LENS Archives - Eastern DataComm

Paging, Bells, and Clocks: Synchronized Solutions for Educational Facilities

WSI Comandix on May 3, 2022

In a school community, each day is driven by the clock and bell schedule. That schedule can shift each day with special schedules, early dismissals, and other events. That’s why at Eastern DataComm, we provide comprehensive solutions for educational facilities to enhance daily communications and keep the daily routines your school depends on in sync. Synchronizing your clocks and your bell schedule allows your school to effectively communicate the calendar of events for the day, while also ensuring that you can communicate with teachers, students, and 911 in an emergency.

Today, we’re sharing four common challenges schools and districts face when it comes to their paging, bells, and clocks systems, and how Eastern DataComm can help with school safety.

Challenge 1: Confusion Arises When Bells and Clocks Are Not Properly Synchronized

A change in the schedule on a particular day doesn’t need to leave your school community confused about when a bell might ring. But often, when bells and clocks are not synchronized or when adjustments occur, this problem becomes more common than it should be.

Synchronizing your bells and clocks is especially essential when your district or school campus includes multiple buildings and specialty areas like gyms and libraries.

A lack of campus-wide synchronization can also impact things like early dismissals for students with appointments as well as the timing of vital medications for students with health needs that require a visit to the nurse’s office at a specific time each day.

With all of these unique circumstances at play, Eastern DataComm is here to help you keep your school community moving through their days smoothly. The solutions we offer are designed to keep your clocks in sync and help you maintain accurate time and make adjustments with ease.

The solutions we offer our customers include:

Paging and Intercoms

The intercom and paging system is a significant factor in the daily communications of your school, so it’s important to ensure that the school is equipped with a system that guarantees smooth and clear communication for your faculty, staff, and students.

Bell Scheduling

Our team implements a bell controller that gives you complete and total control over the school day, improving the ease of use over the complicated traditional analog bell systems.

Clocks

Our wireless clocks operate as individual repeaters, ensuring that each clock is in sync with your clock controller. You can automatically adjust for daylight savings, removing the potential for any errors related to this shift as well.

Lockdown and Emergency Notification Systems

You can initiate and announce a lockdown sequence quickly and effectively with our lockdown and emergency notification system and continuous monitoring service, LENS + OPTICS. This solution is customizable and can integrate with some of your existing technology.

Customized Alerts

Keep communication flowing with customized alerts to teachers, students, and the proper authorities. Our notification system provides for this streamlined relay of information so that whether you are making a one-time change to the schedule or reaching the authorities regarding an active threat, you can do so swiftly and effectively.

Challenge 2: It’s Hard to Hear Clearly on Aging Intercom and Paging Systems

Out-of-date or aging communication technology solutions can create a flurry of muffled voices and background noises. These issues can make announcements and pages difficult to understand and are simply unacceptable, especially in urgent or emergency situations. You don’t have to settle for inconsistent performance when what you really need is crystal-clear paging and intercom exchanges.

From the typical, “Mrs. Jones to Room 122…” to the more critical emergency messages related to fire drills, evacuations, and active shooter events or lockdowns, you deserve to know your systems are working consistently and efficiently for maximum school safety.

That’s why at Eastern DataComm, our paging and intercom systems provide clear audio for effortless communication.

Outdated Systems Cost More and Take More Effort to Repair

If your current system requires manual adjustment for things like special schedules, assemblies, or daylight savings, you and your staff are wasting valuable time. And, if your current bell system is not up to date with the latest technology, repairs may grow even more difficult and costly as time goes on.

Whether it’s finding replacement parts that are no longer commonly used or contacting an electrician who can effectively address the issue, the effort needed to keep up with an out-of-date system can really add up extra costs quickly.

At Eastern DataComm, we take the hassle out of your communications solutions by providing you with the most up-to-date systems on the market today. By working with our team, you’ll have everything you need to keep your school day running smoothly.

