Transportation Security Administration Adopts Emergency Mass Notification System

SAN MATEO, Calif., Jan. 17, 2012 – AtHoc, Inc., the pioneer and leader in network-centric mass notification systems, today announced that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will leverage the U.S. Coast Guard’s (USCG’s) award-winning Alert and Warning System (AWS) 2.0, powered by AtHoc IWSAlerts™, for enterprise-wide emergency mass notification.
 
Through interagency collaboration, TSA will integrate with the USCG’s mass notification infrastructure that is secure, scalable and based on nationally adopted specifications and standards. According to the Coast Guard, this shared approach results in reduced IT overhead costs and increased operational efficiency by consolidating applications servers in the Coast Guard’s data center.
 
TSA selected the USCG AWS, powered by AtHoc IWSAlerts software, based on its success and its cost-effective deployment. The EMNS can reach 50,000 TSA personnel nationwide in their own virtual private cloud, including over 100 ports and 45 airports, TSA’s Transportation Threat Assessment and Credentialing (TTAC), and TSA facilities. AtHoc’s enterprise-wide architecture allows deployment in a centralized data center to support various TSA locations, and the system’s unified approach provides centralized alert activation, control and management from a Web-based console. Conforming to strict DHS security guidelines, each location will have its own local account and maintain information securely on an internal network.
 
“We believe TSA will benefit from a reliable, enterprise-wide network-centric EMNS to provide critical capabilities that are needed to carry out TSA’s important mission,” said Ted Kim, USCG Lt. Commander. “The USCG has seamlessly used AWS 2.0 for emergency alerting, staff recall, personnel accountability and response to disasters, including storms, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, earthquakes in American Samoa and Haiti, and the earthquake and tsunami in Japan.”
 
AtHoc IWSAlerts will deliver emergency alerts over multiple channels, such as voice (via public switched telephone network), landlines, mobile and satellite phones, e-mail, SMS text messages and fax to recipients in dispersed geographical areas or individual units throughout TSA. The system will provide personnel accountability by tracking and managing user responses to alert notifications in real time.
 
With AtHoc IWSAlerts, TSA and USCG are fulfilling their organizations’ emergency mass notification requirements securely and cost-effectively. And because organizations are collaborating, AtHoc’s scalable solution allows for the addition of upgrades and new applications for future requirements. With this deployment, 100,000 users have a common tool for EMNS that provides for interoperability and harmonizes alerting across agencies.
 
About AtHoc

AtHoc is the pioneer and recognized leader in providing network-centric emergency mass notification systems to military, homeland security, government and commercial organizations. AtHoc’s products are used for physical security, force protection, personnel accountability, recall and regulatory compliance. Millions of end-users worldwide, in organizations such as the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Veteran Affairs, UCLA, Microsoft, Boeing and Raytheon rely on AtHoc’s unified notification systems for their emergency alerting and critical communication needs. AtHoc has partnered with market leaders including Microsoft, Cisco, Harris, Siemens, Northrop Grumman, MIR3, Lockheed Martin and others to bring these notification solutions to the public and commercial markets.

For more information about AtHoc, please visit http://www.athoc.com.