Bio-Key Launches Emergency Alert Platforms for Schools

• By Chris Riedel
• 08/26/08

Bio-Key International has announced the release of two new emergency alert and management solutions for the education market. MobileSRO is designed specifically for the K-12 environment, while MobileCampus caters to higher education and other campus-based organizations.

According to the company, the new platforms provide administrators an efficient solution for distributing school- or campus-wide emergency and non-emergency alerts to faculty, students, and staff. Benefits of the systems include silent alerts, sent directly to administrators, campus police officers, or school resource officers; incident updates, giving administrators the ability to update faculty and staff on an evolving situation; and the ability to link school resource officers directly to local 911 call centers, providing immediate emergency dispatch.

"With MobileSRO and MobileCampus, Bio-key is breaking out beyond our traditional law enforcement mobile data market to bring new and innovative solutions to those who most need it--school resource and campus patrol officers and administrators chartered to protect our young children and college students," said Ken Souza, senior vice president and general manager of Bio-key's Law Enforcement Division, in a prepared statement.

Non-emergency alerts can also be routed through the system, providing a solution for updating faculty and staff on important events, as well as school- or campus-wide announcements, among other things.

Both Mobile SRO and MobileCampus can be deployed on Windows-based smartphones, as well as desktop and laptop PCs. The systems are built on Bio-Key's MobileCop wireless data communications platform--currently in use by more than 750 police and public safety departments around the country--and provide guaranteed message delivery, as well as "silent, scanner-proof communications."