The Big Question
An emergency mass notification system should be easy to use and work well with an organization’s other existing technology. That’s why we’ve built our InformaCast emergency notification software to work with Cisco phones many organizations already have in place. InformaCast works with many different Cisco phones and we offer a full list of compatible models. But we’re often asked by people who are looking to put the safety of their people first, “Can I still use InformaCast if I don’t have Cisco phones?”
The short answer is yes. We don’t want to restrict access to a tool that could benefit an organization’s safety and security just because they aren’t using a Cisco phone system. However, there will be some differences in functionality. First, the InformaCast Advanced notification system will not send broadcasts to non-Cisco phones. That being said, there are still plenty of features available to handle intruder alerts, automated emergency weather notifications, panic buttons, internet of things integration, and more.
With non-Cisco phones, InformaCast can send a mass notification to computer desktops, digital signage, analog overhead paging systems, InformaCast-compatible IP speakers, e-mail, and mobile phones (via InformaCast Mobile). To trigger a mass notification from a non-Cisco phone system, a SIP trunk must be configured between the phone system and InformaCast. Also, the CallAware feature for 911 alerting will only work on Cisco phone systems.
The Mobile Option
The other option is to look at InformaCast Mobile. While InformaCast Advanced connects to endpoints, InformaCast Mobile loads user information that can include mobile phone numbers and email addresses. So regardless of what kind of landline phones your organization is using, you can reach people directly on their mobile devices through push notifications via the InformaCast Mobile app, SMS text messages, emails, or phone calls. While we advocate organizations using as many communication methods as possible to share information, if your people are often away from their desks, InformaCast Mobile can reach them on their mobile phones.
Bring it All Together
If your organization needs to utilize on-premises and mobile devices to reach people, InformaCast Fusion combines the functionalities of InformaCast Mobile and Advanced in a single platform. You can manage messages and send them to desktop computers, digital signage, IP speakers, mobile devices, and more to achieve the speed and reach needed to keep people informed during a crisis. The single interface minimizes the need to log in and out of different systems, drastically decreasing the time it takes to reach your people. While the ability to reach non-Cisco phones will still be limited, the capabilities of InformaCast Fusion to bring together disparate systems in a single interface far exceeds the capabilities of other emergency notification systems and offers better speed and reach than a mobile-only notification system.
Read more to learn why mobile-only alerts are not sufficient