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Four Additional AETC Bases Purchase AtHoc IWSAlerts for Emergency Mass Notification
After Standardizing on AtHoc IWSAlerts, Eight of Thirteen AETC Bases Are Now Using AtHoc's Network-Centric Alerting Offering
| Source: AtHoc, Inc.
BURLINGAME, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 8, 2006 -- AtHoc, Inc. today announced that four
additional Air Force Air Education and Training Command (AETC) bases have
purchased AtHoc IWSAlerts™ to promote situational awareness and
strengthen force protection. Keesler, Laughlin, Little Rock and Maxwell Air
Force Bases (AFBs) will use the offering to provide emergency notification
via their existing Internet protocol (IP) networks. AETC standardized on
AtHoc IWSAlerts in 2006, and with the four contracts announced today, eight
of the thirteen AETC bases now have purchased the industry's leading
emergency notification solution. Maxwell and Laughlin have already finished
deploying the system, joining the ranks of Luke, Randolph, Sheppard and
Vance AFBs.
AtHoc IWSAlerts provides the bases with state-of-the-art emergency
communications capabilities that strengthen their antiterrorism and force
protection initiatives.
"In addition to providing each communications center with the ability to
quickly alert personnel to emergencies, by having all AETC bases use the
system, the Command achieves operational benefits such as interoperability
between the systems. This means the bases have the ability to connect each
base's alerting system to create a Command-wide notification capability,"
said Guy Miasnik, president and CEO of AtHoc. "Additional benefits of
creating a standard include reduced training and maintenance costs as well
as reduced deployment times."
AETC took a comprehensive view of emergency mass notification -- not just
in its decision to have all bases use the same product, but in its decision
to interconnect all forms of alerting (Giant Voice, telephone and
network-centric alerting). By quickly alerting personnel through all
available channels as soon as a threat presents itself, AETC has
dramatically increased the likelihood staff can respond effectively and
avoid crisis.
The AtHoc system combines a network alerting capability with a robust
emergency notification management system. Using its network alerting
capability, AtHoc IWSAlerts enables the AETC bases to reach all personnel
using a network-connected device, such as desktop PCs or PDAs. The alerts
reach personnel in times of emergency with targeted messages and
instructions for action -- all within an average of one minute.
AtHoc IWSAlerts' network alerts take the form of pop-up windows accompanied
by an optional audio alarm. They describe the potential threat, categorize
the threat level and include instructions for action. The alerts can be
preconfigured so that when an emergency occurs, the system is already set
up to alert different groups with detailed instructions for action. These
alerts comply with DoD standard signals and messaging specifications
appropriate to Force Protection Conditions (FPCONs), watches, warnings,
evacuation routes, battle staff directives and other federal, Department of
Defense (DoD), U.S. Air Force, and base-specific emergency notifications.
And AtHoc IWSAlerts' management system provides the bases with centralized
management of all aspects of the emergency notification process. This
includes: emergency scenario management, operators' permission management,
end-user management, alerts tracking as well as the ability to connect and
trigger multiple alert delivery system such as Giant Voice or telephony
alerting systems, through a single interface.
AtHoc's emergency notification management system operates through a
Web-based operator console. Using this console, operators activate alerts
from any computer connected to the base's network. Web-based access is a
crucial capability, especially if a Command Center gets disabled during an
emergency. The system may also be configured so that each operator has
different rights to activate specific types of alerts. For example, some
operators may be limited to activating weather alerts while others can only
launch IT alerts.
AtHoc IWSAlerts is one of the few commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS)
network-centric alerting systems that have received Defense Information
Technology Security Certification and Accreditation Process (DITSCAP)
certification from HQ AETC A6. The product includes a specific library of
audio-visual signals that comply with the Air Force's Full Spectrum Threat
Response (FSTR) requirements outlined in Air Force Instruction (AFI)
10-2501. Such signals cover force protection (FPCON) commands, warnings and
other DoD and USAF emergency messages.
About AtHoc, Inc.
AtHoc provides enterprise-class, network-centric alerting systems for
emergency notifications, force protection readiness, anti-terror warnings
and critical communications. AtHoc offers a broad set of alerting solutions
for the government/defense agencies and commercial enterprises, including
IWSAlerts™ for Network-Centric Emergency Notifications; C2Alerts™ for
Targeted User Alerts in Command & Control / C4I Operations Center;
KMAlerts™ for Knowledge and Intelligence Dissemination; and
EmployeeAlerts™ for Corporate Emergency Communications. AtHoc has
partnered with Microsoft, Northrop Grumman and IBM to bring these
notifications solutions to the enterprise market. The U.S. Strategic
Command, U.S. Air Force, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Boeing, eBay and Juniper
Networks are some of the world-class organizations that have selected and
deployed AtHoc for their critical enterprise notifications needs.
For more information on AtHoc, please visit http://www.athoc.com.