Kastle Systems announces emergency mass communications service

FALLS CHURCH, Va., June 25, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Kastle Systems International, the industry leader in innovative managed security solutions and services, today announced the launch of its KastleAlert® offering -- a mobile, crowdsourced emergency mass communications (EMC) platform. KastleAlert aims to save lives in the critical 5-10 minutes after an emergency incident occurs, but before authorities arrive, by enabling the fastest and most convenient method for initial emergency reporting and the quick and comprehensive dissemination of critical information (including text messages, photos, and response protocol documents) to all building or facility occupants.

KastleAlert is the fastest way for someone in a facility to say something—the instant they see something—to everyone else in the space, with Incident Commander (situational emergency manager) controls to quickly assess the emergency based on multiple immediate reports, issue live updates and direction to everyone affected, receive individual safety status, and control/lockdown building access through integrated access control functions. Features of KastleAlert include:

• Customizable message templates for situation-specific emergency notification
• Configurable communication workflows for multiple event types
• All-to-all communications, with pictures and highlighted Incident Commander communications
• Geo-fenced and integrated "last seen" building access awareness to intelligently distribute information to the right people and enable accurate mustering
• "Safe" vs. "Need Help" polling and self-reporting, with a directory for texting individual end users
• Emergency document library for easy access and rapid download
• Incident Commander building lockdown and post-event auditing capabilities

According to a 2017 FBI report, nearly half of all active shooter events occur at commercial/office workplaces, with 2017 representing the highest number of active shooter incidents in US history. Emergency preparedness for commercial environments, including the ability to effectively communicate and share information during an incident, has never been more relevant and important. "Emergency preparedness and business continuity is a core competency for modern facility management professionals, all the more so with the variety of natural and man-made disasters we've seen in the past year," said International Facilities Management Association (IFMA) President and CEO Tony Keane. "Innovative solutions like Kastle's mobile Emergency Mass Communications platform help facility management professionals make people safer and more confident in their workplaces."

KastleAlert, as a crowdsourced EMC solution, will be offered on a per-site subscription basis, rather than the dated per-user model, with the goal of being a cost-effective method for 100% facility population adoption of mobile emergency awareness and security practices, thereby putting the eyes and ears of all occupants to use versus those of only a few security personnel. Because it's a mobile platform, the KastleAlert solution does not rely on landlines or desktop-based technologies that are ill-suited for time-sensitive emergency scenarios and eliminates many steps from traditional mass communications systems and processes.

"Kastle is committed to making spaces safer for those that own, manage and occupy them, with the smartphone as a core of our innovations," said Kastle Systems' Chairman Mark Ein. "KastleAlert empowers every individual to take a role in their well-being and safety, enabling them to say something - to everyone in a facility - during an emergency situation."

KastleAlert is being introduced as part of KastlePresence, Kastle's intuitive Internet of Things (IoT) Smart Office Platform. For more information about KastleAlert, KastlePresence, or any of the other advanced security innovations from Kastle Systems, contact Jennifer Graham, Vice President of Marketing at 703-247-0298 or [email protected]. Follow Kastle on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/kastle-systems, visit www.kastle.com, or call 1-855-527-8531 to learn more.

About Kastle Systems
Kastle Systems has been leading the security industry since 1972 with advanced managed security solutions and services, protecting the who's who of commercial real estate, distinguished global retail brands, leading global enterprises, educational institutions, and critical government facilities. Named the Systems Integrator of the Year for outstanding innovation and customer experience by SDM, the industry's leading trade publication, Kastle protects more than 2 million people across 10,000+ locations globally. Kastle's state-of-the-art security solutions include access control, video surveillance, visitor management and identity management, as well as a suite of mobile security applications, all integrated on an open, standards-based platform and supported by a team of experts 24x7x365. Headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, Kastle is consistently ranked the #1 Security Provider in DC by the Washington Business Journal and is on CIOReview's 2018 List of Top 10 Physical Security Providers. Kastle also has offices in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Sydney, Australia. The Kastle Systems International family of security brands includes Kastle Systems, Mutual Security Services, Stat Land Security Services, CheckVideo and Urban Alarm.