Everbridge launches bespoke COVID-19 Return to Work Connectivity Hub

Everbridge Control Center is badged as “the industry’s first and proven” off-the-shelf PSIM software platform designed to help organisations return to work by integrating and managing data and analytics from video cameras, thermal cameras, badge access and other building systems, while also automating the response to ensure the safety and protection of employees, as well as compliance with social distancing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) policies.

Everbridge recently launched its COVID-19 Shield Return to Work software solution enabling customers to understand their risk landscape, recover their operations and protect their people as employees integrate back to public spaces. Everbridge COVID-19 Shield also offers contact tracing capabilities for organisations to automate their approach towards mitigating an individual’s potential exposure to the virus at work.

The introduction of Everbridge Control Center augments the ability for customers to protect their people by serving as the connectivity hub for the Return to Work solution, drawing upon 225 pre-existing, out-of-the-box integrations.

Preservation of privacy

With Everbridge Control Center, organisations can automate the triggering of alerts, reducing the need for human monitoring while preserving privacy. By aggregating and managing the information from physical devices and sensors, Everbridge Control Center actively supports businesses and healthcare entities. They can:

*Automate the process of temperature checking with thermal cameras in order to evaluate visitors to a building or secure space, as well as trigger follow-on protocols if the system detects an individual with a high temperature

*Evaluate building, floor and room capacity thresholds by integrating with badge access functionality, visitor management, calendaring, ticketing and other physical location modalities

*Monitor temperature, humidity and ventilation according to local and national guidelines by integrating with building management systems

*Check for room density, physical distancing and PPE compliance through video analytics

Controlling devices

Automation includes the ability to control devices or building systems based on required workflows. If the capacity of a workspace is restricted to ten people, for example, the eleventh person to enter will automatically trigger pre-defined safety protocols and related workflows including real-time communications across multiple modalities such as public address systems, digital signage and SMS, etc.

“As part of an effective return to work strategy, organisations need to fulfil three core objectives: know the risks facing the organisation, protect its people and recover its operations,” said Imad Mouline, CTO at Everbridge. “As part of protecting people, a comprehensive solution requires either proximity or location-based contact tracing as well as safety monitoring that triangulates data from multiple sources. Everbridge Control Center integrates devices such as thermal cameras and badge access systems, as well as opt-in-based input from employees such as personal wellness checks. Relying purely on a mobile app isn’t enough. The Everbridge suite of COVID-19 Shield Return to Work solutions, now with Everbridge Control Center, provides the only proven solution that brings all these capabilities together.”

Eddie Everett, partner at specialist risk consultancy Control Risks, commented: “Trends we’re seeing across our global customer base prove that the Health and Safety of an organisation’s global workforce is the foremost priority as return to work plans are executed during these uncertain times. As businesses evaluate the best timing and phased approach for bringing employees back into the workplace, Everbridge Control Center provides the solution with a unified information management hub that digitally transforms COVID-19 procedures and ensures safeguards are being followed and enforced, all while simplifying audit and reporting requirements and minimising any risk related to compliance.”

Automated reporting

Everbridge Control Center provides a commercial, off-the-shelf platform that offers a host of features which support the collection, analysis and verification of information and data, enabling faster resolution, automated reporting and complete audit trails of incidents. Beyond the time saving and efficiency benefits Everbridge Control Center provides, it also allows continuous process improvement initiatives, training drills and system healthcare checks.

According to The Forrester Tech Tide ‘Digital Physical Security And Employee Safety, Q2 2020’: “Strong physical security controls can help reduce the risk of threats ranging from workplace violence to terrorism and extreme weather, while also demonstrating a commitment to security that can help build employees’ confidence that the business is handling security appropriately.”

The report also states: “PSIM software solutions collect and correlate events from multiple security devices and information systems (eg video feeds, access control logs, environmental sensors and other data sources) into a single view/dashboard that administrators and physical security staff can use to monitor, detect and respond to potential security incidents. PSIM’s ability to deliver a centralised view of an organisation’s physical assets helps the latter respond effectively to specific threats and mitigate physical security risks in real-time.”