When seconds count during an emergency, effective communication becomes your most powerful tool. While organizations typically rely on email and text messaging for alerts, there’s another communication channel that offers unique advantages: digital signage. Already strategically placed to deliver key messages, your digital displays are perfectly positioned to capture attention during critical situations.
Skykit is proud to spotlight our emergency alert digital signage integration capabilities, which transform your digital signage network from an everyday communication tool into a vital component of your safety infrastructure.
The Strategic Role of Digital Signage in Emergency Communication
Digital signage offers unique advantages during emergencies that complement other notification methods:
- Immediate Visual Impact: Displays are already in high-visibility locations, making them ideal for capturing attention when seconds count.
- Universal Reach: Alerts everyone in the vicinity, including visitors and contractors who may not be on company email or text lists.
- Contextual Information: Can display evacuation routes, safety procedures, or other visual guidance that's difficult to convey through text alone.
Getting an emergency alert message to everyone within your organization is critical. And with digital signage being visually in sight, it makes it perfect to capture attention as another medium to deliver this critical message.
Skykit + Alertus: A Powerful Safety Combination
Skykit’s integration with Alertus – a leading emergency notification platform – creates a seamless alert ecosystem that enhances your organization’s safety capabilities. This powerful combination enables:
- Instant Content Override: Critical safety information immediately replaces regular content.
- Targeted Messaging: Deliver geographically specific alerts to relevant zones or buildings.
- Return to Normal Content: Displays seamlessly resume scheduled content once the emergency has passed.
The Alert Workflow: From Trigger to Display
When an emergency occurs, here’s how the Skykit-Alertus integration works:
- An alert is triggered in Alertus - either manually or through automated systems.
- Using pre-configured settings, Skykit receives the alert via CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) messages.
- Skykit delivers these messages to all displays by tenant.
- After the standard alert duration expires, displays return to their regular content.
Beyond Weather Events: Diverse Emergency Use Cases
While severe weather alerts may be the most common use case, Skykit’s emergency integration could support numerous emergency scenarios:
- Fire alarms and evacuation notices
- Active shooter or lockdown alerts
- Chemical spill or hazardous material incidents
- Medical emergencies (e.g., AED needed)
- Facility-specific emergencies (e.g., line stop in manufacturing)
Different environments have different emergency communication needs. Educational institutions may prioritize lockdown protocols, healthcare facilities may need specific codes for various situations, while manufacturing environments might require hazardous material warnings. Digital signage can be customized to address these industry-specific requirements.
Technical Requirements and Considerations
For a digital signage platform to effectively integrate with modern emergency alert systems, certain technical capabilities are essential:
- Support for CAP (Common Alerting Protocol) message delivery for real-time alerts.
- Ability to target specific displays or groups based on criteria defined in the emergency alert system.
- Network reliability and redundancy to ensure messages are delivered even in challenging conditions.
- Regular testing and drills to verify system functionality.
Always run drills and tests to ensure all systems are functioning. Confirm configurations in the emergency alert platform are correct for delivering messages to the right screens and audiences.
Skykit's Approach to Alert Integration
What sets Skykit apart in the emergency alert integration space? Our approach focuses on:
1. Seamless Integration
Skykit leverages the rules and targets established in emergency alert systems like Alertus, ensuring consistency across your communication channels.
2. Message Formatting
We utilize templates provided by emergency alert solutions for maximum compatibility and consistent message formats across different delivery methods. When needed, we can also create custom templates to meet specific customer requirements.
3. Flexible Platform Support
While our current spotlight features the robust capabilities of our Alertus integration, we’re expanding our partnerships. An integration with InformaCast is coming soon, further enhancing our ability to work with various alerting systems based on your organization’s specific needs.
When evaluating potential alert platform partners, Skykit considers several key factors:
- Market reach and adoption.
- Testing infrastructure and mechanisms.
- Support for CAP alerts for quick message delivery.
- Ability to target displays based on various criteria.
Implementation Best Practices
Organizations looking to leverage Skykit’s alert integration capabilities should consider these best practices:
- Conduct a Communication Audit: Identify potential gaps in your current emergency notification strategy that digital signage could address.
- Strategically Position Displays: Ensure screens are visible in high-traffic areas and along evacuation routes.
- Create Clear Alert Templates: Design templates that communicate critical information quickly and clearly.
- Test Regularly: Incorporate digital signage into emergency drills to ensure seamless operation.
- Train Key Personnel: Ensure staff understand how to activate alerts when needed.
Transform Your Safety Communication Strategy
By incorporating alert integration into your Skykit digital signage network, you transform an everyday communication tool into a critical component of your safety infrastructure. Whether you’re responding to severe weather, security incidents, or facility emergencies, Skykit’s alert integration capabilities ensure your message reaches everyone who needs to see it – precisely when they need to see it.
Ready to enhance your emergency communication strategy with Skykit’s alert integration capabilities? Contact our team today to learn more about implementing this powerful safety tool in your organization.
