Contact Information: Contact: Ivy Eckerman Spire Communications (540) 373-2963 Email Contact
Air Force Materiel Command Selects AtHoc IWSAlerts for Network-Centric Emergency Alerting for Two of Its Bases
Edwards AFB and Eglin AFB Rely on AtHoc's Alerting System for Installation-Wide Emergency Notification to Protect More Than 30,000 Personnel
| Source: AtHoc, Inc.
BURLINGAME, CA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- November 6, 2006 -- AtHoc, Inc. today announced that two bases
within Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) -- Edwards and Eglin Air Force
Bases -- have purchased AtHoc IWSAlerts™. The bases will use the
offering to provide base-wide emergency notification using their existing
Internet protocol (IP) networks. The AtHoc IWSAlerts system provides the
bases with state-of-the-art emergency communications capabilities that
strengthen antiterrorism and force protection initiatives. Edwards has
already completed the deployment, and Eglin is scheduled to finish
deploying the offering in November.
The system combines a network alerting capability with a robust emergency
notification management system. Using its network alerting capability,
AtHoc IWSAlerts enables the installations 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. 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 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.
Edwards and Eglin each has its own unique alerting needs. Some of those
needs impact national security while others may be as simple as protecting
personnel from hazardous weather. For example, Eglin is right in the middle
of hurricane alley, and it needs to make sure personnel know how to react
to pending storms in order to protect the base and themselves. And at
Edwards, the system has already been successfully deployed and was heavily
used to support an Operational Readiness Exercise to alert the base to
multiple FPCON changes and other exercise-related activities.
"With two of the ten AFMC bases now using AtHoc IWSAlerts, the Command is
better prepared to deal with crises," said Guy Miasnik, president and CEO
of AtHoc. "As more AFMC bases adopt AtHoc IWAlerts, they will actually be
able to alert their own base as well as other bases in the Command that
need the information. This is exactly the approach adopted by the Air
Education and Training Command due to the Command's decision to standardize
on our offering. We're excited the deployments within AFMC have been going
well, and we're very pleased with the feedback we're getting directly from
the communications squadrons deploying the offering."
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 the 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. 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.