CASE STUDY
A better brand of emergency alerting
“ We did a very detailed product assessment around lifetime cost , user friendliness and functionality , comparing BlackBerry AtHoc against its leading competitors ,” Shearer-Rust said . “ BlackBerry AtHoc ultimately won . We also found BlackBerry quite helpful in building out our ideas and our usage of its platform .”
As part of BlackBerry AtHoc ’ s initial deployment process , Shearer-Rust configured a template for each unit in the CNC and gave small groups of users at each site limited access to the platform . This allowed each unit to manage its own response to incidents and shortfalls , while still providing head office oversight into their usage . In addition to unit-specific templates , the CNC has also integrated BlackBerry AtHoc into its overtime management .
Keeping in touch , no matter what
Since deploying BlackBerry AtHoc , the CNC has reduced its average response time for major incidents from several hours to approximately 15 minutes – and further reduced response time for smaller scale urgent mobilisations . When additional staff are required , a unit no longer needs to send personnel to the office to man the phones . Instead , it ’ s as simple as pressing a button , sending tailored alerts and waiting for a response .
BlackBerry AtHoc also makes it quicker and easier to bring in people for overtime , saving an estimated £ 50,000 –£ 60,000 a year , according to Shearer-Rust . The CNC has also used BlackBerry AtHoc to rid itself of pagers , saving an additional £ 30,000 . A planned expansion will see this increase to an estimated £ 60,000 .
Eventually , the CNC also intends to look into AtHoc Connect for inter-agency communication and AtHoc Collect for better communication with field personnel . For now , however , it is more than satisfied with AtHoc Alert , which it uses on a daily basis . According to Shearer-Rust , the organisation has sent two and a half thousand alerts over the past two years .
“ Historically , when an event would happen , we ’ d often pre-emptively prepare to deploy ‘ just in case ’ even if it wasn ’ t guaranteed that our help would be needed ,” said
Shearer-Rust . “ Because of BlackBerry AtHoc , we can deploy with much shorter notice . This means our officers are able to return to work that much faster and we don ’ t need to worry about setting aside resources until it ’ s strictly necessary .”
Joseph Shearer-Rust , Resilience Officer at CNC , revealed some further insight into the BlackBerry AtHoc , along with its benefits .
Please provide an overview of the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and how it operates ?
The Civil Nuclear Constabulary is responsible for protecting civil nuclear facilities and nuclear material used for civilian purposes when it is in transit . We work with a range of partners , including ; local emergency response teams , regulators , industry and government . Counter-terrorism is a major part of our role . Outside of our core role we also provide support to national armed policing operations and local police forces when requested . We employ around 1,500 armed police officers and support staff across the UK .
How do you ensure the organisation can function with a robust cybersecurity posture ?
We employ cybersecurity experts , as well as working with leading industry experts and government agencies to ensure that our systems are secure . We also have a rigorous testing programme .
How essential is a reliable communicative platform for an organisation such as yours and how did the solution help to improve this ?
Being able to communicate with all of our officers and staff to understand who is available is important . Adopting AtHoc allowed us to reduce this information gathering stage from several hours down to a matter of minutes .
Why did you choose to work with BlackBerry ?
We did a very detailed product assessment around lifetime cost , user friendliness and functionality , comparing BlackBerry AtHoc against its leading competitors . BlackBerry
THE WAY IN WHICH BLACKBERRY OPERATES AS A PARTNER
IN DEVELOPING SOLUTIONS IS ENCOURAGING .
AtHoc ultimately won . We have unique challenges as a customer , particularly regarding security , and we found BlackBerry was willing to make a genuine commitment to investing in its product to make it fit our needs .
Having established a relationship with BlackBerry , we have found it to be helpful in developing its product to better suit our needs .
What were the key benefits of using the solution ?
On a day-to-day basis , it allows us to manage overtime more efficiently and is extremely easy for everyone to use . We are frequently finding new uses for it outside of the scope of the original project .
How have these provided advantages to the end-user ?
At a basic level , text messages and app alerts are much less intrusive and disruptive than a phone call . Managers can now send out a quick alert and then get on with their day .
How far has the solution futureproofed operations for the CNC ?
Engaging with this product allows us to shape the future of technology-abled resilience . We continue to find innovate ways to improve our operation using the platform . The way in which BlackBerry operates as a partner in developing solutions is encouraging . • www . intelligentcio . com INTELLIGENTCIO
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