IT solutions. It has been listing software for various sectors and categories. The customers can choose the software solutions based on their business requirements. Goodfirms team follows the proven methods to scan the industry’s top software products and ensures that customers get a genuine product for their organization.  Customers can compare software products on various metrics like price, features, and services.

Emergency scenarios are time-sensitive, and early notification to responders can make a huge difference in saving someone’s lives or valuable assets.  So far, many innovative ideas have been proposed and practiced to reduce the impact of catastrophic events and minimize financial loss. But bound to their limitations, these innovative ideas are not applicable in all kinds of emergency scenarios and are not reliable.  In order to overcome the challenges of the traditional emergency alert system, the authorities have paved their path towards advanced technology like emergency notification software. The emergency notification software tools are laced with intelligent technology that detects even minor distress signals and alerts them. Besides that, there are features like multi-channel notifications, geo-target messages, advanced reporting, video conferencing, etc., that further enhances its ability to deal with an emergency scenario.  If you are uncertain about the software choice, then do not miss to check the list of top emergency notification software.