Challenge 3: Aging Bells, Clocks, Intercom, and Paging Systems Can Negatively Impact School Safety and Security

In situations where every moment is pivotal, you shouldn’t have to depend on aging systems that might not deliver messages with clarity, sync with your other systems, or properly guide your students, staff, and visitors.

From severe weather evacuations to lockdowns to intruder alerts, and even urgent parent pick-ups, schools experience many situations that require quick reactions and efficient communication. As the most pressing concern, aging systems can lead to lagging response times or no response at all.

Even routine drills can become more challenging if your bells, clocks, and paging systems are too out of sync or out-of-date to properly communicate messages.

Eastern DataComm specializes in integrating our clients’ paging, bells, and clocks with emergency notifications systems, our LENS + OPTICS, as well as additional technology systems that improve safety throughout your school community like video surveillance and access control systems.

This comprehensive approach to school safety ensures that your school campus or district-wide technology is working to protect your students, faculty, staff, and visitors at all times.

Right-Fit Technology Essentials: What You Need from Your Paging, Bells, and Clocks

When it comes to your paging, bells, and clocks, we know that no solution is one-size-fits-all. When you collaborate with Eastern DataComm, we take the time to connect with you on your current needs, diagnose your potential issues, and move through a cooperative consultation process that customizes your solutions to your unique challenges as well as your safety and communications vulnerabilities.

To schedule your complimentary School Safety Consultation, click here.

Honored With Mitel’s Education Partner Of The Year Award

WSI Comandix on March 30, 2022

Eastern DataComm is proud to announce that we’ve been named Mitel’s Education Partner of the Year!

Mitel, a global leader in business communications with users in over 100 countries, helps businesses and service providers connect and provide innovative services to their customers. Each year, Mitel recognizes the organizations that are leading the way with their Global Partner Awards.

These awards are given to companies with exceptional understanding of customer needs and unparalleled ability to provide innovative and customized solutions. These are two of the cornerstones of our work at Eastern DataComm. As such, we are truly honored to be recognized on a national level with this prestigious award for the work that we do for our customers in education.

We take a diagnostic and consultative approach to school safety that allows our clients to receive customized safety and communications solutions tailored to their unique school and district needs. We recognize that when it comes to school safety, every second counts. Using technology systems and platforms that allow for swift, effective communication saves lives. Mitel has been and continues to be our trusted partner in this endeavour to help improve safety for schools throughout the nation.

This year and every year, Eastern DataComm is committed to providing effective technology and communication solutions that keep schools as safe as possible. In addition to unparalleled on-premises phone solutions like Mitel phone systems, our team diligently examines the ever-evolving safety and communication needs of our customers in education. Not only do we partner with best-in-class industry giants, but we also develop innovations for the needs we see presented by our customers. LENS+OPTICS, our lockdown and emergency notification system, plus continuous monitoring service, is a primary example of the technology we outfit schools with to better safeguard their campuses.

We will continue to carry out our mission of developing and spreading technology that keeps our communities connected and protected – a commitment shared by Mitel. We are excited to continue our partnership with this cutting-edge, industry-leading company and look forward to making schools across the nation safer.

To learn more about ways the right-fit phone system can better protect your campus or to schedule your complimentary School Safety Consultation, contact us here.

What To Look For When Selecting Your Access Control System

WSI Comandix on February 3, 2022

Does your current access control system need an upgrade? Are you thinking about bringing this technology to your school district, business, or municipality?

Here are three key areas to evaluate whether you’re considering installing or upgrading your access control system.

Do You Need A Way To Improve Daily Operations Or Automate Intruder Prevention?

Do any of these situations sound familiar?

