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As our world turns more and more towards technology, it’s important to consider the potential security threats that come with relying on technology for critical infrastructure. One area where these concerns are extremely pertinent is in the realm of 911 emergency services cyber security. 9-1-1 emergency services are the backbone of communication between civilians and emergency responders during times of crisis. In an age where cyber threats are increasingly prevalent, the security of these services is of the utmost importance. Unfortunately, many of these services are vulnerable to cyber attacks, as cyber criminals continue to develop new and sophisticated methods of infiltration. The good news is by addressing the following five recommendations, you could go a long way towards transforming your PSAP into a Cyber Fortress.

As technology continues to evolve, emergency response systems have also undergone significant changes over the years. Next Generation 911 (NG911) is the latest evolution of emergency communication systems that aims to improve response times and the quality of emergency services. If you’re considering upgrading to NG911, here are five topics you need to address:

In a 9-1-1 center, managing resources and workforce is crucial to ensure that emergency services are delivered effectively and efficiently. However, emergencies and major incidents can occur at any time, requiring the need to scale resources up or down to handle the situation adequately. This is why having the ability to scale your workforce and resources is essential to ensure that emergency services can be provided in a timely and effective manner.

As 911 professionals, we often feel helpless in the pursuit of the “big” goals. The goals that seem so audacious that there is no clear path forward. We feel overwhelmed as we sit in our centers or in our offices feeling small, like we are unable to make a difference. We think, well I cannot do it all, so there is nothing I can do. But to quote Glennon Doyle, “I will not let the fact that I cannot do everything keep me from doing what I can.” It is in this spirit that I challenge you to take action. Because each of you hold the keys to lead the industry to the classification of 911 professionals as first responders! Not sure where to start?; please read on.

911 call takers and dispatchers play a crucial role in emergency response, providing critical assistance and coordinating emergency services in times of crisis. They are the first point of contact for many people in distress, and their ability to quickly assess and respond to emergencies can often mean the difference between life and death.

Seventy one percent of hackers say they can breach the perimeter of a target within 10 hours[1] according to experts attending Black Hat, Bsides, and DEFCON – some of the world’s foremost authorities on cybersecurity. This challenge is especially troubling for traditional organizations who still espouse legacy on-premise systems over modern cloud-native systems. These legacy on-premise systems suffer from Candy Bar Security, relying on a crunchy hard exterior to protect a chewy soft interior. Our heroes under the headset – 911 dispatchers – deserve better.

One of the first things parents teach their children is how to dial 911 when an emergency occurs. The simplicity of this system has saved the lives of multitudes and continues to do so despite many challenges.

Four Thousand Five Hundred Sixty-Six – that’s the estimated number of 9-1-1 calls that will have been made during the time it takes you to read this article[1]. Handling roughly a quarter-billion 9-1-1 calls annually is no small feat, and this responsibility falls on the broad shoulders of the roughly 6,000 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) spread across 3,000+ counties nationwide[2]. And while our worst days represent the everyday of the heroes under the headset, their path to our rescue is paved with innumerable challenges, some of which include:

911 dispatchers spend every day responding to emergencies. Their job is to triage a situation and provide appropriate responders to the scene. But are they prepared to face a catastrophic event like a mass shooting, a Category 5 hurricane, or even a six-foot snowfall that shuts down an entire city (think Buffalo, NY in November 2022)? Disasters happen, but within the PSAP, failure is not an option.

For many products and services, one of the best predictors of business growth is the quality of the customer experience. In turn one of the best measures of customer experience is the Net Promoter Score, or NPS. The NPS score can range from -100 (all customers are detractors of your product) to +100 (all customers are promoters of your product). According to Retently, the B2B SaaS NPS benchmark is around 40. Despite this benchmark, Carbyne enjoys an overall NPS score of 94 (out of 100). When we share this with external parties, they are often incredulous and want to know how they can achieve these lofty accomplishments. For us, it really comes down to four primary reasons: