Chicomm Blog

Digital communication decisions often seem complicated. Technology is always changing, from hardware improvements to software updates to larger system overhauls. These changes often lead to misconceptions about digital communications technology - which can get in the way of your business or agency making the right decision about acquiring new technology or updating what you’ve got.

Being aware of these misconceptions can simplify your digital communications decisions and help you break down barriers to getting the technology your business or agency needs.

Here are 5 common misconceptions about digital communications technology:

School and student safety has perhaps never been under more public scrutiny. School administrators and parents want to do everything in their power to ensure safety in the face of tragic events like school shootings and natural disasters.

Fortunately, technology exists to help protect schools and their students, faculty, and staff. But school districts have limited budgets and are often at a loss when it come to accessing that technology. The good news is that there are options and resources in place to help schools get the equipment and services that they need. One of the most common ways to do so is through school safety grants.

School safety grants are awarded to schools (or school districts) to help offset, or even cover, the cost of purchasing emergency communications equipment. Devices like digital two-way radios are valuable pieces to the school safety puzzle, and grants like these help put them in the hands of those who need them most.

Whether you're applying for your first school safety grant, have received one in the past, or have been denied a grant and want to increase your chances of success this time, here are three things to consider when applying:

School administrators bear responsibility for so many things: compliance with regulations, relationships with parents and the community, and, of course, delivering the best education for their students. But possibly the most sensitive area of responsibility is student safety. Tragically, school shootings are in the news with increasing frequency. And while most principals and administrators are pouring a great deal of effort into ensuring safety in schools against that backdrop, for many administrators, it's difficult to know where to start.

One place to start is ensuring that school faculty are ready to deal with emergencies. Faculty are really the “first responders” in the event of an emergency, and they are often tasked with communicating with the public safety first responders to ensure proper actions can be taken. Administrators can ensure that faculty are ready to serve in this critical capacity by:

Schools are changing. No, not just the curriculums they offer or the lessons they teach (though those are quite different today than they were even just ten years ago), but the ways in which they use technology to keep students safe, informed, and connected.

Today, many schools have adopted location services, a technology that operates off of a GPS-style system. Location services can be used for just about anything, from sending emergency updates and obtaining student locations to offering interactive campus tours and even notes and content. The benefits are clear, and with today’s students being supremely comfortable with all things technological, the rollout is widely appreciated and is something that students, staff, and parents can get excited about.

Here are five ways your school can use location services:

When you identify the biggest challenges your organization faces, one of the most common solutions to those issues it better communication. When you are effectively communicating with your staff, you minimize risks for downtime, safety issues, or even customer satisfaction.

What commonly happens in this scenario is that a business identifies this challenge and knows that better communication will help, but is unsure of the next steps to take, in terms of actual technologies and solutions. There are a lot of options to consider, and not every solution is right for every business or industry. Here are three communication solutions that can help out just about any company:

On a scale from one to ten, how would you rate your current WiFi? While that sounds like a generic customer service question, it is actually an important point that companies need to review on a yearly basis. That’s because the workplace is ever changing, with employees now more than ever relying on wireless connections to accomplish their jobs.

When you step back to evaluate your WiFi, consider three key points:

When an officer is in their vehicle, one of the most important things for them is to be able to stay updated and connected at all times. Unfortunately, for many departments, the in-vehicle experience is plagued with ever-changing signal strength, which can range from annoying to downright dangerous.

While this method does have some benefits (security, little user intervention needed, no dedicated hardware) it isn’t ideal for the modern police department, one that has officers equipped with multiple devices at all times. After all, laptops aren’t really designed to be routers, and using them as such can cause some major headaches - here’s why:

How well does the WiFi work in your school? Chances are that your answer is close to “I guess it is fine. Spotty in some areas, but it works….sometimes.”

Myth: If we keep our students’ smartphones off the school network, it will run faster

When public safety agencies respond to an emergency, they are able to arrive at the scene of the event and deal with the emergency in mere moments. They are able to effectively communicate with their own team, different departments, the media, and even the general public, all without causing any delays or issues. When you stop to think about it, it seems like an incredibly daunting task to accomplish all of that in such a short period of time.

For them, it all starts with having an effective, comprehensive emergency communications strategy in place. This strategy typically includes everything from the types of equipment they will use in the dispatch center and in the field, the 10-codes they will rely on, and general best practices and procedures that they will follow.

Creating and using these communication strategies is just part of the job for those in public safety, but it isn’t always as top-of-mind for those working in other industries. For example, if you own a hotel or are part of the IT admin team at a school, or if you lead the night crew at a warehouse, chances are you aren’t always thinking of how you will communicate during an emergency.

A decade ago, social media was largely thought of as something reserved for teenagers or college students. It was often regarded as silly or mindless (after all, how much do you really care that Steve bought a new shirt?) and wasn’t exactly high up on the list of technologies law enforcement would consider using.

Today, we know that those early ideas of social media are largely outdated. While millions of people still flock to Twitter or Facebook to share updates about their life, social networking is being used by thousands of law enforcement agencies across the country to better connect with the communities they serve. This can include posting live updates to a crime in progress (keeping citizens informed) or even showcasing the “behind the scenes” life of police officers (department transparency).

One of the latest social media technologies that is catching on is that of live video streaming. There are two main players in this market, Twitter’s Periscope and its rival, Meerkat. Using these smartphone applications, anyone can live stream video from their device and broadcast that video to anyone, anywhere in the world. This technology is quickly being adopted into the public safety sector, and for good reason, but as with any new technology, you always need to consider the pros and cons before fully adopting it into your strategy.