Your staff is checking IDs by hand each morning
You’re still using locked file cabinets to protect sensitive information from unwanted eyes
You’re manually controlling who enters the building and when they do so

If any of these apply to your school district, business, or municipality, chances are that you want an even safer, more efficient, and more effective mode of knowing (and controlling) who’s allowed into buildings and on your grounds. Automating your school’s safety through access control technology not only improves the daily flow of people into and out of your building, but it also reduces the likelihood of human error by taking staff out of the manual operations that technology can do more efficiently. And that means a safer district for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

When you’re considering whether to install or upgrade your access control system, it’s important to evaluate your day-to-day operations that could benefit from such changes and the added level of safety and security those changes would bring.

Some potential safety features that can be provided by an access control system include:

Swipe Card And Card Reader Technologies

Swipe card readers prevent unauthorized entrance by adding a layer of security to entryways. Eastern DataComm specializes in installing new swipe card systems and providing customers with existing systems the upgrades they need to ensure the highest level of access control and physical security possible.

Request To Exit Systems (REX)

Eastern DataComm offers both motion detection that releases the door when it senses motion and an exit button that releases the door when pressed. When using magnetic locks in your access control system, a request to exit button is required in case of emergencies. In emergency situations, it will disable the magnet’s locking power and allow for exit through that door.

Door Position Indicators And Magnetic Locks

Door position indicators and magnetic locks allow for controlled access and notification of potential security risks by using a system of doors, magnets, locks, and indicators to show if a door is open or closed, which could indicate the presence of an intruder.

Does Your Access Control System Integrate With An Emergency Response Notification System?

Another key consideration is how adding or enhancing an access control system can keep your district safe in the event of a fire, intruder, lockdown, or other urgent situation.

In cases like these, you’ll want to ensure your building’s fire escape plan and emergency lockdown procedures are not in opposition to one another.

And restricting access to certain areas in the event of an emergency or lockdown situation becomes faster, easier, and more effective when you have an access control system with technology that integrates with your emergency notification system.

At Eastern DataComm, our Lockdown and Emergency Notification System – LENS + OPTICS – integrates seamlessly with the access control systems we install and maintain for customers.

LENS (Lockdown Emergency Notification System) is a comprehensive notification platform that integrates with a school’s phone and paging/intercom systems. Once activated, communication is rapid and automated, including pre-recorded announcements over the PA system, activation of LED beacons and signboards, calls to cell phones and desk phones, PC pop-ups, emails, text messages, and pre-recorded calls to police.

To cover remote areas outside of the building, Eastern DataComm takes measures like installing wireless-enabled speakers and LED beacons to ensure complete coverage over the entire school grounds. Additionally, video surveillance can also be incorporated with LENS, which can quickly help law enforcement and first responders pinpoint the location of the identified threat.

LENS+OPTICS, coupled with access control, allows for restricting access to certain parts of buildings and grounds during emergency situations. Integration with other aspects of access control including Request To Exit Systems, Swipe Card Systems, and Door Position Indicators provide added information regarding a potential intruder and increase safety measures in the event of a lockdown.

To ensure that your LENS solution is running optimally, OPTICS, our continuous monitoring services, keeps eyes on your lockdown and emergency notification system so you don’t lose focus on your school’s safety.

This means our team at Eastern DataComm can create a comprehensive emergency notification system combined with access control, leading to further physical on-premises safety and security.

Do You Know What To Look For In Your Access Control Partner?

Finally, in addition to considering how access control can make your daily operations more streamlined, you’ll want to be sure that you have the right team on your side for planning, installing, and maintaining the system. When you work with our Safety and Communications Advisors and Technicians at Eastern DataComm, you can rest assured that you have the right technology and support resources in place to safeguard your school, business, or municipality community in the event of an emergency or lockdown Eastern DataComm has served hundreds of schools, businesses, and municipalities with customized technology solutions tailored to their unique needs and priorities. We not only offer seamless installation and unparalleled maintenance support, but we’re also happy to provide our customers with actionable insights stemming from our collective expertise in emergency notification, creating solutions that ensure ongoing safety and security.

Connect With Eastern DataComm

To learn more about how our team can support you as you install or upgrade your access control and emergency response technology, contact us at [email protected] for a complimentary consultation.

How to Keep a School Site Secure

WSI Comandix on September 2, 2021

Providing a safe learning environment through ‘smart’ on-campus security is one of the most important responsibilities for schools across America.

Over the past few years, school security has been prioritized with greater investment of time and resources in safety measures. It’s a school’s direct responsibility to implement solutions that consider the various nuances of a school’s environment. From implementation of best-practice protocols and training, through to preventative technologies and systems to heighten the on-campus security and capabilities in times of an emergency – schools are capitalizing on more sophisticated ways to keep schools’ sites more secure.

Here are some of the most effective strategies and methods that your school can implement to advance its school site security.

Safety Prevention

The physical safety of students is the primary concern for all education providers in America. Therefore, the first and most important step to upholding school security is adopting a School Emergency Operations plan. This allows you to implement a security infrastructure that provides protection, enables students to attend school with peace of mind, and fosters an enhanced learning environment.

All schools must have an emergency plan in place to outline necessary protocols and ensure student safety in an emergency. When reviewing your emergency plan, it’s important to outline all protocols in a systematic and logical manner. Involving a multitude of stakeholders during the planning process is also beneficial to ensure no procedures are overlooked.

Another key prevention method is creating a positive and supportive environment in which students help one another, discourage violence or bullying, in turn helping promote a safer school environment. Combining a strategy that facilitates security protocols and student-based support has proven the most effective way to foster a supportive and safe learning experience.

Safety Monitoring

To help facilitate the long-term well-being of staff and students, it’s necessary to monitor your school regularly. Adopting the most advanced technology into your school security systems allows you to monitor who is entering and leaving the school grounds at any given time. It also enables you to understand the school community and interactions within the space giving credence to addressing issues at their core.

One key technology that schools can incorporate into all security monitoring procedures is video surveillance, providing your school with 24/7 coverage of who is on the premises and their movements. Having the ability to monitor your school site at any given time allows you to reduce external threats and offers greater perspective in an emergency. The addition of cloud-based solutions can enhance security controls and allow a deeper understanding of how your school operates. When an emergency does arise, features such as motion sensors allow you to find footage of specific regions and can receive vital information to act quickly against any threat towards student safety.

Safety Warnings

A coherent school emergency operations plan ensures that both staff and students have a thorough understanding of protocols associated with an emergency event. However, a plan of action is not enough. Efficient communication is a vital factor in your ability to react to an emergency or threat. Alerting emergency systems facilitates the communication of essential information and enables you to inform staff and students of the important updates during an emergency.

The LENS solution can address communication needs and provide reassurance in the event of a lockdown or emergency. LENS is an emergency notification system that fully automates communication processes during an emergency. LENS promptly notifies proper authorities and everyone in the school grounds of the emergency. This integrated technology solution greatly improves your school’s ability to respond to a threat or an emergency; helping to protect staff and students 24/7.

It’s vital to ensure your school site is safe and secure to protect your students and teachers. By implementing the right processes and procedures, your school can facilitate a positive learning space for students. This will ensure that staff and students have the right knowledge and awareness to handle situations as they arise.

For more information regarding emergency notification solutions like LENS and video surveillance, contact Eastern DataComm for a consultation to adopt the most appropriate solutions to protect your school.

School Safety During an Emergency

WSI Comandix on August 10, 2021

When an emergency strikes your school, the situation must be handled quickly and effectively to minimize further risk and incidents. Does your school provide a safe school environment during an emergency? It’s vital that each situation has been carefully planned for and that a comprehensive implementation plan is actioned.

There’re many school emergencies that can occur such as: fires, floods, student injuries, dangerous animals, gas leaks, missing students, hostage, or bomb situations and many other events. When your school can effectively manage an emergency, your school has the opportunity to provide additional support to students and educators, while developing effective coping mechanisms for everyone involved.

Here’s what your school should be doing to keep safe in an emergency.

Regulatory Compliance

Schools must be aware of the latest local regulations and written policies and procedures when it comes to handling emergency situations. If your school wants to effectively manage emergency situations, you can regularly practice, monitor, and review existing policies and procedures with educators, and pass on the necessary information and steps to students. By doing this, your school can ensure both students and educators are clear on the complying with legal and organisational regulations. If you want to be proactive and maximize your school safety, you can display a floor plan of the school with the required steps and procedures near exit doors and in classrooms. This enables students to easily review the required actions for an emergency and become familiar with them.

Delegate Educator Roles and Responsibilities

For a school safety plan to be successful during an emergency, it’s essential for the roles and responsibilities to be delegated to the appropriate educators and employees. These roles should be frequently discussed in meetings and practiced each month for everyone to be aware of what their role entitles and what their responsibilities are in the event of an emergency. The safety of students is the number one priority of schools and it’s important you do everything possible to maintain a safe environment for everyone.

Develop Evacuation Plans

Evacuation plans are used when a school must immediately leave the area as the school facility is no longer safe and there’s risks of danger to the wellbeing of students and educators. Evacuation plans are vital and must be implemented and practiced in all schools. To further protect the safety of your school, you can display the plan on a map in a prominent area throughout the school so it can be reviewed. The one-page map must be simple and have an assemble location and step-by-step overview of the evacuation process.

Here are 7 key steps in an evacuation plan:

Sound the school warning alarm
The nominated employer or supervisor can dial 911
The nominated employee can collect an emergency pack (mobile, first aid, attendance list and records)
All educators must direct students to the nominated assembly locations (often a large open space such as an oval or sports court)
Check student attendance list
Wait for emergency services and agencies to attend
Remain at assembly location until advised by emergency services it’s safe to return to the school facilities.

Plan for School Lockdowns

In some emergencies, your school employees can manage a lockdown without the need for emergency services. More serious situations like threats of violence from intruders will require emergency services. When emergency services are needed, the school must act fast by locking doors, closing windows, and getting students and educators to hide under tables and stay down low out of site from intruders.

Here are 8 key steps in a lockdown plan:

Sound the school warning alarm
The nominated employer or supervisor to dial 911 (if required)
Immediately lock all doors, windows, and access points, while closing blinds (if available)
Ensure everyone is hidden and stays down low out of site from the intruders
Check the attendance list of students
Educators should provide support to students – try to calm them down and remain quiet
Liaise with emergency services and delegate communications across the school
Remain in lockdown until emergency services give all clear

Improve School Safety with an Emergency Pack

If your school is organized and prepared with an emergency pack, you can improve your school safety during an emergency. An emergency pack contains a range of supplies that might be required should an emergency situation occur. Your school can ensure the emergency pack is always prepared by scheduling monthly checks during your audit and practice of emergency plans. What should your emergency pack contain to improve school safety during an emergency?

Portable first aid kit
Portable emergency contact list (laminated to prevent damage)
Tissues
Plastic bags
Fully charged mobile phone
Copy of evacuation and lockdown plan and procedures
Reading books to entertain distressed students
Bottled water and plastic cups

An emergency pack can contain a range of items which can be tailored to the needs of your students and your school.

To improve safety during an emergency, your school must constantly review existing plans and procedures, undertake audits and find new ways to advance your plans and procedures, educate both employees and students and regularly practice the required steps and procedures with employees and students. By considering these factors and implementing new precautions to ensure your plans are up-to-date and effective, your school can provide a safer school environment during an emergency. By having a clear plan for the management of emergency situations, your school can quickly reduce the risks of harm and closely monitor students who are unable to concentrate or cope during an emergency.

