UM system switches emergency notification provider
The university had used its previous provider, 3N, since 2007.
Published Oct. 12, 2010
Cooper Notification is the new provider of the UM system’s Emergency Mass Notification System, as of this semester.
The system is provided to ensure emergency communication, delivering free alert messages to all campuses using multiple communication methods, including text message, e-mail and voice messages to cell and land-line phones.
The UM System signed a three-year contract with Cooper Notification in May 2010. The contract with the old provider Everbridge, formerly National Notification Network, ended Aug. 27 and was not renewed. The Everbridge contract lasted for three years, beginning in 2007.
Everbridge put in a bid for the UM System notification system contract again, but didn’t win the business, said Terry Robb, Division of Information Technology director.
“We looked at all the features of the companies who offered bids,” Robb said. “We compared the features plus the price. Everbridge had fewer points than Cooper based upon our criteria.”
Cooper Notification Marketing Vice President Ted Milburn said the reliability of Roam Secure Alert Network solution helped them win out.
“The role of any mass notification system is extremely important on campus,” Milburn said. “It provides the ability to effectively alert first responders, students, faculty and staff in the event of an emergency and provide real-time information and instructions. Cooper Notification is committed to continuing to provide a high quality and reliable Mass Notification Solution to meet and exceed the university’s requirements.”
Milburn said Cooper Notification will expand the notification capabilities so they can offer better service to ensure safety and security.
Robb said the notification system provided by Cooper is about equivalent to that of Everbridge, but the Cooper system is more limited in how the notification is executed.
“Cooper limits you to one contact cycle,” Robb said. “In other words, you can create your message and send it just once. While with Everbridge, you could send the same message as many times as you want.”
Robb said once people choose to opt in to the system, most of them will stay.
According to sample data compiled by Robb, including 22,000 faculty, staff and students in the UM System, 64 percent chose to be notified by home phone, 64 percent by personal e-mail and 62 percent by cell phone. Although text is by far the fastest and most efficient notification method, a lower percentage of people, 42 percent, belong to this category.
“Changing vendors is always challenging,” Robb said.
He said the first data collection for the notification system took three months. The UM System typically does three year contracts for emergency notification systems.
“Fortunately, we have the contact data collection set up on myZou already,” Robb said. “We can reuse the data for Cooper system. From that standpoint, it’s a little bit easier this time.”
Since fall 2010, students are required to either enter contact data into EMNS or opt out the first time they log on to myZou. The application system through myZou enables staff and students to update their data for emergency notification.
MU Police Department Capt. Brian Weimer said once the emergency occurs, the police will send out the message directly. There has not been an emergency on campus that has called for use of the system.
“This system is really an insurance policy,” Rodd said. “It is expensive but necessary.”
University of Texas at Austin sent its first alert message by Cooper Notification on Sept. 27 after the shooting incident.
UT Director of Communications Rhonda Weldon said UT has multiple channels for emergency notification, and Cooper is the major channel.
“With a total of about 70,000 faculty, staff and students on campus (of UT), almost 53,000 choose to receive alert notification via Cooper’s text message,” Weldon said. “Seven minutes after the 911 alert of the incident, the first alert message was sent out by Cooper. A majority of people receive the message within five to 10 minutes.”
Milburn said the use of Roam Secure Alert Network during the recent UT incident reinforced the critical value of an effective and reliable system.