5 Ways to Improve Schools Safety

WSI Comandix on July 19, 2021

School safety is an ongoing and complicated issue for many schools in the US, whether you’re an educator, administrator, student or visitor, a school environment must always be safe, and schools must do everything in their power to prevent intruders and other potential dangers. It’s a school’s responsibility to build a positive and safe climate that supports learning and protects students and employees from danger whilst on the premises. It’s a reasonable requirement for students and educators to feel comfortable and safe when in a classroom. Here are 5 strategies to help your school provide a safer environment.

1.Practice Emergency Plans

Schools should make safety a priority and conduct monthly safety drills to assess protocols, educate students and ensure facilities are secure. By regularly practicing emergency drills including lockdowns, evacuations and emergency communication protocols, students can become familiar with the drills and act quickly during a dangerous encounter. When practice drills experience issues, it offers schools the opportunity to develop and update emergency plans and procedures to deliver a safer environment for both students and educators.

2.Monitor School Visitors

Visitors entering the school must report to the main office, sign in and wear a visitors’ badge. Schools can then inform administrators and educators to report strangers and intruders when they’re not wearing a name badge. By monitoring school visitors, it allows your school to be proactive in its approach to increase safety.

3.Create A Supportive Environment

Creating a safe and supportive school environment delivers school-wide behavioral expectations and enhances a nurturing school climate. One of the most effective methods to deter drugs, bullying and violence is to create a supportive environment where students will feel less inclined to engage in problematic behaviors. Students who genuinely care and respect each other are more likely to contribute towards a safer school environment. When faculty create an environment that incentivizes students to support each other, it creates an ecosystem that prevents violent acts from occurring at school, creating a positive social culture and increase academic results.

4.Involve School Counsellors

To improve the safety of your school, you can equip counsellors with programs that aim to reduce aggression and dysfunctional behavior. When students are provided with the right information and activities to learn self-control, emotional awareness, social skills and problem-solve without verbal or non-verbal abuse, it can immediately create a safer school environment. Counsellors are an important service that schools should utilize to help students and provide the right resources and materials to overcome behavior issues.

5.Leverage Partnerships

Schools can use information from students, educators, employees, parents, and caregivers to analyze their opinions of school culture and climate. This information can be used to work towards a safer school and develop improvement plans. Schools can further leverage partnerships with the community to enhance safety measures for students beyond the school property, including Neighborhood Watch programs and the Police. Taking these extra measures can help your school create a supportive environment where students feel safe and connected.

Administrators can simply reinforce school safety practices and procedures, however, to improve school safety, students and educators must work together to develop a strong supportive environment and correctly implement emergency safety plans. It’s not easy to encourage students to follow through with visiting a counsellor or immediately conjuring a supporting climate, it takes time and ongoing effort. Schools can work towards these outcomes and improve safety by reinforcing existing safety measures while implementing new safety measures, monitoring school visitors, and leveraging new community partnerships.

How to Protect Schools from Intruders

WSI Comandix on July 15, 2021

Every school has a duty of care to provide a safe environment for students and educators. School is more than just a place to prepare you for a job, it’s a place for students to grow, interact with others, develop their skills, and get a real education. It’s for this reason schools must provide a safe working and learning environment for students, to help them achieve their best academically and develop socially. One of the many responsibilities of schools is to take the necessary preventative measures and protocols to protect students from intruders by implementing an efficient safety plan. Here are some ways your school can protect students and educators from potential dangers like intruders.

Eastern DataComm New Website Launched

WSI Comandix on March 29, 2021

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our newly designed website. Visit us at https://easterndatacomm.com/ to see the new website. After four months of work and commitment, we are delighted to reveal our new website officially on March 23, 2021. We wanted to make the new website user-friendly, easy to navigate and align with our new brand.

As an innovation leader in communication solutions, we need to make our customized solutions easy to understand, and our services are accessible for our existing and future clients. We strive to provide the most comprehensive solution on the market with our LENS (Lockdown & Emergency Notification System.

Our objective with this new website is to provide our visitors an easier way to learn about Eastern DataComm’s services and review information based on your Industry or interest.

We hope you have a great experience as you explore our new website.

The Role of Technology in K-12 School Safety

WSI Comandix on January 29, 2018

Years ago, K-12 students had fire drills and “say no to drugs” programs. Some school districts also had students practice using emergency exits on buses. Today, there are lockdown drills to protect students against shooters and terrorists. There are extensive programs about bullying, sexual assault and weapons. Although serious violence is relatively rare, most schools are affected on some level. The wide range of threats facing K-12 schools today not only threaten the lives of students and staff, but they also affect educational performance and outcomes.

Schools are increasingly turning to technology to enhance safety and prevent, intervene with, and respond to incidents. In the report, The Role of Technology in Improving K-12 School Safety, the RAND Corporation examines the current state of school safety practices, technological solutions and challenges. School safety experts were asked about the benefits and drawbacks of the following 12 technologies:

Entry Control Equipment. Remotely controlled, electromagnetic door locks make it easier to control access to schools.
Identification Technology. ID badges, parking stickers and biometric scanners allow authorized and unauthorized personnel to be identified more accurately.
Video Surveillance Technology. Cameras record activity, serve as evidence and identification tools, and deter criminals who fear being monitored.
Communication Technology. Two-way interactive systems make it possible to alert law enforcement to incidents and suspicious activities and individuals.
School-Site Alarm and Protection Systems. These tools alert school officials and emergency responders and protect students and staff during a dangerous situation.
Emergency Alerts. Automated notifications such as emails and text messages keep people informed and prevent the spread of unsubstantiated rumors.
Metal Detectors and X-Ray Machines. Handheld, walk-through and x-ray equipment help security teams prevent weapons from entering schools.
Anonymous Tip Lines. Phone hotlines, voicemail systems and websites enable students to report incidents or suspicions without fear.
Tracking Systems. Mobile applications and GPS devices allow student movement to be tracked.
Maps of School Terrain and Bus Routes. Geographic information systems (GISs) help emergency responders plan for crisis by plotting school terrain and transit routes.
Violence Prediction Technology. Predictive analytics software helps to predict the location, time and perpetrators of violent behavior.
Social Media Monitoring. Automated content monitoring tools can identify warning signs or even capture evidence of bullying and other threats.

Despite the benefits, there are potential risks associated with adopting technology to improve safety. Student privacy could be compromised. Violence prediction tools could result in unfair treatment of certain students, and both perpetrators and victims could be falsely identified.

Technology can have a negative impact on how students view their schools, which must strike the right balance between ensuring safety and feeling like a prison. K-12 districts also struggle to find the best ways to invest in safety solutions, which can be cost-prohibitive.

Three of the top five technologies with the least concerns are communication technology, alarms and emergency alerts.

Video surveillance systems are also widely used — 60 percent of public and 40 percent of private schools reported using video surveillance cameras. Schools use video surveillance to monitor vulnerable and high-risk areas, for visual enhancement during emergency events, and also as a deterrent.

Eastern DataComm’s LENS (Lockdown and Emergency Notification System) provides reliable, immediate and automated communication in case of an emergency. One-button notification allows you to instantly and automatically alert all students and staff of an emergency or threat. LENS can be integrated with existing infrastructure and communication systems The solution can also incorporate wireless radio to activate outdoor strobe lights, speakers and sign boards across school grounds. Emergency notification software can be configured to automatically notify administrators when 911 is dialed or a lockdown or evacuation is initiated. The system can be activated through any phone using a four-digit code.

Eastern DataComm also offers industry-leading video surveillance solutions, along with the expertise to help schools take maximum advantage of them. Our specialists can also help schools use compression and data optimization techniques to reduce the storage requirements of video surveillance, as well as comprehensive network and cabling integration.

Cost-efficient solutions enhance safety, security and day-to-day communications in schools and municipalities. Contact us to schedule a consultation.

Tag: LENS